Additional Information

Course Number

HRS 356

Course Level

Course Description

This course explores the dynamic issues surrounding the political use of the past with a focus on archaeological and artistic cultural monuments in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The way the past is studied, interpreted, presented, and conserved is becoming an increasingly hot topic in today’s politicized global environment. Modern political ideologies such as colonialism and nationalism, wars, poverty, and a thriving illicit antiquities market are closely intertwined with how past cultural heritage is collected, interpreted, presented, and maintained. This class will analyze the political use of the past with a focus on the 19th – 21st centuries through student presentation and discussion. The class format is seminar-style, with emphasis on discussion, debate, and active student learning. Issues to be addressed will include: why preserve the past, and in what form? How has past cultural heritage been used and abused for political purposes in different historical and cultural contexts? How do museums, collections, restitution of cultural property, and the illicit traffic in artifacts contribute to this situation? What solutions have been tried or proposed to mitigate the ongoing struggle for control of the past? Students are encouraged to apply these principles to other global cultures in their individual research projects.

Syllabus Available

Yes

Notes

Please note that a DRAFT version of this syllabus is available as a PDF online at the URL provided. Please email instructor for further information.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Colleagues, Employees, and Students
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Employers and Clients
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public

CIfA Codes

• Principle 2: Responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment
• Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research

Keywords & Terms

• Accountability
• Armed Conflict and Violence
• Avoid, Discourage, and Report Unethical and Illegal Activity
• Conservation
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Integrity of Research Methodology and Field Procedures
• International Law
• Local, State, Federal, and Tribal Laws
• Looting, Collecting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Museum, Collection, Curation and Display Standards
• Preservation of Archaeological Resources
• Promotion of Archaeological Research/Archaeology as Scientific Discipline
• Protection and Non-Disclosure of Archaeological Sites
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
• Stewardship
• UNESCO

Topics & Issues

• Antiquities Trade
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Conservation and Ethics
• Ethical Case Studies
• Ethical Dilemmas
• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Ethics of Collecting
• Heritage Management
• Historic/Cultural Resource/Site Preservation
• Human Rights and Social and Economic Inequalities
• Interpreting the Past
• Monuments and Commemoration
• Museum and Display Ethics
• Politics and Archaeology
• War, Violence, and Conflict