Studying at York
Histories of Conservation - ARC00014M
Module summary
This module introduces you to the background, concepts and principles of contemporary conservation practice and to the values-based approaches now commonly applied in managing conservation planning and decision-making. It encourages you to engage critically and creatively with conservation as professional practice in an inclusive and multicultural world - and to explore York’s rich urban heritage in considering use and reuse of historic buildings and the sustainable management of change.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
This module aims:
- to introduce the key national and international principles and approaches in conservation of built heritage and the ethics and philosophies which underlie them
- to provide an understanding of how conservation approaches and principles have developed and are applied in practice through designation and policy
- to develop research, analytical and visual assessment skills for built heritage to understand significance and assessment of impact
- to understand the importance of design within the reuse of built heritage at a site and area based scale
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- critically understand of how and why the concept of cultural heritage and its conservation has evolved and is applied in contemporary practice through designation and assessment of significance
- demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the historical background to heritage conservation practices, the range of philosophical approaches and their relevance
- critically evaluate the conservation plan approach and apply the processes of determining values and significance for built heritage
- critically assess the impact of change on built heritage considering the role of design, materials and use
Module content
This module introduces you to the background, concepts and principles of contemporary conservation practice and to the values-based approaches now commonly applied in managing conservation planning and decision-making. It encourages you to engage critically and creatively with conservation as professional practice in an inclusive and multicultural world - and to explore York’s rich urban heritage in considering use and reuse of historic buildings and the sustainable management of change. We will consider the history and contemporary practice of conservation for built heritage, looking critically at how conservation has developed with changing ideas about material, intangible and socio-economic values of heritage.
You will critique and apply value-based approaches to conservation management using local building case studies. The English planning framework is used as a practice model for this work but you are encouraged to contextualise this with other national / international frameworks and principles and consider how these are reflected in global shifts in approaches to conservation. Through this module you will approach historic buildings and areas differently and develop a complex understanding of how conservation today is concerned with the sustainable management of change and engages with a diversity of heritage assets, actors, interpretations and audiences.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Formative: oral feedback from module leaders
Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy
Indicative reading
Avrami, E, Macdonald, S, Mason, R and Myers, D. 2019. Values in Heritage Management: Emerging Approaches and Research Directions. Getty Conservation Institute.
Clark, K. 2019. Playing with the Past - Exploring Values in Heritage Practice. New York: Berghahn Books.
Kalman, H., & Létourneau, M.R. 2020. Heritage Planning: Principles and Process (2nd ed.). Routledge.