Order Description
Assessment 1: Essay
You are asked to write an essay of 4,000 words on one of the ten titles in the lecture topic descriptions (summarized below), which must be discussed and agreed with the course tutor prior to beginning writing. You should discuss both sides of the argument before reaching your conclusion, back up all arguments with concrete examples where possible, and cite all secondary references carefully to avoid any possibility of inadvertent plagiarism.
Titles
1. What is gained and what is lost when heritage is digitized? Discuss this with special reference to either capture, curation or representation.
2. Discuss, with reference to at least one example project or site, the value (both to the project and to the contributor) of community-sourcing cultural data.
3. Discuss the limitations of quantitative methods (such as GIS, Google Earth etc.in the representation of place in cultural heritage.
4. Discuss the main characteristics and advantages of one 3D data capture method and, with examples, outline its application in the cultural heritage domain.
5. How does data interoperability by means of open standards enrich digital cultural heritage?
6. How the Treasure Act and the Portable Antiquities Scheme contribute to the UK’s national cultural heritage?
7. Evaluate and compare the approaches of two or more museum collections to the selection and display of a particular group of objects. Consider how formal information structures have been used, and how they contribute to the process of communicating cultural narratives.
8. Consider a culture (such as the Anglo-Saxons, Mongols, Arabs, Qin China, Vikings etc) that interests you. What strategies have museums used to represent this culture (give examples), and what methods can we use to assess the public’s reaction to these strategies? You may wish to (but do not have to) consider social media, online reactions to or reviews of exhibitions or events, or the activities or interest groups or societies.
9. Examine the cultural heritage influences manifested in a particular piece of popular culture (game, film, etc.). How does the medium shape the perception and reception of the past?
10. Does social media have any useful role in the communication of or contribution to cultural heritage? Discuss with reference to Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform of your choice.