Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to

Regarding Knowledge and Understanding:

• account for how anthropocentric contra ecocentric approaches, as well as different capturing's of materiality affect conservation work,
• recognize the implications of the environmental crisis on resources inherited from the past and its influence on the heritage sector,
• grasp the complex challenges posed to heritage management by climate change, environmental degradation, increasing energy dependencies, and the escalating extinction of species, and
• critically discuss relations between heritage and the environment.

Regarding Competence and Skills:

• plan and carry out workshops focusing on the intersection of heritage practices and environmental issues,
• describe and assess strategies to adapt heritage practices to a changing environment,
• identify opportunities in relation to the complexities of climate and environmental change and heritage as a resource, and
• create innovative strategies to recycle, upcycle, and reuse heritage items, buildings, environments, and landscapes for greater environmental sustainability.

Regarding Judgement and Approach:

• relate to critical and affirmative methodologies to understand the relationship between heritage and the environment, and
• demonstrate an awareness of ethical considerations when re-purposing heritage for contemporary and future needs.

Content

This course focuses on environmental sustainability. The environmental crisis leads to new ways of approaching resources inherited from the past. The course explores the questions that environmental change drives through the heritage sectors and how climate change, environmental deterioration, increasing energy dependencies and an escalating extinction of species can be dealt with through changing ways of working with heritage. Ways to handle some of the complexities of climate and environmental change through critical and affirmative methods where heritage is a resource for the present and futures are discussed. The learning activities deals with how heritage objects, buildings, environments and landscapes can be recycled, upcycled and reused in more sustainable ways.

Instruction

The course will consist of seminars, lectures, workshops and excursions.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on active participation in seminars and workshops, and written assignments. Grades will be given in accordance with the Swedish grading system. The following grades will be used: Fail (U), Pass (G) and Pass with Distinction (VG).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.