Overview
Objectives
- Gain a specialisation in international cultural heritage law and provenance studies with a unique programme organised and taught by the specialists of the Art-Law Centre and of the UNESCO Chair in the International Law of the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the University of Geneva
- Develop a high-level and critical understanding of the legal, political, historical, technical and philosophical considerations underpinning international debates on cultural heritage through the combination of innovative learning and teaching method
- Meet and learn from leading practitioners, experts and academics from all over the worl
- Acquire the skills to gain employment in the art and cultural heritage sector or other related areas
Audience
Programme
First semester
- Module 1: International Cultural Heritage Law – An Overview
- Module 2: Legal Provenance Studies – An Introduction
Second semester
- Module 3: Data Protection
- Module 4: Archives
- Module 5: Digital methods and tools
Third semester
- Module 6: Diligences and Circulations
- Module 7: Provenance toward Futures
Diploma awarded
Registration
Fees:
- CHF 5.300.- for the full programme
- CHF 800.- for each module
Some fellowships may be offered for persons applying to the full program. Applicants for a scholarship are requested to submit an application form and are encouraged to provide as much information as possible, to give a complete picture of their financial situation, as well as that of their immediate entourage.
Admission criteria
Candidates shall:
- Hold a Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree in law from a University, a Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree in law from a University of Applied Sciences (HES), or a degree deemed equivalent and recognised by the University of Geneva
- Exhibit their interest in participating in the CAS and
- Have a sound command of English; candidates who are not native English speakers must be able to show that their English language ability is of a high enough standard to successfully engage with and complete the course via a recognised test (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) or one or more degrees obtained following the completion of programmes taught in English
Application File
- Curriculum vitae (in English or French)
- Cover letter explaining the interest to take part in the CAS (max. 500 words)
- Copy of the relevant degrees and qualifications
- Copy of an ID (passport or national identity card)
- Passport photo (.jpg format)
Cancellation Policy
Any withdrawal before the start of the programme will incur an administration fee of CHF 400.-. Fees will be payable in full once the course has begun.
Curriculum
Period
Credits
Teaching hours
Schedule
Courses will be held on Fridays and Saturdays, from 9:00 to 17:00 (including breaks), with a few exceptions as to the time.
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Introducing international cultural heritage law
2. The actors in the realm of art and cultural heritage
Learning goals
Gain an overview of the international legal system and understand the mechanisms of international cultural heritage law; identify the different players of the art and cultural heritage sector, their roles and obligations.
Learning outcomes
Learn the history of international cultural heritage law and the key definitions; understand the nexus in which international cultural heritage law has developed, by placing it in the history of general public international law; consider the link between the further branches of public international law and the place reserved for the human being; analyse the history of professional bodies and international institutions; address existing social biases in the normative system; perceive the articulation of texts, their temporality and the mechanisms of transposition.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Staggered group work on Etherpad
- MCQ on Moodle as assessment
Date(s)
Fee
Planning
The teaching on 6 December 2024 will be online
Description
1. Provenance Studies as a discipline
2. Legal dimensions of provenance research
Learning goals
Learn the history of provenance research as a discipline and understand the differences between methods, research and analyses; understand the legal challenges and constraints within provenance studies.
Learning outcomes
Analyse the context within provenance studies and provenance research take place; delineate notions linked to the trajectories of cultural goods in international law; reflect on the challenges of legal translations and establish equivalences in one's field of work; identify requirements in terms of origin and provenance in national laws; analyse the articulation between law and ethics (codex); address questions related to the legal relationship between humans and objects.
Learning goals
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Dedicated working session online
- Written assignment (max. 300 words) in form of a blog post on a selection of contemporary works of art to be submitted at the end of December 2024
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Data Protection
2. Data Access
3. Provenance’s Data
Learning goals
Examine and discuss the role of data in provenance studies; distinguish the legal framework that has been established to protect different data and regulate their access and re-use regarding provenance.
Learning outcomes
Understand what data is; appreciate the different types of data; understand the contexts and responsibilities of data protection and accessibility; be acquainted with the legislation of the most relevant jurisdictions (including France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States); become familiar with the exceptions related to cultural institutions and those intended for provenance research; reflect the different types of openness and identify solutions to proprietary claims around data.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- One staggered discussion in an online forum on Moodle
- Written assignment (2000 to 3000 words, excluding table of contents, footnotes and bibliography) to be submitted by the end of the semester
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Archives as cultural heritage
2. Archives as research ressources
Learning goals
Study the legal framework dedicated to archives and understand the duality of archives as heritage and resources.
Learning outcomes
Acquire the fundamentals of archival law in a selection of exemplary states; identify the particularities of the legal status of archives; reflect on the phenomena of patrimonialisation; understand the organisation of sources and their exploitation for legal purposes; address issues related to the succession of states; acquire skills in archival access and method.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Blended exercise in paleography
- Two-folded written assignment consisting of legally contextualising an archival document and transcribing its content, to be submitted by the end of semester
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Digitality and the law
2. Digital methods and digital tools
Learning goals
Examine and discuss the legal, ethical and policy questions raised by digitalisation and digitisation of cultural heritage; learn how to consistently and skillfully use digital methods and resources.
Learning outcomes
Address the legal issues related to the various databases useful in provenance research; understand the legal framework in which the digitisation of cultural heritage takes place, both in terms of the protection of assets and of the rights of the various rights holders; analyse the issues involved in digitising cultural assets and controlling access to them; know and understand the various existing methods in the digital humanities; question digital technology as a tool for safeguarding and creating cultural heritage.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Blended exercise in digital methods
- Recorded presentation of a 10-minutes talk on a case study, to be submitted by the end of August 2025
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Material and legal circulations
2. Obligations and ethics
Learning goals
Explore the relationship between circulations and diligences both on the material and legal trajectories of cultural heritage; examine the interaction between law and memories.
Learning outcomes
Understand the differences between physical and legal circulation; identify their complexity and limits; know how to reflect on the links between humans and objects in their trajectories; grasp the different categories of objects and due diligence required; consider the links between law and ethics on these issues.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Blended visits of online exhibitions and dedicated online seminar (2 hours)
- MCQ on Moodle as assessment
Date(s)
Fee
Description
1. Restitution policies alternative resolutions procedures
2. Memorialisation and cultural heritage
Learning goals
Explore the different ways to foster provenance studies in a prospective way.
Learning outcomes
Understand the different ontologies involved in questions related to the provenance of cultural property; understand the role of the past in contemporary legislation and corrective mechanisms; grasp the discrepancies between existing norms on conservation, preservation and circulation control; understand the challenges of trans- and interdisciplinary research; comprehend memorialisation and its link to the future; know how to situate certain cultural and memorial policies; analyse the effects of memorial policies on the legislative process; address the issue of controversial heritages; gain an understanding of alternative conflict resolution mechanisms; analyse the effects of restorative justice on cultural heritage.
Learning schemes
- Preliminary readings on Moodle
- Two days of face-to-face teaching on site and online
- Written assignment on a case law (4000 to 5000 words, excluding table of contents, footnotes and bibliography) to be submitted by the end of January 2026
Pedagogical method
- Face-to-face teaching by leading academics, experts and practitioners
- Distance-learning activities, including readings and writings
- Individual and collective presentations during dedicated working sessions
- Problem solving
Assessment
Director(s)
Prof. Antoinette MAGET DOMINICÉ, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva
Coordinator(s)
Scientific committee
- Prof. Sévane GARIBIAN, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva
- Marina SCHNEIDER, Principal Legal Officer & Treaty Depositary, International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT)
- Dr. Andrea F. G. RASCHÈR, Raschèr Consulting, Zurich