Heritage Studies

In recent decades, heritage has become an attractive term for scholars in various disciplines, ranging from archaeologists, sociologists and conservation scientists, to policy makers, communities, and the commercial sector. Heritage Studies introduces the NYU community to the theory and practices of the disciplines associated with heritage from local and global perspectives. It combines perspectives from programs across campuses and academic divisions at NYU, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of heritage studies. The program offers insights into heritage production, consumption and use, identity politics, cultural contestation, and legislation on one side, and scientific methods of investigation and data interpretation for the recovery and conservation of cultural heritage on the other.

Heritage and Society
Heritage and Society focuses on the uses of heritage as a political, economic and social agent. It includes broader and more holistic concepts of heritage such as cultural landscapes, which combine the physical, cognitive and cultural reality of a site.

Heritage and Science
The conservation and analysis of heritage sites, (art)objects and their narratives is central in heritage management, interpretation and presentation. Heritage and Science centers on the scientific methodologies applied in heritage studies and management.

Minor in Heritage Studies
The Interdisciplinary Minor in Heritage Studies is a diverse specialization that cuts across divisions and disciplines. The Minor encourages students to examine heritage in the past and present through the lens of their research interest to understand how it forms and influences future societies.