Critical Heritage Studies

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 1022281CNR for all students in the 1st semester of odd academic years (e.g. 2013-2014) at a (C) Bachelor - specialised level.

Semester

biennial: 1st semester of an odd academic year (e.g. 2013-2014)

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Languages & Humanities

Department

History, Archaeology, Arts, Philosophy and Ethics

Educational team

Marc Jacobs (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
100 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

Since the 1990s, the heritage paradigm has boomed all over the world. The semantic field of the concept of “heritage” (erfgoed, patrimoine, Kulturerbe, ...) has become much broader than previously. This is marked by an avalanche of adjectives like immovable, movable, intangible, digital, etc. This course focusses primarily on movable, intangible and digital heritage, complementing the yearly alternating course on built heritage/monuments/architectural history.

In the first module, a long term perspective of five centuries is used to trace the practices and policies that converge in the heritage paradigm in Europe in the 21^st century, with particular attention to Italy, France, the Low Countries and the Nordic region. The concept of “historicity regimes” will guide us on this journey in time. Antiquarianism, museums, libraries, archives, collections but also for instance folklore (studies) are part of this story.

In the second module, the students explore the evolutions and the structure of the fields of cultural heritage policies and practices in “Belgium”, i.e. Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia, the German speaking community and the federal institutions. The notion of subsidiarity will guide the students on this journey through complexity, power struggles and care.

In the third module, the students will discuss the different interpretations of the notion of critical in critical heritage studies and will relate relate to so-called "hot topics" in heritage theory, policy and practice.

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : PDFs en teksten, Canvas

Additional info

The teaching materials (slides, pdfs, texts) and references are made available on the digital learning platform (Canvas).

Learning Outcomes

Algemene competenties

At the end of this course, the students are able to discuss the main episodes and evolutions of the “history” (including narratives of the emergence, precursors or genealogies) of the heritage paradigm in Europe, in particular of movable and intangible heritage.

At the end of this course, the students are able to comment on recent evolutions of cultural heritage organizations, policies and practices in “Belgium”, in the perspective of “subsidiarity”.

At the end of this course, the students are able to comment on issues in cultural heritage, including digital heritage, on the basis of insights in contemporary critical heritage studies and other transdisciplinary research.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Examination with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Oral examination. A written assignment (instructions on Canvas) has to made and this will be discussed as one of the exam questions.

The use of generative AI can be allowed for the assignment, if it is used in a responsible way and if the use is indicated in an appropriate way (see the instructions on Canvas)

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context