Graduate Program (& Advanced Certificate) Status
Recapitulating and building on the interdisciplinary foundations of memory and heritage studies, the course examines the sources, uses, and impact of social memory in modern and contemporary society, with a critical focus on its political dimension.
Through social theory, through empirical research in history, sociology, and anthropology, and through policy case studies, we approach memory and heritage as the outcomes of collective processes, i.e. of in-teractions, controversies, conflicts, symbolic and physical violence that make them salient in our lives as well as in contemporary political economies.
—Substantive skills:
*literacy in basic concepts and debates in memory and heritage studies, incl. the definitions and issues associated with: collective memory/constructivism; narrative; materiality/new materialism; ambivalence/forgetting; trauma; vicarious memory; postmemory; structural vs. relational; structural vs. historical; nostalgia; authenticity; ideology; commodification/enclosure.
*knowledge of the functions and impact of key policy organizations and institutions in charge of heritage and culture at both national and international level, as well as the basic ways in which they interplay and
form a (global) heritage system; definition and use of “scale”
*basic historical knowledge of the global development of the field of memory/heritage since the early
modern era, as a product of nation-building, imperialism/colonialism, capitalist markets, and science-for-
mation.
*historical knowledge of the development of memory/heritage studies and of its problematics since the
1980s.
—Portable skills:
*ability to analyze heritage and “memory” critically, i.e. as the products of contingent, contested, often
latent, always power-driven processes, which it is a matter to analyze and explain.
*ability to formulate research questions, working hypotheses, and elaborate empirical tests.
*critical awareness of Eurocentric and intellectualistic biases inherent in heritage and heritage studies.
*interdisciplinary approach to real-world cases, issues and debates, combining 1) a solid sense of which
disciplines produce what kind of research and tools and 2) openness to and skill combining the latter
through research and writing (i.e. interdisciplinarity anchored in distinct, discipline-based, and outcome-
specific corpuses and repertoires)
*ability to construct a dialogical and critical argument and write an essay, especially as a work of “public
anthropology” or sociology (academic writing for online outlets);
*Other academic skills: bibliographic research; autonomous but informed thinking. For PhD stud
Assignments for MA students (in person class):
1. Attendance and participation in all meetings of the class when class meets in person; through on-line fora, online meetings, and/or weekly assignments for students taking the online version. One unjustified absence or miss won’t be penalized. 25%
2. One presentation on the readings of any given week 25%
3. One academic essay for online publication on a topic of your choice, if possible with contemporary
currency. Think of it as an academic blog post. The best posts will be edited and uploaded on the class
website. Length: max. 2500 words (no exceptions) + relevant bibliography of sources incl. at least 5
references from the class, as well as relevant hyperlinks to online sources. Draft abstract and working
title due Week 3. First draft due Week 8. Final drafts week 12. 50%
Assignments for MA students (online class):
1. Weekly assignments: Completion of all assignments is required (online fora, online meetings, and/or
weekly written assignments). One miss won’t be penalized. 50%
2. One academic essay for online publication on a topic of your choice, if possible with contemporary
currency. Think of it as an academic blog post. The best posts will be edited and uploaded on the class
website. Length: max. 2500 words (no exceptions) + relevant bibliography of sources incl. at least 5
references from the class, as well as relevant hyperlinks to online sources. Draft abstract and working
title due Week 3. First draft due Week 8. Final drafts week 12. 50%
Assignments for PhD students (in person and online):
1. Attendance and participation See above. 20%
2. 3 reaction papers including discussion questions to be submitted prior to related sessions. Sessions of
your choice. 30%
3. Bibliographic essay on a question related to the subject of your PhD thesis. Think of it as a literature
review (20 references at least, including at least 10 from the course), on a problématique of your
choice or crafting. Topic due Week 3. Draft Abstract and paper, including outline, due Week 6. 50%