Overview

Individual, group, local, regional, national and global identities; museums; political and cultural role of archaeology and history, the heritage in minority groups, the heritage of elites, oral culture, heritage and the nation state, the creation of heritage-based identities in past societies

Learning Outcomes

• Awareness of varying contributions made by heritage to different forms of identity will be gained through directed reading, lectures and seminar discussions (each of which will focus on the role of the various aspects of heritage in creating different forms of identities). The ability to discuss the merits of various approaches will be fostered by reading, analysis of interpretations in lectures and discussion and judgements in seminar discussions.

• Knowledge of the role of heritage in the construction of individual and group identities will be gained through directed reading, through lectures, through seminars and a field trip (Outcome 1)

• The ability to analyse documentary evidence or a specific heritage site and discuss its relevance to wider issues within heritage studies will be gained through directed reading, through lectures (which will constantly explore the link between heritage and broader debates within history, archaeology and current political issues) and through seminar discussions (seminars concentrate on specific individual or group identities, nation states and heritage sites) and a field trip.

• The ability to answer degree essay questions will be promoted by coursework feedback. (Outcome 4).

• The ability to employ primary evidence will be fostered through a special teaching session on this, feedback in coursework essays, and the list of sources of primary evidence in the bibliography. (Outcome 5)

• The ability to form and present arguments about aspects of the role of heritage in the construction of identities, and to back them with evidence, will be promoted by experiencing argument in reading and lectures, by student practice in seminars, and by discussion of issues arising from the field trip.