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M.Ed. in Heritage Studies
M.Ed. in Heritage Studies

Course Descriptions

For a full list of graduate course descriptions, go to our course descriptions page.

Heritage Studies

HS 5100 Heritage Studies: Foundations - 3 credits
Heritage Studies Foundations is designed for those interested in bringing heritage studies to areas such as schools, museums, historical societies. Relevant concepts and techniques used in history, geography, English, anthropology, and sociology will be presented so participants may create models for class exercises, build museum exhibits, and/or incorporate heritage studies methodology into their work. Participants will learn methods of social science interpretation and inference about historical events, structures, artifacts, settlement patterns, and various ideologies of the past. Multi-disciplinary techniques will be used in interpretations of nearby history and in the development of materials that may be used in educating the general public and students in the classroom.

HS 5200 World Heritage Studies - 3 credits
In this course the European origins and international conventions of the world heritage movement are examined. Several international sites are studied in depth through slides and discussion. Sites in the United States are also considered as are issues of natural versus cultural sites and cultural resource management. Two field trips are required.

HS 5560 Special Topics in Heritage Studies - 1-4 credits
An in-depth study of a particular topic, contemporary issue or concern. Taught by a specialist within the field being studied or as an alternative methodology. Since topics may vary, the course may be repeated with permission of the instructor.

HS 5620 Archaeological Field Methods: Prehistory - 2-9 credits
HS 5630 Archaeological Field Methods: Historical - 2-9 credits
HS 5640 Archaeological Field Methods: Nautical - 2-9 credits
Depending on the investigative circumstances, provides an opportunity to acquire field experience—survey, mapping, excavation, material analysis—at land or underwater sites from either the prehistoric or historical periods.

HS 5650 Archaeological Field Methods: Prehistoric Materials Analysis - 1-4 credits
Provides an opportunity to acquire experience in prehistoric archaeological interpretation. Students will perform an analysis of prehistoric archaeological materials and will produce an interpretive report based upon their studies. This course will be held in the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources laboratory in Concord, N.H. Students must provide their own transportation to and from concord. Repeatable for credit.

HS 5710 Internship in Heritage Studies - 1-4 credits
Advanced students and teachers in Heritage Studies with at least 5 graduate credits can start their internship placement. Individual placement with an organization/institution must be arranged through the director of Heritage Studies the term before starting work. The type of work will be determined by the interest of the individual and the needs of the organization. Creation of outreach programs, field trips, tours, displays, exhibits, workshops, theme interpretations or research utilizing resources of the organization/ institution to educate the public on any topic in Heritage Studies. Prerequisite: 5 graduate credits or more in Heritage Studies.

HS 5910 Independent Study - 1-3 credits
Provides students with the opportunity to round out their background in the social sciences through reading and research, supplementing previous course work in the field. A research paper, periodic conferences and an oral examination may be required. Consent of a faculty supervisor, department chair and the Associate Vice President is required.

HI 5330 New Hampshire and New England Historic Sites - 4 credits
The purpose of this course is twofold: to introduce students to a variety of locations and historic sites throughout New England and to allow students to analyze the historical significance of each site and use the knowledge gained to produce papers and projects useful to the student's career while furthering their research and writing skills. We are fortunate to have many historical sites within easy travel distance that may be used to convey the nature of change since the earliest settlement in the region. This will allow students the opportunity to explore and interpret the layered historical landscape.

HPR 5100 Principles of Historic Preservation - 3 credits
This course provides a foundation to historic preservation. The course will focus on principles and theories pertaining to preservation and restoration practices; recognition of architectural periods, styles, and construction methods in context of the evolution of cultural landscapes; the definition of significance and integrity in buildings and districts; strategies by which buildings and their settings have been preserved and used; and methods of reading and interpreting the cultural environment.

HPR 5200 The Rural Cultural Environment: Architecture and Landscape - 3 credits
This course uses the rural countryside as a laboratory to examine the cultural landscape. It will trace the impact of natural, cultural, economic, and technological forces on the “built” environment. The course studies the evolution of buildings and their settings, with emphasis on settlement and rural industrialization. Subjects to be discussed include the evolution of architectural styles and construction techniques, town planning and land division, the evolution of transportation, and the harnessing of water power. Although the course will use specific locales as examples, it is intended to instill general principles by which any human landscape can be examined and interpreted in relationship to natural resources and human culture.

HPR 5300 Historical Preservation Methods and Documentation - 3 credits
This course is intended to provide an introduction to the field of historic preservation and to instill basic skills in researching and understanding historic structures, especially buildings and bridges. It will provide instruction in assessing the evolution and condition of structures and in recording them by written, graphic, and photographic methods. The course will also emphasize traditional methods and materials of construction, the behavior of structural components over time, and techniques of determining the original condition and subsequent changes of historic structures.

HPR 5400 Preservation Planning & Management - 3 credits
Once ignored in civic and urban planning, historic preservation is now seen as integral to the definition and protection of the cultural landscape. Historic preservation planning and cultural resource management (CRM) are accomplished through the identification, evaluation, documentation, registration, treatment, and ongoing stewardship of historic properties. This course examines the processes of preservation planning and management that have been established by the National Park Service of the United States and by comparable agencies in other countries, and illustrates the application of these standards at the federal, state and local levels.

HPR 5500 Cultural Property Law - 3 credits
This course will examine the international, national, and state legal frameworks for the protection of cultural property. The course will survey the threats of war and crime to global cultural heritage, with a particular focus on international antiquities trafficking. It will review in detail the international and American response to such threats, including the 1954 Hague Convention, the 1970 UNESCO Convention, the Cultural Property Implementation Act and its resulting bilateral agreements, the National Stolen Property Act, and the enforcement of various criminal laws and customs regulations. Museum responses will also be studied through review of the ICOM Code of Ethics and a discussion of repatriation controversies such as the recent return of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “hot pot.” The course will also introduce students to important national heritage regulations such as the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the Abandoned Shipwreck Act. Also reviewed will be state statutes and administrative rules that protect local cultural heritage, with a particular emphasis on New Hampshire law.

HPR 5600 Archaeological Field Methods - 3 credits
Students will be exposed to archaeological field and laboratory techniques, and will learn the types of research questions that archaeologists ask while reconstructing past cultures. The course will draw upon prehistoric and historic examples, there will be many opportunities to handle artifacts in the classroom, and both terrestrial and underwater sites will be featured. There will be a minimum of two required field trips to archaeological sites and to demonstrate equipment and techniques in the field.

Plymouth State University, 17 High Street, Plymouth, NH 03264-1595. Main Switchboard: (603) 535-5000.
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This page was last revised: 4/21/2008