ANTH 290 Legislating Heritage: Domestic Law and International Conventions
This course examines the legal obligations and global norms that have been established to manage cultural resources, including both tangible heritage (like archaeological and historical objects, sites, and landscapes), and intangible heritage (like language, food, music, and dance). We will explore management at various scales, from the individual, community, and national level to the international, transnational, and global domain.
Each week we will focus on a specific convention or piece of legislation, and then debate its power and efficacy with recourse to a recent case study in which it was invoked. Weekly topics will include laws and conventions like the 1906 American Antiquities Act, the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, and the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The courses goal is to give students a comprehensive knowledge of and critical perspective on the regulatory environment of cultural resource management.
Cross Listed Courses
ANTH 290 & POL 451