14432 - Heritage Policy and Governance Modulübersicht

Module Number: 14432
Module Title:Heritage Policy and Governance
  Kulturerbepolitik und Governance
Department: Faculty 6 - Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning
Responsible Staff Member:
  • Dr. phil. Rudolff, Britta
Language of Teaching / Examination:English
Duration:1 semester
Frequency of Offer: On special announcement
Credits: 6
Learning Outcome:

After successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

  • Critically analyse heritage policy frameworks at international, regional, and national levels, and assess how they are formulated, legitimised, and contested within varying political contexts.
  • Evaluate the interaction between governance and policy structures and instruments, including regulatory, financial, participatory, and discursive tools used in heritage management.
  • Apply advanced policy analysis approaches to selected case studies, examining how heritage policies are negotiated and implemented.
  • Assess the role of stakeholders, right holders and different actors — including state authorities, international organisations, civil society, expert bodies, and local communities — in shaping heritage policy outcomes.
  • Develop evidence-based and theoretically informed arguments regarding effectiveness, coherence, legitimacy, and impact of heritage policy decisions.
Contents:

This module deepens students’ understanding of heritage governance and policy analysis as two intertwined conceptual and methodological frameworks. Building on prior knowledge of UNESCO structures and governance mechanisms, the course explores how heritage policies are formulated and implemented at different levels and in a variety of political and administrative contexts.

The module is focused on analytical discourses related to policy instruments and regulatory frameworks. It looks deeper into agenda-setting and negotiation processes, analyses funding structures and encourages students to understand challenges in the interaction between international norms and domestic policy environments. Particular attention is also given to cases of multi-level governance, processes of policy transfer, and the role of expertise and evidence in decision-making processes. Through in-depth case analysis, students examine concrete policy conflicts and challenges, including in the context of urban development pressures, climate change adaptation, restitution debates, tourism governance, and community rights.

Recommended Prerequisites:

none

Mandatory Prerequisites:

none

Forms of Teaching and Proportion:
  • Seminar / 4 Hours per Week per Semester
  • Self organised studies / 120 Hours
Teaching Materials and Literature:

Reading materials and references will be provided in the moodle course.

Module Examination:Continuous Assessment (MCA)
Assessment Mode for Module Examination:

1. Oral presentation of 15 minutes (contributing 25% to the overall grade)

2. Essay of 2000 words (contributing 55% to the overall grade)

3. 2 Peer-reviews of 400 words (contributing 10% each to the overall grade)

Evaluation of Module Examination:Performance Verification – graded
Limited Number of Participants:None
Part of the Study Programme:
  • Master (research-oriented) / World Heritage Studies / PO 2026
Remarks:

none

Module Components:

Seminar: Heritage Policy and Governance

Components to be offered in the Current Semester:
  • no assignment