Semester 2

It combines critical inquiry with applied methodologies, fostering an understanding of heritage as both a field of knowledge and a space of practice. Two complementary compulsory modules provide the foundation. The first, “Preservation and Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage”, examines heritage protection frameworks—from international bodies such as UNESCO and ICOMOS -while examining preservation by addressing contested values, encouraging reflexive thinking, inclusive perspectives, and awareness of cultural, social, and political contexts. The second, “Cultural Heritage and Landscapes: Theories and Methodologies”, surveys culture, heritage, and landscapes through diverse theories, critical debates, and methods, addressing preservation histories, authenticity, governance, and global challenges in heritage practice.

Two intensive short-term seminars translate theory into practice. The first, “Cultural landscapes, heritage and territorial design”, engages cultural landscapes as legible texts—spatial records of human activity to be analyzed and transformed through design—developing students’ analytical and studio-based skills, including integration of cultural identity, environmental character, and sustainable development. The second “Reframing Cultural Landscapes: Nature, Pluriverse, and Reciprocity”, reframes landscapes through three interpretive lenses—Nature-Cultures, Theories of the Pluriverse, and Reciprocal Landscapes—drawing on over twenty-five years of design research in Spain and the United States.

The electives, “The Where and How of Cultural Heritage: Heritage and Locus as the focus of research by design” and “Mediation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage”, allow specialization in heritage mediation, including a teaching week in Athens, or research-by-design methodologies, fostering personal and expressive approaches.