Overview

From its foundation in the immediate post-war period, UNESCO’s vision of international collaboration in the safeguarding of heritage has faced many political and social challenges. This module looks at the concept of world heritage, the history of organisational development and the ongoing efforts to widen the remit for protection to encompass the diversity of world heritage. It critically evaluates the processes undertaken to inscribe sites on the World Heritage List and, using a number of case studies, provides a detailed understanding of the intricacies involved in running and managing a World Heritage Site. Attention is also given to sustainable tourism by exploring practical and theoretical approaches, with particular emphasis on supporting local economies.

Assessment Strategy

-good -Good students (B- to B+) will demonstrate a solid level of achievement and depth of knowledge in all the criteria in the C- to C+ range, and will in addition exhibit constructive engagement with different types of historical writing and historiographical interpretation. Ideas will be communicated effectively and written work will include a good range of sources/reading and demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and of the existing interpretations expressed in a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument. Students at the top end of this band will engage with and critique the ideas that they come across, and synthesise the various interpretations they find to reach their own considered conclusions. Written work will be correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate. -excellent -Excellent students (A- and above) will show strong achievement across all the criteria combined with particularly impressive depths of knowledge and/or subtlety of analysis. In written work, they will support their arguments with a wealth of relevant detail/examples. They will also demonstrate an acute awareness of the relevant historiography and give an account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular historical debate. They may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, nuancing their argument in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, and analysis expected will be consistently superior to top upper-second work. Standards of presentation will also be high. -threshold-Students in this band (C- to C+) will demonstrate a satisfactory range of achievement or depth of knowledge of most parts of the module, and will make successful, if occasionally inconsistent, attempts to develop those skills appropriate to the study of History at undergraduate level. In the case of the written assessments, the answers will attempt to focus on the question, although might drift into narrative, and will show some evidence of solid reading and research. The argument might lose direction and might not be adequately clear at the bottom of this category. Written work will be presented reasonably well with only limited errors in grammar, punctuation, and referencing, and not to the extent that they obscure meaning.

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to critically appraise World Heritage Site Management Plans and their implementation (to include local, national and international legislation, policies and collaboration; funding; presentation and the marketing of sites.

• Be able to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches to world heritage.

• Demonstrate a knowledge of the nomination process and an ability to critically evaluate the 'Operational guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention'.

• Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse the concept and application of sustainable management and tourism.

• Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse the concept and development of the world heritage brand.