Introduction to history, theory, and contemporary practice of Historic Preservation. Forms basis for further study in preservation. Humanistic approach to understanding cultural heritage, focused on analysis and appreciation of built environment. Emphasizes conservation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Prepares students to engage in preservation-related issues critical to their community, state, and nation.
Athena Title
Intro Historic Preservation
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall, spring and summer
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to describe the basic the history of historic preservation in the United States.
Students will understand the international preservation theories and histories that impact preservation in the United States.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of how preservation works at the local, state, and national levels; answering such questions as “Who does preservation?”; “Why and how is preservation undertaken?”; “What does or does not get preserved, and why?”.
Students will be aware of the current and common social, political, and economic issues affecting preservation in the public and private realm.
Through assignments, field work, and guest presenters, students will interact with the “real world” of preservation - physical (cultural) resources, government agencies and employees, and current practitioners.
Students will develop an understanding of the relationship between the goals and methods of historic preservation and the goals and methods of related fields such as museum studies, interpretation, preservation law, and preservation planning.
Students will demonstrate an ability to describe, interpret, and appreciate American architecture, cultural landscapes, and cultural heritage.
Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze the impact and role of cultural heritage on our understanding of the human condition.
Students will demonstrate the ability to describe cultural resource types and to explain the techniques for assessing those resources.
Students will demonstrate the ability to identify key tools for sustaining cultural heritage.
Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze contemporary challenges in preservation.
Topical Outline
Classical and Renaissance Approaches to Preservation
Historic Preservation Theory
History of Historic Preservation in the United States
History of International Preservation
Analyzing Keywords in Preservation: Significance, Integrity, and Authenticity
History of American Architecture
Monuments: How We Remember in Material Culture
Preservation Treatments: Four Ways We Manage the Past
Preservation Law: Understanding, Analyzing, and Applying the Regulatory Environment of Cultural Heritage
Preservation Tools: Historic Districts, Tax Credits, and How They Sustain Connection to Human Culture
Rural Preservation
Urban Form, Planning, and Preservation
Race, Preservation, and Gentrification
Preservation, Building Material Conservation, and Historic Building Trades
Preservation, Historic Sites, and Heritage Tourism
Preservation and Sustainability: Is the Greenest Building the One that’s Already Built?
