Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

In relation to heritage organisations/agencies, museums and art galleries, the aims of the 'Issues and Ideas' module are to provide an introduction:

To the organisational and institutional contexts in which heritage sites/organisations/agencies, museums and art galleries operate within the overall heritage sector and in relation to tourism;

To an intellectual framework for understanding the past, present, and future roles of heritage organisations and agencies, museums and galleries within heritage management and tourism;

To an intellectual framework for understanding the key issues and ideas being discussed in heritage, museum and art gallery studies and the relationships between heritage, museum and art gallery venues in relation to heritage management and tourism; and,

To an opportunity to gain the basic knowledge required to work in the heritage, museums and galleries sector in relation to heritage management and tourism on graduation.

Outline Of Syllabus

In relation to heritage management and tourism, this introductory 'Issues and Ideas' module examines the key issues and ideas that have affected the heritage, museum and art gallery sector historically and within contemporary contexts in different parts of the world. It aims to provide an understanding of the various intellectual, ethical, and organisational contexts within which institutions are situated, and the pressures, challenges, and opportunities they face. The module is intended to be both generic and specific in relation to heritage, museums and gallery studies. It achieves this by examining the broader issues facing heritage, museums and galleries, while at the same time allowing you, as a student, to relate them to specific examples drawn from your own country. The module has been organised in this way in order to: 1) enable you to explore the relationships between heritage organisations and agencies, museums, and art galleries; 2) expand your general knowledge of the overall heritage sector; 3) consider how, in many instances, heritage, museum and gallery practitioners are dealing with the same challenges and concerns; 4) learn from their respective responses to these challenges and concerns; and, 5) place what you have learnt into the context of your home country.

Issues to be covered in the module include: 1) definitions of heritage organisations, museums and galleries and perceptions of their roles and functions, especially in relation to heritage tourism; 2) their respective historical developments and present situations; 3) new directions that they are taking to meet contemporary challenges; 4) contemporary debates (e.g., the use of heritage in regeneration and social renewal, the promotion of cultural diversity, the politics of identity construction, ownership and representation at national through to local levels; and, 'community' and stakeholder involvement); 5) controversy and ethical dilemmas (e.g., dealing with difficult subject matter, repatriation, display of human remains, illicit trade of heritage resources, and, safeguarding heritage in times of conflict and war); 6) organisational and professional policies, frameworks at international, regional, national and local levels; and, 7) the potential in the sector for engagement with society in key areas (i.e., developing new audiences, social inclusion, economic regeneration, the construction of cultural identities, and, the promotion well-being). The module will introduce you to a range of these issues and ideas through the online material and activities. You will also be provided with case studies, as appropriate, which should help you to contextualise and think about the issues and ideas within actual contexts. The module topics, learning material, activities and case study should provide you with enough ideas to explore examples from your own country. You will be expected to visit (in real life, or virtually) heritage sites, museums and galleries near you and critically examine and evaluate them against what you have learnt in the module.

This module can be taken as a stand-alone credit-bearing module, or it can be used as a 'building block', via the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) regulations at Newcastle University, towards building a postgraduate qualification in Heritage Management and Tourism.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of this module a typical student will have:

Gained a comprehensive introduction to the literature relating to heritage, museum and art gallery studies;

Developed a comprehensive awareness of the definitions and concepts used in discussions within heritage, museum and art gallery studies;

Gained a good understanding of the various roles of heritage organisations, museums and art galleries - especially in relation to tourism;

Gained a basic overview of the various organisational structures of the heritage, museum and art gallery sector;

Become familiar with the history of heritage, museum and art gallery philosophies, theories and practices;

Become familiar with some of the new directions being considered in the heritage, museum and art gallery sector;

Gained a comprehensive overview of the key contemporary issues, ideas and controversies relating to heritage, museum and art gallery work - including questions of cultural identity, representation and ownership;

Explored key ethical issues related to heritage, museum and art gallery studies and work;

Developed an understand of how the heritage, museum and art gallery sector can engage with society and bring positive impacts;

Developed a good overall understanding of issues and ideas related to heritage, museum and art gallery studies and work in relation to tourism both internationally and with regard to their home countries; and, through all of this,

Gained an awareness of the diversity of approaches to heritage, museum and art gallery studies and work in relation to tourism worldwide.

Intended Skill Outcomes

By the end of this module a typical student will have:

Developed the cognitive skills to reflectively engage with different sources of information and literature in heritage, museum, art gallery and tourism studies in a questioning and well-informed manner;

Developed the cognitive skills to critically examine and evaluate theories and practices in relation to actual examples and case studies in different geographical, economic, social, cultural and political contexts;

Developed the cognitive and practical skills of analysis and appraisal by relating the information acquired through the module to specific problem-solving tasks in their own country; and,

Gained relevant subject-specific theoretical and practical skills, i.e., developed the ability to apply the professional knowledge gained above in a real-life work context.

Further enhanced the key skills, as indicated in the Graduate Skills Framework below.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module will be divided into 8 Units, with 5 learning sessions in each (40 sessions in total). Each session will average out at three hours of expected work and should be able to be completed in one sitting on a single day. As the module will be delivered through an e-learning platform, students will learn through guided independant study.

The module will include:
• Reflective Learning Activities - based on online resources and activities to deliver the module aims and content and to facilitate the acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills so that students can achieve the learning outcomes by ensuring that they engage with information, case studies and local examples;
• Skills Practice - based on online directed personal site and study visits, students will be expected to consider what they are learning against practical real-life contexts;
• Independent study - based on their own experiences, students will be expected to compare what they are learning in theory and practice with their understandings of the situations in their home country;
• Student-led Group Activity - based on the use of online discussion boards, students will be expected to engage with each other and share their learning experiences in relation to the learning outcomes, thereby enhancing group learning, critical debate, negotiation skills, and a certain amount of team work and the development of interpersonal skills;
• Assessment Preparation and Completion - based on four different online assignment activities to test what students are learning in theory and practice in relation to the learning outcomes along the way; and,
• Assessment Preparation and Completion - based on students completing and submitting one academic essay where they will be required to show that they have achieved a combination of the learning outcomes. In particular, through the essay, students will have an opportunity to show that they have developed an understanding of the literature and how it relates to work in practice.

All the teaching methods will require a high level of self-motivation, discipline, critical engagement and time management.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The module has been designed to introduce students to, and familiarise them with, the complexity and parameters of the heritage, museum and gallery sector and all its stakeholders in relation to heritage management and tourism. The two formative online computer assessment activities (total of 20% of the module mark), will help us and each student to monitor his/her understanding and progress as he/she works through the module. The academic essay assignment (80% of the module mark) is intended to give each student an opportunity to explore a specific set of issues in greater depth and to engage critically with the relevant literature. It also should help an individual student to: 1) develop valuable skills of research, writing, and analysis; 2) recognise and evaluate different sources of information; and, 3) build a solid foundation of knowledge in his/her area of interest while drawing from learning across the module as a whole.

General Notes

N/A