Protection, valorization and conservation of Monuments and Sites

Subject - Content - Structure

The Graduate Program is 2 years (4 semesters). The first year comprises two semester courses and two studios distributed equally in the two semesters. The second year comprises the Research Methodology Laboratory and Touristic management at World Heritage Sites in the third semester and the fourth semester the preparation of the Postgraduate Thesis. The Workshops aim to train students in the interdisciplinary synergies between different disciplines and research fields.

The educational process is enriched with lectures by invited speakers, academics, professionals and institutional representatives. At the same time, workshops and study visits are organized. Course attendance is compulsory.  All courses are six-monthly and are taught in Greek. The method of examining the courses is determined by the instructor and is conducted exclusively in two (2) exam periods, one regular and one repetitive.

The minimum number of courses to obtain a Postgraduate Degree is as follows:
• Four (4) elective postgraduate courses • Four (4) compulsory postgraduate courses • Three (3) compulsory studios • One (1) Research Methodology Laboratory mandatory


Option B: "Protection, valorization and conservation of Monuments and Sites" 

A' Semester (1 studio and  3 compulsory courses, 1 elective course)

B' Semester (1 studio compulsory and 3 elective courses)

C' Semester (1 studio and 1 course compulsory)

D' Semester (1 compulsory master thesis)

UNITWIN_UNESCO NETWORK - The compulsory module 
Tourist management at World heritage Sites

The Module aims to equip postgraduate students at Master’s level with an understanding of the approaches to managing tourists and planning for sustainable tourism development at World Heritage Sites and to develop a critical approach to the competencies of management in order that sites and their stakeholders are able to:

• Develop, implement and monitor strategies and actions for the protection of sites from the excesses of tourist pressures;
• Plan for forms of tourism which are sustainable, appropriate, relevant and able to engage the local community and local cultures;
• Evaluate and monitor the processes of environmental, social and cultural change as they affect and are affected by tourism and the tourist behaviors. The module is built on the bases of a series of lectures and an educational filed trip at a World Heritage Monument.

The series of lectures is grouped in two subsets:

A- The first subset concerning the concepts, doctrines and particular know – how on Unesco World Heritage

B- The second Subset concerning the tourism management of World Heritage Sites

A – Subset  of lectures concerning  the concepts, doctrines and particular  know – how on Unesco World Heritage

-    Principals and doctrines:  The convention of the World Heritage, the principalCharters (Venice, Granada, Nara, Florence, cultural tourism)
-    The sense of universal value (example of application dossier for registration to the WH list)
-    The concept of Management Plan for a Site – constitutive elements, systemic analysis, management plan according to different types of sites: archaeological, monumental, urban, natural, cultural landscape, routes.
-    Intangible heritage
-    The World Heritage at risk (UNESCO, ICOMOS, WORLD MONUMENT FUND)
-    Heritage and local development (cultural, social, economic))
-     The actors of world heritage (UNESCO, WHC, ICOMOS, ICCROM)
-    Documentary sources.
-    Case studies

B – Subset of lectures concerning  the tourism management of World heritage Sites

-    Conservation of sites and tourist visitation
-    Management of tourism flows 
-    Mediation and tourism behaviors
-    Touristic economy and heritage  (direct and induced income,  impact on the territory)
-    Marketing and touristic promotion of the sites
-    Case studies
-    Documentary sources.

Educational field trip (compulsory)

The module is complemented by a field trip to one World heritage monument (in Greece or abroad) that is compulsory for students.   In addition, they have to prepare an essay on a World Heritage Site that is presented after the completion of the field trip.