Cultural Heritage and the Law

Who should attend?

This short course is designed for participants who wish to gain a deeper understanding of cultural heritage legislation – a necessary requirement for those working in the cultural heritage sector.

Course content

This short course critically examines the changing meaning of cultural heritage within a social, cultural and historical context. The role of law in shaping notions of cultural heritage will be a particular focus of this topic. Case studies of cultural heritage issues will be examined and will include Juukan Gorge, Bootu Creek and more.

For 2023 topics relating to the law, as it pertains to the cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians, will be a primary focus. The topic was co-designed by Professor Amy Roberts together with Andrew Collett (solicitor and barrister) and Leanne Liddle (a Central Arrente woman and high profile Aboriginal Affairs lawyer).

Guest speakers are a feature of the topic with numerous perspectives on cultural heritage and the law being presented – including lectures by Indigenous peoples, lawyers, cultural heritage practitioners and former Federal Court judges.

Understanding legal issues in relation to Indigenous Australian cultural heritage is becoming increasingly necessary for those working in the Australian heritage sector and for those employed in Indigenous affairs more generally.

This topic will provide students with the necessary background to contextualise Indigenous Australian heritage issues in a legal framework.

Learning outcomes

It is expected that on completion, participants will:

• Have read and understood conventions, legislation and cases on the role of the law in regulating cultural heritage.
• Have read and understood some central arguments on important current issues relating to the legal protection of cultural heritage.
• Can formulate clear arguments on some important aspects of the legal protection of cultural heritage.

Assessment

The assessment components for this course include a quiz exercise, an object learning assignment and a case study paper.

Credit

Upon successful completion of this short course, all participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement which states that this short course is equivalent to completion of the Flinders University topic ARCH8017.

By completing this short course participants may be eligible to negotiate credit at another tertiary institution.

We encourage participants to check this prior to registering for this short course.

This short course will be co-facilitated by Associate Professor Amy Roberts along with special guest teacher Andrew Collett (solicitor and barrister). Leanne Liddle (a Central Arrente woman and high profile Aboriginal Affairs lawyer) was a co-designer of the course.

Other guest speakers will also be a feature of the short course with numerous perspectives on cultural heritage and the law being presented – including lectures by Indigenous peoples, lawyers, cultural heritage practitioners and former Federal Court judges.