This seminar traces both the practices of cultural heritage that have informed identification for centuries and the modern heritage regime today. Focusing on the Middle East and, more broadly, the Mediterranean, the course examines heritage as a value system that highlights practices and material culture as remains of a designated past within the context of the present, while simultaneously coding objects, artifacts, environmental sites, ruins, buildings, rituals, or practices that belong to that past as sources of cultural identification. Within this framework, we will explore oral tradition, architecture, objects, practices, religious sites, museums, archives, and libraries, together with their preservation and/or destruction.
When & Where
Seminar Schedule. Seminars run Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a midday communal lunch. Seminar conveners may adjust the class schedule in response to participant needs. Special events may also be held during the week. Participants are required to attend the full week of seminar meetings and maintain 90% attendance overall.
Seminar Materials. Eligible participants are provided with all required seminar materials (books, articles, laboratory equipment, and entrance fees).
Accommodations & Meals. Limited housing accommodations are provided to participants who live more than 50 miles from the program site. All admitted participants are provided with some meals during the program period.
Application Procedure. Applicants should submit the completed application along with all of the following:
- A statement of intent that indicates how the seminar participant will apply what is learned at the home institution
- A current CV
- A letter of support from either the division dean or department head, who is well-acquainted with the applicant’s area of research
- Their institutional liaison officer’s approval