Module 9: Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development
Alex Papadopoulos, PhD
Welcome to Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development!
This certificate course examines the complex relationships between heritage conservation and sustainability, emphasizing tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Delivered in four hybrid submodules, the course integrates theory, case studies, and practicum exercises to equip you with the critical skills to assess, protect, and manage cultural heritage within sustainable frameworks.
Each submodule includes instructor-led lectures on the OpenClass platform, readings, and synchronous forums/discussions to facilitate engagement and application of concepts. We will explore risk assessment, resilience strategies, policy frameworks, and heritage-based sustainable economies through comparative case studies and hands-on analytical exercises. Practicum components, including spider methodology exercises and GIS-based heritage mapping, will enhance analytical proficiency. By the end of the course, you will develop a strategic, sustainability-oriented approach to cultural heritage protection, preparing them for leadership roles in heritage management, urban planning, and policy development.
Learning Goals
(1) Introduce students to sustainable development and its relationship with cultural heritage.
(2) Explore the economic dimension of heritage, including its role in investment, job creation, and sustainable growth beyond tourism.
(3) Examine cultural heritage through a sustainable development framework, emphasizing its contributions to social capital, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability.
(4) Foster critical thinking on urban and regional regeneration through cultural heritage, including the adaptive reuse of historic buildings and balancing heritage access with sustainable tourism.
(5) Analyze the role of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage in sustainable development.
(6) Equip students with a practical understanding of cultural heritage governance, linking theory to real-world case studies.
(7) Strengthen students’ ability to critically evaluate policies and strategies for cultural heritage protection and sustainable development, both independently and collaboratively.
LessWelcome to Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development!
This certificate course examines the complex relationships between heritage conservation and sustainability, emphasizing tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Delivered in four hybrid submodules, the course integrates theory, case studies, and practicum exercises to equip you with the critical skills to assess, protect, and manage cultural heritage within sustainable frameworks.
Each submodule includes instructor-led lectures on the OpenClass platform, readings, and synchronous forums/discussions to facilitate engagement and application of concepts. We will explore risk assessment, resilience strategies, policy frameworks, and heritage-based sustainable economies through comparative case studies and hands-on analytical exercises. Practicum components, including spider methodology exercises and GIS-based heritage mapping, will enhance analytical proficiency. By the end of the course, you will develop a strategic, sustainabi
Welcome to Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development!
This certificate course examines the complex relationships between heritage conservation and sustainability, emphasizing tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Delivered in four hybrid submodules, the course integrates theory, case studies, and practicum exercises to equip you with the critical skills to assess, protect, and manage cultural heritage within sustainable frameworks.
Each submodule includes instructor-led lectures on the OpenClass platform, readings, and synchronous forums/discussions to facilitate engagement and application of concepts. We will explore risk assessment, resilience strategies, policy frameworks, and heritage-based sustainable economies through comparative case studies and hands-on analytical exercises. Practicum components, including spider methodology exercises and GIS-based heritage mapping, will enhance analytical proficiency. By the end of the course, you will develop a strategic, sustainabi
Syllabus
Course Objectives/Goals
Upon the successful completion of the module the students will be able:
CO1. Understand and interpret the notions of cultural heritage and sustainable economic development in terms of attracting investment and ensuring jobs
CO2. Detect and estimate the challenges related to regenerate cities and regions through cultural heritage
CO3. Recognize the complexity of the interplay between economics, sustainability, cultural heritage and climate change/environmental degradation
CO4. Demonstrate ability to synthesize variables and components from different research fields and more specifically cultural heritage and economics.
CO5. Reflect upon their own learning process and develop their soft skills (management, interpersonal, etc.) which are of great importance when dealing with the notions of cultural heritage and sustainable development.
Instructional Methods
The course is designed to develop different parts of the learning process, including asynchronous video recorded lectures, discussions on the online platform for specific and topical topics, developing new ideas, presenting, and solving questions and problems, and self-assessment exercises at the end of each module.
The instructor may upload notes, interactive presentations, quizzes, announcements, as well as any other additional multi-media material (videos, news reports, images, interviews, a/v documentation) on the Course’s webpage, which can be found at the electronic used by Ionian University. Moreover, students are required to use the discussion forum in order to communicate and interact with each other. Please note that, other than written text, your responses can include: hyperlinks related to the topic of discussion, video or other audiovisual material, self-recorded audio or video responses, questionnaires and polls, or, any other interactive resource. Students are advised to visit the platform on a regular basis in order to gain access to any newly uploaded educational material, since the above comprise a virtual learning environment for the Course.
Assessment Methods
The overall academic performance of students is based on the assessment of a written assignment, on a formative assessment, their performance in the final exams and the final assignment. A passing mark in the mid-term assignment is not a prerequisite for his/her participation in the final exams. The final grade awarded to each student is the sum of the grades awarded for the assignment and the final exams. Both the assignments and the final exams are marked in the scale 0 (complete failure) to 100 (absolute success). In order to get a passing mark in the Course, a student must receive a passing mark in the final exams. In a nutshell:
- The grade awarded for the assignment represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade.
- The grade awarded for the formative assessment activities represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade
- The grade awarded for the final exams represents the 60% of the Course’s final grade.
- In order to get an overall passing mark, a student must be graded with at least 50/100 in the final exams.
- Final assignment.
Bibliography
- Throsby, D. (2001) Economics and Culture. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Mergos, G. & Patsavos, N. (2017) Cultural Heritage as Economic Value: Economic Benefits, Social Opportunities and Challenges of Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development, Athens:Inherit.
- Benhamou, F. (2011). “Heritage.” In A Handbook of Cultural Economics, edited by Ruth Towse, 255–62. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
- Giliberto, F. & Labadi S. (2021) Harnessing cultural heritage for sustainable development: an analysis of three internationally funded projects in MENA Countries, 133-46. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 28:2, 133-146, DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2021.1950026.
- Pineschi, L. (2024) Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Development and Human Rights. Towards an Integrated Approach.
Upon the successful completion of the module the students will be able:
CO1. Understand and interpret the notions of cultural heritage and sustainable economic development in terms of attracting investment and ensuring jobs
CO2. Detect and estimate the challenges related to regenerate cities and regions through cultural heritage
CO3. Recognize the complexity of the interplay between economics, sustainability, cultural heritage and climate change/environmental degradation
CO4. Demonstrate ability to synthesize variables and components from different research fields and more specifically cultural heritage and economics.
CO5. Reflect upon their own learning process and develop their soft skills (management, interpersonal, etc.) which are of great importance when dealing with the notions of cultural heritage and sustainable development.
The course is designed to develop different parts of the learning process, including asynchronous video recorded lectures, discussions on the online platform for specific and topical topics, developing new ideas, presenting, and solving questions and problems, and self-assessment exercises at the end of each module.
The instructor may upload notes, interactive presentations, quizzes, announcements, as well as any other additional multi-media material (videos, news reports, images, interviews, a/v documentation) on the Course’s webpage, which can be found at the electronic used by Ionian University. Moreover, students are required to use the discussion forum in order to communicate and interact with each other. Please note that, other than written text, your responses can include: hyperlinks related to the topic of discussion, video or other audiovisual material, self-recorded audio or video responses, questionnaires and polls, or, any other interactive resource. Students are advised to visit the platform on a regular basis in order to gain access to any newly uploaded educational material, since the above comprise a virtual learning environment for the Course.
The overall academic performance of students is based on the assessment of a written assignment, on a formative assessment, their performance in the final exams and the final assignment. A passing mark in the mid-term assignment is not a prerequisite for his/her participation in the final exams. The final grade awarded to each student is the sum of the grades awarded for the assignment and the final exams. Both the assignments and the final exams are marked in the scale 0 (complete failure) to 100 (absolute success). In order to get a passing mark in the Course, a student must receive a passing mark in the final exams. In a nutshell:
- The grade awarded for the assignment represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade.
- The grade awarded for the formative assessment activities represents the 20% of the Course’s final grade
- The grade awarded for the final exams represents the 60% of the Course’s final grade.
- In order to get an overall passing mark, a student must be graded with at least 50/100 in the final exams.
- Final assignment.
- Throsby, D. (2001) Economics and Culture. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Mergos, G. & Patsavos, N. (2017) Cultural Heritage as Economic Value: Economic Benefits, Social Opportunities and Challenges of Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development, Athens:Inherit.
- Benhamou, F. (2011). “Heritage.” In A Handbook of Cultural Economics, edited by Ruth Towse, 255–62. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
- Giliberto, F. & Labadi S. (2021) Harnessing cultural heritage for sustainable development: an analysis of three internationally funded projects in MENA Countries, 133-46. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 28:2, 133-146, DOI: 10.1080/13527258.2021.1950026.
- Pineschi, L. (2024) Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Development and Human Rights. Towards an Integrated Approach.
This submodule introduces key definitions and concepts in cultural heritage protection, focusing on tangible and intangible heritage and their roles in shaping historical continuity and social identity. It explores the relationship between cultural heritage preservation and sustainability, emphasizing the need to balance legal frameworks, institutional policies, and community-led initiatives with economic development and environmental concerns. The related lecture also examines the historical evolution of international heritage governance, particularly the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, its successes, and its controversies. Through case studies such as the Abu Simbel relocation, students will engage with the complex realities of heritage management, global cooperation, and contested narratives in conservation.
Welcome to our second module on Threats to Cultural Heritage(s) and Sustainable Development. We examine how cultural heritage is exposed to—and shaped by—complex, overlapping threats rooted in economic systems, environmental crises, and political governance. We aim to identify and classify these risks and critically assess how they intersect in ways that challenge the very foundations of sustainable development. From chronic underfunding and over-tourism to sea level rise and policy failures, heritage sites, practices, and communities are increasingly vulnerable to systemic pressures beyond commonplace material decay or episodic disaster. We draw on current research, including recent assessments of climate impacts on coastal heritage in China, as an illustration of cultural heritage risk as a multidimensional problem—social, ecological, technological, and political. As we explore the threat environment, we also reflect on the adequacy of existing frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The module includes an instructor video lecture, readings, and an applied exercise. Our goal is to learn to think critically about threats not as isolated phenomena, but as interconnected processes requiring integrated, participatory, and future-oriented responses. Let’s get started.
UNESCO interactive chart of intangible cultural heritages: https://ich.unesco.org/en/dive
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