Public and community archaeology and digital cultural heritage

The course has two main topics and modules: Public/Community Archaeology and Digital Archaeology. These subdisciplines will be considered a complex intertwined system of theories, tools and practices to provide a contemporary global concept of archaeological activity. Archaeology is deeply entrapped in western value systems and epistemologies, which follow geographical and chronological patterns. This course will offer an alternative global perspective to archaeological practices reconsidering the role of the archaeologist in present-day society.


Module 1, Digital and Cultural Heritage: The course also will challenge a comprehensive understanding of the main theoretical and practical aspects of Digital Archaeology, taking advantage of the most recent tools and methods. The course will provide a general overview of the methods to identify, investigate, document and analyse archaeological contexts and objects. Students will learn how to approach the past by combining multiple 2D and 3D data sources. Students will also acquire skills to manage and exploit such kind of data in a GIS environment devoted to CRM practices (Cultural Resource Management)

Module 2, Public and Community Archaeology: The classes will review the legislation that shapes archaeological exercise, media representations of archaeology, and the transformative partnerships between archaeologists and the public. The classes will focus on the bottom-up critical concepts of participatory archaeology and community archaeology as opposed to the top-down archaeological perspective in public and heritage tourism. The course will study the concepts of sustainability and ethics applied to archaeology, underlying the importance of civic engagement.


Archaeology will be presented as "citizen science" through digital resources. The entanglement between public engagement ad digital media is seen as an indispensable tool for making and disseminating heritage experiences, considering the crucial role of "alternative" views in providing sustainability for the archaeological practice in the 21st Century.

1) Knowledge and understanding:
- Familiarity with the concepts around Public Archaeology, Digital Archaeology and its impact on the public, Cultural Heritage and politics, and Cultural Heritage's ethics;
- Familiarity with the theoretical background around Digital Archaeology; knowledge about practical issues and implementation of digital products for research and dissemination;
- General knowledge of international law, international organizations, and public policies;
- General knowledge of the leading digital techniques and digital methods applied to archaeological research and archaeological communication;
- General knowledge of the methodological approaches to document digitally archaeological sites and landscapes through community base and citizen science strategies;
- Ethics in digital archaeology.
2) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- Ability to recognize the roles of public opinion and the tourism industry in the protection and interpretation of Cultural Heritage;
- Ability to recognize suitable methodologies of Digital Archaeology for specific cases and planning the research;
- Ability to manage GIS environment and exploit multiple 2D and 3D data.
3) Judgement skills:
Ability to mediate the recent debates about ownership, responsibility, and definitions of Cultural Heritage.
Ability to critically investigate and evaluate digital archaeological sources;
Ability to develop critical thinking skills concerning Digital Archaeology.