A&H 306 The Global Artefact

Content

Please note that this course will be offered in June 2011.

In a landslide court case in 2006, the government Italy won back world-famous antiquities from several large museums in the United States. For the first time, ancient art objects that had been illegally sold were given back under force of law, a breakthrough in the fight against illicit trade.

Anyone working in the cultural field in this day and age must be up-to-date about heritage and illegal artefact trade. This course raises the issue of how the early-modern fascination with classical culture evolved into the globalized market for ancient art as we know it. To get an understanding of the workings of the world of art dealing and museums, the course will explore the history, anthropology, ethics and legislation of collecting and museology. It will address questions like: what can a museum buy, and what must it reject? Should artefacts go back to countries of origin?

Field trips to museums in Brussels or in the Netherlands, as well as a student investigation of the acquisition policy of museums will expose the current state of affairs in the protection of cultural heritage in North-Western Europe. A debate about returning cultural heritage, a poster exhibition set up by students and a research paper complete the program.

Instructor

Dr. Helle Hochscheid

Track

Antiquity

Period

Spring / 2011

Prerequisites

The following courses are required in order to take this course:

• ACC 120 Introduction to Rhetoric and Argumentation

One needs to have followed one of the following courses in order to take this course:

• A&H 205 Classical Literature: Power and Gender in Ancient Culture
• A&H 206 Ancient History
• A&H 387 From Buffalo Bill to Dr. Phil: American Culture at Home and Abroad

Additional Prerequisites

Prerequisite:
ACC 120, An Introduction to Rhetoric and Argumentation

AND at least TWO of:              
A&H 205 Classical Literature in Translation (Spring 2011)
A&H 206 Ancient History (Spring 2012)
A&H 274 From Rome to the Renaissance (Fall)
Any 200 or 300-level in Art History
A&H 387 From Buffalo Bill to Dr. Phil (Spring 2011)