Subject:

Course: General theory of heritage

ECTS credits: 6

Language: Croatian

Duration: one semester

Status: compulsory/elective

Method of teaching: 2 periods lecture, 1 period seminar

Prerequisite: No

Assessment: written exam

Course description:

1. Introductory lecture
2. World through the eyes of curators (globalization and culture, identity crisis)
3. Basic terminology related to heritage theories (time, memory, past, history, culture, identity, heritage)
4. Characteristics of different heritage theories
5. Methods of analysis heritage phenomena
6. Idealistic goal
7. Structures and types of theories
8. Heritage professions
9. Professional excellence
10. Professional education and new professionalism
11. International professional organisations
12. Critical approaches to theory and practice
13. Future of heritage
14. Theory of planning museums and heritage programmes and activities

Course objectives: Introduces students to the basics of heritage theories – their features, fields of study and particularities, trends and tendencies; develops skills for understanding heritage as a holistic concept, for applying theory in practice within heritage institutions; develops heritage profession maintaining specialist interests in the topic.

Quality check and success of the course: Evaluation of lectures and student through a survey at the end of semester.

Reading list:
1. Šola, Tomislav. Eseji o muzejima i njihovoj teoriji - prema kibernetičkom muzeju. Zagreb. Hrvatski nacionalni komitet ICOM-a, 2003.
2. Lowenthal, David. The past is the foreign country. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985
3. Dana, John Cotton. The New Museum - selected writings of John Cotton Dana. Washington: American Association of Museums / Newark Museum, 1999.
4. Weil, Stephen E. Rethinking the Museum and other meditations. Washington and London. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1990.
5. Vergo, Peter (ed.). The New Museology. London. Reaktion Books Ltd. 1989.