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Unit of study_

ARCH9081: Heritage Law and Policy

2025 unit information

Heritage Law and Policy focuses on the system of legal protections and policy instruments that underpin heritage conservation. We explore the idea of cultural property and of shared environmental resources and the ways in which these are balanced with private property rights in heritage policy. Classes will address the varying levels at which heritage protections operate, from international protocols down to local planning schemes. Students will become familiar with legislation, regulations, planning instruments and policies as well as the use of registers, inventories and other records of significant items. The unit will also address the roles of various government agencies involved in heritage conservation. We consider how heritage protections relate to different scales and types of places, including Indigenous heritage, landscapes, and individual buildings. We also consider how different sanctions and incentives achieve policy aims and support statutory obligations; and we explore innovative legal and policy mechanisms for preventing or redressing the destruction of historically significant places and encouraging the meaningful protection of culturally significant places.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Architectural and Design Science
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand the system of heritage protections at a local, regional, national, and international level
  • LO2. identify relevant heritage legislation and regulation that applies in a particular situation
  • LO3. understand the role of the NSW Land and Environment Court and similar courts and tribunals elsewhere
  • LO4. analyse the rationale for different environmental heritage protections including Aboriginal places
  • LO5. assess the efficacy of various heritage policy aims

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2024
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2025
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2022
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal evening Remote
Semester 2 2023
Normal evening Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.