Following on from the 'An introduction to conflict archaeology and conflict heritage' online course, which explored the legacy of war as explored through heritage and material culture, this online course takes students further into the study of the field. It introduces the concept of 'dark heritage' and other associated terms for dealing with places with troubled pasts, such as dark, difficult, traumatic and taboo heritage. The focus of the course will be to examine the varied heritage responses to such places with the aim of helping students understand not just what heritage responses have taken place where and why, but to consider what alternatives were possible - and perhaps advisable - for the communities concerned. Much heritage in this category aims to educate and to impress audiences with a commitment of 'never again', but does this really work? What solutions are possible now, at a time in world politics when effective heritage responses to past conflicts are needed more than ever?
NOTE: Completion of 'An introduction to conflict archaeology and conflict heritage' is NOT required to register for this course. It is open to anyone with an interest in the subject.
Course Dates
Course details
Academic team
Key Features
Aims of the course
- To provide progression for students who have taken 'An introduction to conflict archaeology or conflict heritage', although completion of this course is not required to register for 'Dark Heritage'.
- To introduce students to dark heritage and familiarise them with related concepts.
- To familiarise students with a range of case studies from the heritage of conflict.
Course content overview
The first session provides an introduction to the subject and brings students who are new to conflict archaeology up to speed. In the second week we examine Holocaust and Roma genocide sites at risk from neglect, from development and from misappropriation, considering what can be done to better safeguard them. In the third week we look at sites of mass graves, asking how we might best memorialise the dead at such sites in a way that does not inflame political tensions. In week 4 we think about political prisons presented as museums and consider what is the best way to present these sites to the public such that the experience of the prisoner is accurately conveyed without traumatising the visitor. In the final week we consider museums, 'dark objects' - objects of trauma and oppression - and the presentation of war. Ethically speaking, what is the best way to deal with such objects?
Students will be encouraged to present case studies from their own country/region to the online class.
Welcome week (Week 0)
Purpose:
- personal introductions
- introducing the course
- useful reading
- personal objectives
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
- test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
- learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
- contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies
Week 1: What is Dark Heritage?
Purpose:
This session presents an overview and definition of the concept of Dark Heritage and discusses where it fits within the field of Conflict Archaeology (itself a multidisciplinary approach) and Heritage Studies. We will take an overarching look at case studies, concepts and sources
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- An understanding of the concept of Dark Heritage
- An understanding of the kinds of sites which can be perceived as ‘dark’ and why we might classify them this way
Week 2: Dark heritage sites at risk
Purpose:
This week we focus on the darkest sites of all – those related to the Holocaust. And yet many of these sites are at risk today – from developers, from nature, from political misrepresentation or from reuse. All of these destroy the integrity of the site in question and remove the darkness from the site in the process. We will discuss whether this is desirable and why we wish to keep dark heritage sites of this sort intact
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- An understanding of why dark heritage sites are important, most especially those relating to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma
- A preliminary understanding of what can be done to protect sites of dark heritage at risk
Week 3: Dark heritage and mass graves
Purpose:
This week, students will be introduced to mass graves and war cemeteries. Students will be asked how we can memorialise such sites in a way that does not inflame political tensions.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- An informed knowledge of some key case studies
- An understanding of ‘neutral’, ethical memorialisation strategies.
Week 4: Political prisons and dark heritage
Purpose:
In this session we think about political prisons presented today as museums, considering which is the best way to present these sites to the public such that the experience of the prisoner is accurately conveyed without traumatising the visitor.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- An overview of the considerations at play in such a museum setting;
- An understanding of suitable strategies of presentation at such prisons
Week 5: Museums, ‘dark objects’ and the presentation of war
Purpose:
In the final week we consider museums, ‘dark objects’ – objects of trauma and oppression - and the presentation of war to the general public. Ethically speaking, what is the best way to deal with such objects?
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- An introduction to relevant case studies;
- An understanding of the ethical issues surrounding the presentation of ‘dark objects’ to the public
Week 6: what next?
Purpose:
- Assessment of student learning
- Assessment of student satisfaction
- Encouragement of further study
This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.
Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.
Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course.
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).
Fees
The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.
Concessions
For more information, please see our concessions information page.
Alison Fordham Bursary
University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.
Application criteria:
- applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
- applicants who can demonstrate financial need
- For more information, please see our bursaries information page.
A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.
