Ateneo - UPO

Environmental history ad History of cultural heritage: methods, debates and didactical tools.

The course consists of 2 modules: A) "Environmental history" and B) "History of cultural heritage". Two programmes are foreseen for attending and non attending students.

The course focuses on issues of environmental history, and on its interdisciplinary applications, and on category of heritage, and its meanings and transformations in different periods and contexts, both with an interdisciplinary approach. Knowledge and understanding: acquire the knowledge that allows to know the history of cultural heritage, and the environmental history in the last centuries. Ability to discuss in a critical way the historiography on cultural heritage, and that on environmental history. Expression of judgments: knowing how to analyze environmental history, history of cultural heritage, and that of their “objects” (collections; culture; nature, landscape...). Communication skills: ability to communicate, also with an informative approach, the history of cultural heritage and the history of environmental resources. Study skills: ability to approach the historiographic literature and the sources of the history of cultural heritage and of environmental history.

Basic historical knowledge (modern and contemporary history).

Frontal lessons; critical reading of the bibliography; critical analysis of the main historiographic methodologies and of the historical sources. At the request of course participants, it will be possible for students to do individual text presentation exercises during class.

Some texts and other material will be provided on DIR – Didattica In Rete, for both modules. Students are therefore advised to register on DIR, where notices and communications will also be posted.

The course consists of both modules "Environmental history" and "History of cultural heritage".
The examination of the achievement of the learning outcomes are the same for both modules: an oral exam, about 20 minutes.
The questions will assess: the student's ability to contextualize the topics learned in time and space; the acquisition of an organic vision of the disciplinary issues; the ability to use them into a coherent and correct exposition, also with a scientific language; the personal critical elaboration of the topics.
The exam is divided into 3-4 questions for each module and concerns on the indicated bibliography, as well as for students attending, on the topics discussed during the lessons. Vote, expressed in thirtieths, takes place on the basis of the following parameters: 1) knowledge of the fundamental notions of bibliography and, for attending students, of the topics covered during the lessons (20 points out of 30); 2) reasoning skills critic on the topics (5 points out of 30); 3) ability to express and communicate, and to use a scientific language (5 points out of 30).
The exam will be successful if the sum of 18/30 is reached or exceeded. It will be evaluated as excellent: an accurate knowledge of topics, articulated synthesis and criticism skills; excellent expressive mastery. It will be evaluated as fairly good: knowledge of topics that is not entirely punctually, and the use of correct but not completely scientific language. It will be evaluated as adequate: basic knowledge of the program that does not go beyond the brief presentation of the issues, the inability to express a critical approach, and the use of a language not entirely correct and appropriate. It will be evaluated as inadequate: obvious gaps in the study, inability to orient themselves within the issues and use of incorrect and inappropriate language. These criteria apply to both modules. The overall assessment of the examination could take into account the student's ability to improve their ability to answer questions and their general ability to organise their study.

The course consists of 2 modules, "Environmental history" and "History of cultural heritage", and it is structured as follows.
The first module will focus on: -The critical definition of the discipline. -Environmental history as a new historiographic and historical teaching theme. -The debate on environmental history. -History of the environment and environmental debate. -The concept of Anthropocene. -Commons, forms of ownership and use of agro-forestry-pastoral resources: a historical issue. -The history of water and coastal environments. -Animal history. -The landscape, the environment and the concept of biodiversity as elements of cultural heritage. -The history of tourism and the relationship with the environment. -The communication of environmental history: historiographic language, interdisciplinary comparisons and scientific communication.
The second module will focus on the the definition of the term "cultural heritage", and on its variations in different periods and contexts (one part will be devoted to a discussion of the Italian case-study; an in-depth discussion will cover the North American contemporary discussion). The link that collections of objects have with the history of cultural heritage, and with many disciplines (history, art history, natural sciences, anthropology) will be analyzed. The topics of the course will be constantly analyzed in connection with the current applications in history research and teaching methodology, also through the exemplification and development of didactic exercises. • The concept of cultural heritage. • The concept of collection and that of heritage: a historical approach. • The history of heritage and protection: I. From the dimension of the sacred to the first interventions of protection in Roman period. • The history of heritage and protection: II. From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. • The history of heritage and protection: III. The nineteenth century. • The history of heritage and protection: IV. The twentieth century: from the concept of monument to that of cultural heritage. • Protection and its tools: international cases and Italian peculiarities. • The debate on the concept of enhancement. • Contested cultural heritage and the contemporary debate on heritage and memory.

To achieve sufficient knowledge and skills, the student has to demonstrate: Knowledge: -to know chronology, themes and categories of the environmental history, and of the history of cultural heritage in modern and contemporary period, and their interdisciplinary applications. -to know the main problems concerning the environmental history, and that about cultural heritage, and the dynamics of protection and enhancement. -to know the general features of the historiographical discussions on the themes of conflicts on cultural heritage, and the relationship between "culture" and patrimonialization, and that on environmental history. Competence: -ability to analyze issues of environmental history and history of cultural heritage in a critical way. Transversal skills: -ability to clearly communicate issues discussed during the lessons, with a proper language and with a scientific terminology. To achieve an advanced level, the student must also demonstrate that he has: -An organic vision of the topics; synthesis and analysis skills; -Capacity for personal and critical processing of the topics; -Ability to deepen theoretical and methodological issues of history in general, and in particular concerning heritage studies, and environmental history.