This course examines archaeological principles underlying the practice of Cultural Heritage Management (CHM) as applied to historic and prehistoric sites and past landscapes. It examines basic legislative frameworks (International, Federal and State) of cultural heritage; the principles and processes of heritage conservation planning within Environmental Risk Assessments (ERAs); the role of archaeology and archaeologists in heritage conservation; land management planning and Natural Heritage Management (NHM). Methods, protocols and quality assurance in archaeological assessment practices are emphasized. The course covers issues such as indigenous management of heritage and natural resources; stakeholder representation; what is archaeological, cultural and natural heritage significance and how it is assessed alongside scientific significance; geoheritage as an inclusive interpretive framework; impacts of future climate change of sustainable heritage management. The nature of archaeological practice, the ethics, roles and responsibilities of the consultant archaeologist and adjunct roles of environmental managers are examined within a global comparative framework.

Key course topics:

• Frameworks for significance assessment of cultural heritage, natural heritage and archaeological values.
• Holistic approaches to managing natural and cultural heritage significance.
• Integrating natural deposit, habitat and landform assessment, investigation,interpretation, and conservation with predictive modelling of archaeological site status, significance and landscapes "at risk".
• Developing informed narratives of past environments and landscape change within Heritage Management Plans, and blending these with informed views of scientific significance within contemporary landscapes, seascapes and built environments.

On completing the course students will have the knowledge and skills to:

• Use appropriate tools and approaches to assess specific areas of landscape and landforms in terms of evidence of past human occupation and use, environments, landscape stability and sensitivity and relate this understanding to sustainable cultural and natural heritage management outcomes.
• Structure an evaluation of a specific site or area or landscape as a case study through independent research.
• Apply critical interdisciplinary thinking and select relevant protocols to evaluating archaeological sites and landscapes in terms of cultural and natural heritage significance. Students will have developed an international critical perspective on sustainable heritage management.
• Frame sustainable and site specific solutions to heritage management goals in a creative and critical manner.
• Write and/or publish reports based on a case study to a high professional and academic standard.

The assessment is revised to permit identical assessment in either lecture delivery mode (conventional delivery) or flexible delivery mode. In either mode the assessment for the course comprises:  

a) attendance and participation (10%) in a 3 day off-campus combined fieldwork program and intensive workshop b) oral presentation/critique (20%) as Powerpoint to group on Day 3 of workshop (pre-prepared topic c) an essay which critically identifies the protocols and legislative frameworks applicable to heritage assessment for ONE global geographic region selected by the student (30% -2500 words) (assessment for Curriculum Blocks A & B) and d) a desk-top conservation management plan (written to the format of a consulting report) of 3500 words (40%) focused on selecting a specified geographic area and then conducting a desk-top assessment of how one chosen environmental issue (eg residential development, drought, mining) may influence archaeological heritage or natural heritage within the selected area  (assessment of curriculum Blocks C, D and E).

Normally offered in alternate years.
2 hours of lectures and one hour tutorial/laboratory per week

Pearson, M. and S. Sullivan. Looking After Heritage Places. The Basics of Heritage Planning for Managers, Landowners and Administrators, Melbourne University Press, 1995.

David, B and Thomas, J. (eds) 2008 Handbook of Landscape Archaeology. Oxford: Berg Press.

Fairclough, G., Harrison, R., Jameson, J.H. Jr and Schofield, J. (eds) 2008 The Heritage Reader.  Routledge: Oxford.

Head, L. 2000 Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Change. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Pearson, M. and S. Sullivan. 1995 Looking After Heritage Places. The Basics of Heritage Planning for Managers, Landowners and Administrators, Melbourne University Press: Melbourne.

For Archaeological Science program students taking the course with Environmental Management or Quaternary Science electives the following two volumes contain valuable introductory materials:

Fairbairn, A., O`Connor, S. and Marwick, B.(eds) 2009 New Directions in Archaeological Science. Terra Australis 28. ANU E-press (download at http://epress.anu.edu.au)

Rapp, G. and Hill, C.L. 2006 Geoarchaeology: the Earth Science Approach to Archaeological Interpretation. (2nd edition). Yale University Press.