Meeting Time: Wednesdays, 330-615pm

Location: RCAC, Istiklal – 3rd Floor Classroom

Film screenings: TBA

Description
Do you believe in the past? This course takes as its starting assumption that pasts are not temporally distant from today. They are contemporary experiences whose structure and mediation impact how we live in our shared world. This course will explore the intellectual history of heritage theory and how different peoples have made and continue to make heritages. While simultaneously exploring practical design skills, it will provide context to contemporary synergies between art, archaeology and heritage studies through interdisciplinary studies of architecture, art history, cultural criticism, heritage studies and archaeological theory.

Rationale
The overall intention of the course is to have the students appreciate the subjectivity, constructed, fabricated nature of heritages, histories and pasts. It will not be an exercise in negative discourse. Rather it will propose that heritages are actively designed in response to contemporary social trends. Through discussion and project work, the course will draw out creativity and lateral thinking skills - thinking about how people come to think about the past and how this can help find exciting, emotional and engaging ways of presenting the past in the contemporary world.

Educational goals
Students will develop:
 - an intellectual historical background and critical self awareness for their theoretical positions relating to heritage and archaeology
 - critical thinking skills in relation to the conceptualization and management of heritage spaces
 - critical thinking skills in relation to contemporary synergies between archaeological science and arts professionals
 - practical and theoretical design skills related to contemporary heritage management
 - public speaking skills in order to effectively present and defend their insights and opinions
 - lateral thinking skills in conceptualizing and executing non-traditional ways of mediating heritage research in engaging the public
 - an appreciation for the fundamentally creative role of a heritage manager or archaeologists and how this relates to other arts sectors
 - public relations and communication skills in developing effective ways of disseminating research outputs

Class Structure 
- Each class will consist of a main lecture/discussion of the reading (including films) and associated topics and a design skills workshop.
 - The discussions will be led both by the instructor and students. Each week a different student will be asked to lead a discussion.
- The design workshops will respond to the themes of the discussions and readings of the week.
- Each week there is also an assigned film which should be watched as it will inform discussions in class
 - There will also be site visits and projects associated with assignments which may require group collaboration.
- There is also a classwide project (to be determined), and all are expected to participate.
- There will also be an online component to the course utilizing blogs, wikis and Google Wave which will be administered by the instructor and to which all are expected to contribute.

Resources and Readings
- A complete packet of reading will be distributed via DropBox.

Workload expectations and assessment measures
Students will be assigned regular weekly readings which will be discussed in each week’s seminar class. It is expected that the students will also read a selection of the secondary and supporting reading provided to enhance discussion, contextualise their research and inspire their own projects. The course will be assessed based on class participation (including reading and discussion), in-class projects and assignments, two main papers to be completed outside of classtime, a series of short essays to be completed outside of classtime, one independent research/art project and one group research/art project. Students will also keep online project and writing archives in the form of research blogs. These will document the development of their thinking, writing, experiences and visual communication skills while encouraging the students to think about the longer term legacy and documentary archive of their work on the course.

Papers
Students will be assigned short papers and a final paper as part of their course work. These should be completed as formal papers with references and bibliographies and reflect a sophisticated and earnest engagement both with the themes and issues of the course as well as the theoretical issues presented in the course discussions. All references (quotations) must be referenced. All images must have citations (stating where the image was taken from and where possible who the photographer is). Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Submission via Turnitin.com
All papers must be submitted using Turnitin.com. Assignments sent by email will not be accepted.

Students should be aware that deadlines on Turnitin are firm. Additionally, students should be aware that Turnitin evaluates submissions for potential plagiarism. Students can enroll in the class by using the following information:

Class ID 7636635
Password heritage

Submission Deadlines
Submission deadlines will be set for 1159pm on the due date stated. DO NOT leave submission of your assignment to the last minute as Turnitin can take a few minutes to upload your document. “Difficulties” with Turnitin is not an acceptable excuse for a late assignment.

Discussions
Each week, student(s) will lead discussion and be responsible for preparing a response to the assigned reading for one week of the class. The students will be expected to prepare their discussion in collaboration with each other. Discussion is not simply a matter summarizing the texts and sharing your opinion about them. You must allow yourself enough time to be clear about what each text says and how the texts relate to one another. In other words, you should synthesize the intellectual work of others—that is, bring it together into an integrated whole. In preparing to lead discussion, therefore, it is crucial that you allow yourself not just enough time to do the readings but enough to digest what you have read and to put the results together to think critically about them and pose next questions. Feel free to be creative with the format and style.

Main Project Component: Fabricating Heritages
Heritages are actively constructed and mediated in contemporary society. This project will take as a starting assumption that truth is not a prerequisite for constructing heritages. Students will be asked to fabricate a heritage that does not necessarily have to be true. They will then be challenged to design creative ways of enmeshing, engaging and persuading people as to the significance and resonance of the fabricated heritage through installations, interventions, exhibitions, websites, etc. The project will be a fun way of turning fundamental assumptions about heritage processes on their head while developing ‘real world’ skills in constructing and mediating heritage experiences.

Group Project Component: TBA
Details of the Group Project will be announced by the professor as they are confirmed.

Assessment scale
Papers/Essays 40%
Presentation 10%
Class participation (including online components) 20%
Projects 30%

Grade Scale
100 A+
95 A
90 A-/B+
85 B
80 B-/C+
75 C
70 C-
65 D
Below 65 F

Absences
4 or more unexcused absences will result in a 5 point loss in the final mark. 6 or more unexcused absences will result in an F. This policy comes into effect from the third week of class. If all classes during shopping period (the first two weeks of class) are attended, this student will be afforded one additional unexcused absence before penalties come into effect for the semester.

Lateness
Lateness will not be accepted. Once the register has been returned to the professor, any student arriving late will me marked as “Late”. Any “Late” student must still sign the register at the end of class by approaching the professor and requesting to do so.

Talking in class
Talking in class while the professor or other students are speaking as part of class discussion will not be tolerated. Any student who disrupts class will be given a verbal warning. If the behavior persists, the student(s) may be asked to the leave the class. If a student is asked to leave class due to being disruptive, they will be marked as absent for the class. Persistent disruption in class over multiple class sessions will result in notice being given to the Dean regarding the student’s behavior and conduct.

Phone use in class
Phone use in class will not be tolerated. Any student using their phone in class without express permission from the instructor will be given a verbal warning. If the behavior persists, the student will be asked to leave class due to being disruptive. The student will be marked as absent for the class. Persistent phone use over multiple classes will result in notice being given to the Dean regarding the student’s behavior and conduct.

Email Policy
Students may only email the professor at his KU address (irussell@ku.edu.tr). Emails sent to other addresses may not be read. The professor reviews and replies (as he is able) to emails between 12-5pm, Monday-Friday. Emails received outside these hours will be reviewed during the next business day. As the professor handles a large volume of email, be advised that immediate replies are not possible. Be sure to send your queries or notices as early as possible to ensure they are handled in time.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. All instances of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean. Students should be aware that Turnitin analyses all submissions for plagiarism (of web resources, publications and all other student-submitted work).