Bath Spa University

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Heritage

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

UNESCO.

Heritage is not a luxury or a pleasant recreational past- time, but an integral part of our future

Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Introduction

We live our lives in the midst of the historic buildings, landscapes, and material objects of our past. But heritage is about much more than just physical remains – it is about people’s memories, how they make sense of their past and how they develop an understanding of their accumulated culture. Heritage is crucial to building our sense of identity – as an individual, as part of a community, as a nation, and as a part of the wider global society.

The City of Bath, a city of international historical and cultural significance, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. It attracts over four million visitors a year and plays a major role in an industry that contributes billions to the UK economy. It is also a city that provides the perfect backdrop for exploring the meaning and uses of heritage in the past and now, and for considering the issues and debates that will shape our engagement with heritage in the future. Our collaboration with museums, galleries and heritage sites in Bath and the local region has created an exciting course that offers you the unique opportunity to be taught by academics who research and write about heritage, as well as by heritage sector professionals.

Course Structure and Content

This course introduces you to both the concepts and the realities of heritage through lectures, discussion-based seminars, hands-on workshops, field trips to heritage sites, as well as through real-life heritage projects and work placements. You will graduate from this course with a thorough understanding of the complex relationships between heritage, history, culture, education and learning, interpretation, conservation, and tourism. You will also have had the opportunity to volunteer at local and regional heritage sites, work on heritage projects in museums and galleries, and collaborate with a wide range of people who make their living in the heritage sector.

Heritage at Bath Spa is designed to complement more traditional academic disciplines like History, English, Business and Management, Media Communications and Geography, producing students who have a solid academic and research foundation combined with specific knowledge about, and practical experience in, the heritage sector.

Heritage is available as a combined award – either as a joint (eg. History AND Heritage) or minor (History WITH Heritage).

Modules

Year One

• Heritage and Applied History (Core module)
• The Business of Heritage (Option module)

Year Two

• Heritage in Practice (Core module)
• Heritage in Context (Option module)

Year Three

• Heritage Placement and Project (third year, core module)
• Heritage at Work (Option module)
• Heritage and the Wider World (Option module)

Assessment Methods

Assessment on the Heritage BA/BSc Combined Award is through a variety of forms, including formal examinations, written essays, industry reports, market research assignments, mock funding applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund, group projects and presentations, creation of learning resources/publicity material, reflective learning logs, placement reports, independent research projects, exhibitions/websites/public events, etc.

Career Opportunities

Heritage at Bath Spa University prepares you for a variety of future careers, both within the sector and beyond. In addition to acquiring knowledge and understanding of heritage as an intellectual and academic field of study, and gaining practical experience in a range of heritage contexts, you will develop skills that are highly valued in a diverse range of employment sectors. You will be able to communicate effectively in writing and through presentations and public speaking; you will have developed strong research skills as well as skills in analysis and interpretation; you will have had opportunities to work as a team as well as develop leadership skills; and you will have learned how to develop a variety of projects, plan them, manage them and see them through to fruition.

The emphasis throughout the course on experiential learning, student-led ‘real world’ projects, placements and volunteering enables you to demonstrate to potential employers that you have the necessary skills, experience and perhaps most crucially, determination to persevere in your chosen career no matter what the circumstances.

Projects, Work Experience and Placement Opportunities

Experiential learning and engaging with heritage professionals in real world environments are key components of the Heritage course. Exposure to the diverse and complex nature of the heritage sector begins in the core module in your first year, and continues throughout the course. In addition to project-based work experience within the context of specific modules, students taking Heritage at BSU also have enhanced volunteering opportunities at the range of heritage sites and museums in the local area – volunteer experience is crucial if you want to pursue a career in heritage.

You will graduate from this course with a thorough understanding of heritage as a subject, and with knowledge and experience of heritage as an industry. But you will also have gained a range of skills that will appeal to employers beyond the heritage and museum sectors such as the ability to be professional, communication and presentation skills, research and analytical skills, intellectual flexibility, project development and time management skills, and team working and leadership skills.

The opportunities offered to you studying Heritage at Bath Spa University provide you with invaluable hands-on work experience throughout your degree.

Typical Offers

280 UCAS Tariff points.

Student Profiles

It was the invaluable experiences and confidence I gained on the Heritage modules that helped me secure a place on the team. The project includes all the critical skills I developed at Bath Spa including team work, project-management, self-analysis, training on new technology, communications skills, report writing, marketing, interpretation techniques and presentation skills. Dealing with real projects and the heritage practitioners we met during the modules was fundamental in making the experiences real.

Anita Keyworth (Graduate, 2010) - Currently involved in a National Trust oral history project at Tyntesfield.

The Heritage module enabled me gain a four month education internship at Brooklands Museum. This is because the heritage project demonstrated that I could work with a team, work within a deadline and communicate with others. The internship let me build on this experience and enabled me to gain further valuable experience with in the heritage industry. Both contributed enormously towards getting my new job as a Visitor Services Assistant at The Roman Baths.

Karen Lockyear (Graduate, 2010) - Currently employed by the Roman Bath after graduate internship at Brooklands Museum.

Heritage and the Wider World proved to be incredibly important to me and its practicalities far reaching. I am currently pursuing a career in Archives and Records Management, and although awareness of heritage is not essential, my experience on the module helped me get my current job as Archives and Records Management Assistant at Unilever. The module complimented my paid work as a tour guide and my voluntary placements within archives while I was at university, by providing a broad outlook at the impact heritage institutions have within society. In addition to this it added to my CV by showing awareness of Museums as well as Libraries and Archives – a very important factor in my career goals. I have also been able to use my knowledge of outreach programmes as an effective talking point during interviews and my experience of writing for a non-academic audience and building a website have become valuable skills.

Rachael Thompson (Graduate, 2010) - Employed as an Archives and Records Management Assistant for Unilever immediately upon graduation, now on the prestigious University College London Archives and Records Management MA.