AUS2030

The heritage industry

Graeme Davison and others

6 points
* One 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour tutorial per week
* Second semester
* Berwick campus

Objectives This subject examines the place which heritage - the preservation, presentation and simulation of the past - now occupies in Australian and international culture. Students will gain an insight into the workings of the heritage industry through case studies of heritage interpretation and by visiting museums and heritage sites. They will explore the place of heritage in cultural tourism, discuss current policy issues and learn about the institutions responsible for the management of heritage within Australia. They will be introduced to skills in interpreting heritage places and in writing for guidebooks and other forms of heritage literature.

Synopsis What is heritage and why do we value it? The course begins with an investigation of the meanings of heritage and explores its significance in a range of contexts, including European and Aboriginal Australia, the United States, Europe and South-East Asia. Issues include the relationship between the search for roots and cultural tourism, `authenticity' in the preservation of historic sites and buildings, `reliving the past' through history museums and theme parks, the `invention' of folk heritage in Bali, the ethical and political tensions between preservation and economic use, the appropriation of Aboriginal heritage in Australian tourism, and international debates about `who owns the past'? Attention will be given to the roles of international and local heritage bodies. Students will have an opportunity to visit some notable historic sites and to learn from professional historians, museologists and experts in cultural tourism.

Assessment Class paper and presentation (1000 words): 20%
* Fieldwork report (1000 words): 20%
* Heritage analysis and writing project (2000 words): 40%
* Classroom test (1 hour): 20%

Recommended texts

Lowenthal D The heritage crusade Viking, 1997
Sullivan S and Pearson M Looking after heritage places MUP, 1995
Wallace M Mickey mouse history Temple U P, 1997
Davison G and McConville C (eds.) A heritage handbook Allen and Unwin, 1991
Rickard J and Spearritt P Packaging the past MUP, 1991