F1207 Globalization and Cultural Heritage (F1207)

Tuesday 15.15-16.45
Thursday 15.15-16.45

The globalization theme involves not just political-economic aspects, but enlightens the central role that culture plays in the international scenery. Today our perception of Cultural Heritage is changing among the rush of images and sights offered by an interactive world. Our observation must be redefined in the new global cultural commons, in which the traditional meanings offered by different cultures are being rewoven. To understand this, many people are looking toward the site where culture and history intersect – that is toward Cultural Heritage.
Venice is not just the setting of the course but represents the perfect living case study, the ground where experimentation of new solutions is possible through innovation, since Cultural Heritage is also a process and subjected to modifications.
Cultural Heritage is not just a list of monuments and buildings that are being preserved and safeguarded but it is about the connection and the bond built through conceptual threads and through the narrative that links them together. Here in Venice the multicultural touristic demand requires an innovative approach to the cultural experience.
In Italy, strategies to protect and preserve Cultural Heritage have been implemented over the last decades but today such strategies need to be expanded and broadened, in order to achieve sustainability. Because of their global impact, communications and new technologies, are a tremendous set of tools that can break through multicultural communication barriers.

Introduction and objectives
For this purpose the course will cover different themes that analyse several issues regarding Cultural Heritage.
The object of the course is to provide a general overview of the complexity of the matter. Starting with a new definition of the fruition of Cultural Heritage that deals with the narration of cultural subjects, the course will address the themes of institutional governance of cultural organizations, of the experiential marketing approach and of the role played by new technologies in the supply and consumption of arts and culture.
The case studies of the major cultural institutions within the city of Venice will be discussed as examples of critical aspects, in order to give a close understanding of the changes occurring in the field of Cultural Heritage management.
This pattern will provide the students with a practical knowledge of the main issues regarding the contemporary debates on this subject.

Course organization and supervision
The overall structure of the course and its thematic organization have been developed by Prof. Bruno Bernardi (Università Cà Foscari di Venezia). The course is organized around different thematic areas, each developed through classes and lectures by experts with a different background.
The teaching techniques will make use of traditional lectures combined with case analysis tested during team work activities.

Evaluation Method
Students will be expected to do the required readings and to attend class regularly. Attendance is compulsory for all students. Required readings will be designated on a weekly basis according to the themes listed in the course outline.
Field trips and guest lectures related to the course will be arranged.

Exams – there will be a mid-term exam in the course.
Team project – there will be a team project dealing with themes analysed during classes.
Paper – there will be a paper required for the course.