Introduction

This course provides an overview of World Heritage, its political and cultural origins and the role of UNESCO and other agencies in identifying and listing sites. It identifies and discusses with exemplification the major conventions and protocols affecting World Heritage. It shows how World Heritage expanded from cultural to natural and other sites, as well as embracing landscapes, and intangible and industrial heritages. It provides case studies of New Lanark as industrial heritage, Bath and Edinburgh as World Heritage Cities, and the Tarragona archaeological and historical ensemble as a driver of economic change in the development of cultural tourism. It also contains an audio case study exploring the Lake District World Heritage bid.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand the history of the World Heritage Convention
• understand the wording of the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage List
• understand the relationship between UNESCO and the states parties in the nomination of sites to the World Heritage List
• understand how World Heritage is assessed and managed
• understand the various categories of World Heritage.