Additional Information

Course Number

THINK 22

Course Level

Course Description

Who owns the past? Is cultural heritage a universal right? This course interrogates the relationship between the past and the present through archaeology. Increasingly, heritage sites are flash points in cultural, economic, and religious conflicts around the globe. Clearly history matters, but how do certain histories come to matter in particular ways, and to whom? Through close study of important archaeological sites, you will learn to analyze landscapes, architecture, and objects, as well as reflect on the scholarly and public debates about history and heritage around the world. Far from being a neutral scholarly exercise, archaeology is embedded in the heated debates about heritage and present-day conflicts.

Syllabus Available

No

Notes

This course is listed under the Stanford course bulletin. Please contact department for further information.

Additional tags: global conflict; case studies

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Colleagues, Employees, and Students
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public

CIfA Codes

• Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
• Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research
• Principle 4: Responsibility for the availability of archaeological results within reasonable dispatch

Keywords & Terms

• Armed Conflict and Violence
• Conservation
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Ownership
• Preservation of Archaeological Resources
• Protection and Non-Disclosure of Archaeological Sites
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis
• Stewardship
• UNESCO

Topics & Issues

• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Heritage Management
• Human Rights and Social and Economic Inequalities
• Landscape Issues, Archaeology, and Ethics
• Politics and Archaeology
• Public Memory and Public Space
• Religion
• War, Violence, and Conflict