Heritage Resources Management (HERM) 342

Overview

This course explores how heritage buildings, structures, sites, and landscapes are defined, planned and managed as historic places. How a historic place is evaluated and why it is defined as meaningful, how it is planned as part of broader patterns of development, and how it is protected or allowed to be modified over time, are all basic challenges in planning and managing historic places. These challenges can be met by applying concepts, steps, and procedures that make definition, planning and conservation of historic places a coherent, intellectually defensible, and rational undertaking.

Through a range of readings and assignments, this course explores these issues. Significant debates in the field and the purpose of historic place planning, methods of assessment, regulation, conservation, and interpretation are all part of this exploration.

Outline

Herm 342: General Principles of Planning Historic Places is made up of ten units, which are bundled into three parts:

Part I: History, Heritage, and Commemoration

• Unit 1: Historic Places
• Unit 2: On Commemoration, Or the Making of Historic Places

Part II: On Commemoration, Or the Making of Historic Places

• Unit 3: Approaches to Planning Historic Places
• Unit 4: Values-Based Management
• Unit 5: Identifying and Evaluating Historic Places
• Unit 6: Legislation and Protection Strategies
• Unit 7: Conservation of Historic Places
• Unit 8: Rehabilitating Historic Places: Conservation Meeting Urban Needs
• Unit 9: Presenting Historic Places to the Public

Part III: Planning Cultural Landscapes

• Unit 10: Cultural Landscapes

Course Objectives

HERM 342: General Principles of Planning Historic Places introduces students to some of the basic issues and practices in historic places planning. After completing the course, you should be able to:

• Analyze what makes a place historic and explain why its cultural context is important.
• Define historic place management and explain the role heritage values play in historic place management.
• Correctly use technical terminology employed in historic place management.
• Identify and discuss the different levels of government involved in heritage resources management and the conservation of historic places.
• Undertake a survey of sites of potential historic value for inclusion in an inventory.
• Apply the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada and choose an appropriate course of action regarding the conservation of historic places.
• Write a Statement of Significance.

Evaluation

To receive credit for HERM 342, you must complete four assignments and achieve a minimum composite course grade of “D” (50 percent). The chart below summarizes the course activities and the credit weight associated with each assignment.

There is no final exam.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.