Heritage and Museum Studies Minor

Total units 24 Units

Areas of interest Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, Australian Studies, Environmental Studies
Minor code HAMS-MIN

Academic career Undergraduate
Academic Contact Professor Laurajane Smith

The Heritage and Museum Studies minor at ANU draws together two interrelated areas of study- heritage and museums. These fields of study recognise that heritage finds expression not only in material culture, but also in intangible cultural events and performances, and that heritage is intimately linked to expressions of identity, sense of place and the processes of remembering, forgetting and commemoration. This program endeavours to expand understanding about the purposes for which heritage and museums have been employed by stakeholder and audience groups ranging from local communities or agencies, to state and national governments, and international policy frameworks. It develops an integrated understanding of the way heritage is managed and exhibited with critical explorations of the cultural and political work that heritage does in society. The minor will be particularly relevant to students in archaeology, anthropology, history, fine arts, environmental sciences and related disciplines and who may wish to consider a career in the heritage and museum sectors. The minor examines not only conceptual and theoretical issues that have impact onheritage and museum policy and practice, but also provides some exposure to practical management and curatorial issues.

Learning Outcomes

Describe thehistorical, political, institutional and cultural frameworks for contemporaryheritage and museum practice in Australia and internationally.
Analyse currentindustry standards, protocols, policy frameworks, and funding regimes forprofessional practice and academic research in the fields of heritage andmuseums.
Analyse and critique the concept of "heritage" and the interdisciplinary debates that contribute to the theorisation of heritage as field of enquiry and as an area of public policy.
Comment on thedifferent manifestations of heritage and the different means of sociallyconstructing heritage and heritage/museum practice;
Identify, understand and comment on the key elements of heritage practice as they relate to the federated Australian political system and to international and intergovernmental systems of heritage practice such as established by UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICROM and the Council of Europe.