Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

World Heritage Program


World Heritage focuses on the natural and cultural legacy of the human past, and how it is reflected today in places, landscapes, and intangible aspects of cultures. A specific focus is on studying and
mapping monuments, buildings, and cultural and natural sites and landscapes with Remote Sensing, 3D visualization technologies, and Geographic Information Systems. Students may study World Heritage to strengthen their skills in the interpretation, documentation, and management of places with an emphasis in either cultural or natural attributes.

Interdisciplinary education, diversity, and cutting edge research are key aspects of the mission of UC Merced. Focusing on the value of heritage as a cultural process, the World Heritage program stimulates students to develop a critical understanding of heritage and analyze both institutional and multi-vocal approaches to the study of past and present cultures. This approach engages students in this new field of study that bridges knowledge and methods from many disciplines such as art, architecture, history, anthropology, archaeology, cognitive science, computer science, earth science, geography, and global policies and management.

The World Heritage program prepares students for heritage careers in cultural and historical preservation, cultural and natural resource management, and global policies on heritage or a combination of such disciplinary approaches, through both the undergraduate minor, and M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group (IHGG).

World Heritage Program Learning Outcomes


The main task is to study the evolving technologies and methodologies of analysis, interpretation, documentation and presentation of heritage sites (natural and cultural), and to evaluate their potential to enrich contemporary societies in the light of the reconstruction of the past. Students will be able to:

  1. Develop a critical understanding of heritage as a cultural process and of the role of World Heritage in contemporary society.
  2. Use field methods and digital technologies to investigate and document heritage case studies.
  3. Dialogue with different disciplines such as art, architecture, history, anthropology, archaeology, cognitive science, computer science, geography and global policies, and management to learn how various academic disciples and methodologies contribute to World Heritage
  4. Become proficient in key principles and policies of natural and cultural heritage protection and management by mastering international policies, theoretical approaches, best practices, and operating procedures.
  5. Experience the visits to monuments, cultural landscapes, museums, and historic sites and comprehend their value for local communities and humanity at large.