Module manager: Helen Graham
Email: h.graham@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as an Elective
‘Organising Art and Heritage’ situates practices of arts and heritage management within wider political and economic systems. In this module you will explore a range of local, regional, national and international case studies, each of which offers a varying example of how arts and heritage can be organised and managed. These will range from state-governed and state-funded museums via the organising power of markets to DIY and grassroots self-organisation. Of each case study we will ask three interrelating questions: What is the ‘art’ or ‘heritage’? Who organises it and how? What economies is it enabled by?
The module proposes that it is important to appreciate the interaction between art and heritage, politics and economics in particular local, regional and international contexts. This drives the research-led case study approach, both in the teaching and learning and in the assessment. Throughout the module, you will develop your own assessment case study, mirroring the same structure used for the module case studies and acting as an ongoing personal inquiry.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Evaluate how specific practices of arts and heritage management are shaped by their political and economic contexts.
2. Analyse how the conceptualisation of art and heritage is produced by, but also produces, certain governance and financial logics and realities.
3. Compare different international approaches to governing art and heritage and draw out their differences.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Gather information and perspectives from a range of sources; analyse, and interpret to aid understanding, inform decisions/opinions, and anticipate problems.
2. Effectively communicate key concepts in written form.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Independent online learning hours | 280 | ||
| Private study hours | 0 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
Students will develop their case studies for the assessment throughout the module. There will be integrated opportunities for verbal formative feedback by the module leader throughout the module’s teaching. There will also be opportunities for structured peer formative feedback during the classroom sessions
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Case Study | Case Study | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team