The MA in Heritage Management is a unique program combining the worlds of archaeology and business and is taught in Athens at Elefsina (ancient Eleusis), an area of world-class archaeological significance.
Course Structure (MA)
Course structure
The mode of study for this program is 16 months full-time, running over three academic semesters.
Modules
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this program.
This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to
year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most
programs will require you to study a combination of compulsory and
optional modules.
| Modules may include (click for more information) | Credits |
|---|---|
| HM802 – Tourism Marketing and the Promotion of Cultural Heritage
This course introduces the basic principles of services and tourist marketing with a special focus on heritage management. Students become familiar with the core benefits that tourists seek when travelling for tourism purposes. They understand how historic sites, monuments, museums and culture in general can represent a form of travelling motivation and what the consequences are for the tourism industry, in general and particularly for the marketing and management of these sites. Also, the course enables participants to comprehend the principles of developing an integrated marketing plan for such sites, both at national and individual site levels. |
15 |
| HM803 – Human Resources Management and Strategic Planning
The course provides a discussion of all elements of strategy formulation and implementation in organizations managing cultural heritage in the contemporary complex environment. It also examines with a strategic perspective the ways human resources are managed and developed in organizations dealing with cultural heritage. Students familiarize themselves with the basic notions of strategy and understand the importance of strategic fit. They are enabled to use methods and tools of strategic analysis of simple and complex organizations in order to devise and evaluate alternative strategic choices while they comprehend the demands of a strategy implementation project. Students also understand the elements of human resources management – from the staffing process, employees training, development and performance appraisal to managing compensation systems. They comprehend the demands of human resources planning and the importance of its fit with the organisation’s strategic planning. Finally, they familiarize with issues of employees’ health and safety and understand the notions of labor relations and collective bargaining. |
15 |
| HM804 – Finance For Cultural Organizations
The aim of this non-technical course is to develop an understanding of modern finance theory and practice for organizations managing cultural heritage. It provides the basic concepts, fundamental approaches and key tools for aspiring decision makers who do not necessarily hold financial positions or backgrounds. It equips students with state-of-the art tools, methodologies and ideas needed in making and analyzing the two key decisions in finance concerning Investments and Financing. Participants understand the key issues affecting finance decisions, appreciate the risk-return trade-off and are enabled to evaluate capital investment projects using different methodologies. Students become familiar with the key goals, concepts, stakeholders, problems, decisions, variables, imitations and tools involved in the financial management of an archaeological site as a tourist destination. They are enabled to build simple budgets and financial forecasts and utilise them in order to substantiate business plans and capital budgeting decisions. Finally, they understand the various financing options, sources and procedures that are available for funding investments. |
15 |
| HM805 – Archaeological Site Management and Planning I-III
This module presents the key elements and issues in heritage management necessary for students to understand the multiple often conflicting views of various stakeholders in any heritage. With an emphasis on heritage values (i.e. the meaning of heritage) and local communities as key stakeholders, students study a series of topics, from stakeholder engagement to risk management and education, have the opportunity to think around the role and the weaknesses of international organizations, develop key communication skills in a workshop style environment. |
45 |
| HM806 – Project Management
This course aims at introducing students to the management of projects related to cultural heritage. Specifically, the course deals with issues and tools related to the design, programming and audit of the execution of project which include a potentially wide variety of activities. The material begins with the selection and evaluation of the project along with Total Quality Management (TQM), and continues with programming which comprises of defining key activities, estimation of duration and resources and extends to costing, resource usage analysis and auditing. |
15 |
| HM811 – Architectural Planning of Archaeological Sites and Visitor Management
The scope of this module is to provide conceptual tools and methods necessary for interdisciplinary collaboration and decision making in heritage management. The example of architectural synthesis will be used not only as a dominant component of heritage management practice but as a holistic way of dealing with multiple and opposing heritage values through purposeful action. Students are thus expected to learn how to interrelate diverse modes of thought and practice pertaining to archaeologists, conservators, architects, historians, cultural geographers, economists, et al., and subsequently make the best out of them by synthesizing them in employing creative methods in formulating priorities and establishing hierarchies as a basis for taking action. To this end, the module will focus mainly on matters of architectural synthesis as a mode of employing practical philosophy in solving and reformulating problems in the protection, preservation and management of architectural heritage. Issues of practical philosophy and modes of implementing theory-led practice in architectural design of archaeological sites will be presented, discussed in class and embedded through in situ site visits to archaeological sites. |
15 |
| HM814 – Public Archaeology
Public archaeology has developed as part of a need for a more socially engaged, publicly significant archaeological practice. It is representative of a reflexive turn in archaeology that has opened the discipline up to its social impact, as well as the social factors that influence and shape it. Heritage management, as part of public archaeology, is similarly affected by the social context in which it develops, and is influenced by local or global relationships with the remains of the ancient or more recent past, as well as ideas about resource ownership. This module has been designed to provide the knowledge necessary in addressing the social implications of an archaeological site, and evaluating the impact of its management program. It will present the key debates in the field by critically presenting the genealogy of public archaeology, and present issues that may arise from the way the past is understood and used today. Students should be able to design and conduct their own research with relevant groups and stakeholders, and be aware of several techniques for public engagement and collaborative community work. This module will run throughout the spring term, with a 3-hour lecture/seminar each week. In every lecture/seminar, you are expected to hand in a short summary (600 words) of the main points of the required bibliography, and then present their main points of interest in class so as to initiate discussion. These assignments do not have a percentage in the final grade but they will be discussed in class and you will be marked absent if you fail to submit them. |
15 |
| HM816 – Education and Archaeology I
The course aims to develop the student’s knowledge and understanding of the history and development of education in archaeology, both in the formal curricula at all levels and in non-formal learning situations for adults and children at archaeological sites, monuments and museums. The course will examine the ways in which archaeologists, and educators, have furthered an understanding and appreciation of archaeology in both formal and non-formal education. It will be useful for those intending to work in archaeology, in heritage management or in a museum. A site visit and practical projects to examine resources for educational groups and information for the visiting public will be carried out. |
15 |
| HM817 – Museum Management
The aim of this module is to introduce students to both museum and collections management. First students learn about the history of museums, starting from the early collections and first museums and ending with recent developments. Then the intention is, by exploring the pressures (financial, political and social) exerted in modern museums nowadays, to examine how museums use management and marketing to achieve their goals and serve their mission. Through theory and diverse case studies, students get acquainted with methods and ideas that museum experts have borrowed from the field of management and marketing and discuss the problems and prospects that arise. Students’ understanding and awareness of museums’ roles and responsibilities in light of funding cuts, the need of democratization and professionalization, and the increasing diversification of visitors’ interests and demands will be further developed through guest lectures, field trips and practical exercises. |
15 |
| HM899 – Field Study Project (Heritage Management)
This module comprises supervised research undertaken by an individual student, or groups of students, in the broad area of Heritage Management with the aim of completing a field study project. A curriculum will be developed by the student(s) around their own particular research interests. |
60 |
Teaching and Assessment
Program aims
- introduce students to all the fields necessary for effective Archaeological Heritage Management, through a distinctive and unique program, relating this to real world examples that are available in archaeological sites in Greece and more specifically in Eleusis.
- provide students with a robust grounding in theories, methods and approaches on archaeological site management and planning issues (covering, for instance, public archaeology, conservation and international law), examining areas of controversy and differing expression.
- establish the relationship of sites in Elefsina (Eleusis) to wider issues of heritage management.
- provide opportunities for students to shine through practicals and on-site tutorials.
- firmly develop students’ practical abilities, through a hands-on double supervised (from Kent and AUEB) collaborative project which is market based and makes a contribution to the management of archaeological heritage.
- enable students to engage critically with a selected theme or topic within the field of heritage management.
- assist students to acquire the critical and organizational skills necessary for successful completion of research for their supervised dissertation or collaborative project (optional replacing dissertation) as well as other project work (this work being on an approved topic/s or theme from a different choice of projects each year).
- assist students to develop the necessary range of generic and subject-specific skills – in research, in data handling, in writing, and in the communication of ideas, using both traditional resources and the full range of contemporary IT resources.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
You gain knowledge and understanding of the following:
- The main approaches and methodologies characterizing the critical study of archaeological remains in their varied forms within the overall discipline
- Previous and current theories in archaeology
- Familiarity with issues related to Heritage management in different contexts
- Examination of sites in relation to their urban/rural contexts, the local communities and the policies in place
- Comparative analysis of archaeological remains
- Specialized research areas chosen from within the subject area and including critical and or practical study and reporting
- A selected research topic or theme, leading to the successful completion of a dissertation / collaborative project
Intellectual skills
You gain the following intellectual skills:
- critical analysis and interpretation of relevant primary and secondary resources of a wide-ranging nature.
- critical evaluation of empirical data.
- critical assessment of alternative theories and interpretations.
- ability to construct and defend arguments and conclusions in a coherent manner.
- ability to conduct independent, critical research.
Subject-specific skills
You gain the following subject-specific skills:
- sensitive and critical evaluation of the management opportunities, setbacks, Heritage Management information within their historical, cultural, economic, local community and environmental contexts.
- the ability to engage with complex cultural processes developing through time and with various outcomes in different areas.
- apply theoretical and cognitive approaches to understanding past human actions in a variety of environments and through the modern lenses of local communities and stakeholders (political, archaeological, regional authorities, industry, local different age groups etc.)
- the utilization of the full range of computing and IT skills and resources (word-processing, e-mail, www, database searching, data management and manipulation via various software packages, etc.)
- develop strengths in practical approaches to handling, processing and presenting a variety of types of evidence from the past.
Transferable skills
You gain the following transferable skills:
- the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility.
- the identification of ‘problem’ areas and ability to evaluate these and forward solutions.
- the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.
- depth and maturity of thought in relation to specific subject-matter of research.
- the ability to communicate intelligently and clearly via different media.
- apply classification and analytical skills in collating and categorizing data.
- coherence and organization in task management.
- the ability to work creatively and flexibly, whether on one’s own or with others in a group.
- the ability to manage one’s time and resources effectively, especially under pressure (e.g. in relation to fixed deadlines or within the specific constraints of a class presentation).
- the ability to evaluate one’s own academic and communicative performance, and to learn from the responses and criticisms of peers and teachers.
- the ability to assemble an effective project design and to implement that design successfully.