Admission requirements
The following courses need to be passed:
All first year courses of the BA Art History/BA Arts, Media and Society
Two BA2 seminars.
Description
Participants in this course will learn about the emergence of preservationist thinking in Europe over the course of the long nineteenth century. From the heated debates in Revolutionary France to the legal frameworks developed in turn-of-the-century Vienna, we will consider how architectectural preservation techniques and heritage protection measures developed as creative projects. We will devote special attention to the ways in which preservationist themes engage different publics. Rooted as they are in memory and loss, both personal and collective, debates surrounding the preservation of individual monuments create spaces where disciplinary concerns confront the emotional investments of broader constituencies.
Each meeting of the seminar is organized around a curated pairing: we will examine a key written example of preservationist thinking in connection to the work of a contemporary “creative practitioner.” How, for example, did the design sensibilites of Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, the so-called “Ladies of Llangollen,” shape Hermann von Pückler-Muskau’s understanding of landscape heritage? What do John Ruskin’s theories of preservation owe to the work of Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre? And how did Victor de Stuers public calls for preservation impact Pierre Cuypers design of the Rijksmuseum?
Ultimately, participants in this seminar will consider the continued resonace of nineteenth-century preservationist discourse within current heritage debates, especially with respect to the efforts of UNESCO. For the final written assignment, students will critically evaluate the various historical justifactions for – and approaches to – preservation and re-deploy these arguments in a “nomination file,” a proposal to inscribe a particular monument onto UNESCO’s “World Heritage List.”
Course objectives
By the end of the course students will have:
learned about and debated different theories for the preservation of cultural heritage (furthering their skills in oral communication);
learned how to interpret theories of preservation within their specific cultural contexts (furthering their societal awareness);
learned how to critically engage primary sources (furthering their analysis skills);
learned about the politics and procedures for inscribing a property on UNESCO’s “World Heritage List”;
developed a strategy and an argument for adding a specific monument to the UNESCO “World Heritage List” by preparing a “nomination file.” (This assignment develops written communication skills, research skills, and the ability to generate solutions).
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Reading Responses (consisting of one image + one succinct question or reflection, maximum 100 words, prompted by the assigned reading). These must be uploaded before the start of each seminar meeting.
Oral Presentation (ca. 10 minutes). Students present a preliminary version of their final written assignment, including visual material (images, maps, and other media).
Final Written Assignment (3000 words, excluding references). In lieu of the customary final paper, students prepare a “Nomination File,” proposing a specific monument or territory for inscription in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Students will learn about the existing procedures for nomination and use the guidelines specified in UNESCO’s “Annex 5: Format for the nomination of properties for inscription on the World Heritage List” as a point of departure for their final text. Many of the same expectations one would have for a final paper still apply: clear argumentation, supporting visual material carefully sourced and analyzed, and references to appropriate academic literature and other sources. In particular, students are expected to reference some of the arguments in favor of preservation which have been discussed throughout the seminar. These arguments should be critically considered and redployed in an attempt to assert the selected property’s “outstanding universal values.”
Weighing
The final grade is determined by the weighted average of the Reading Responses (15%) Oral Presentation (15%) and the Final Written Assignment (70%). To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The re-sit involves revising and re-submitting the Final Written Assignment.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
All course readings will be made available as PDF files or as links to open access online platforms on Brightspace. Each week students are expected to complete a required reading before the start of class, typically a primary source. The full course syllabus (also available on Brightspace) includes a list of “Further Reading” for each seminar meeting. These texts are not required, but they may be helpful resources for the final written assignment.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal
Remarks
Not applicable.