Programme information

Reinwardt Academy sees heritage as a value label established in interaction. As society, values and interactions change heritage labels can be added as well as rescinded. Accordingly, all heritage is contested but some heritage more than others. We look at heritage in the broadest sense ranging from objects, places to practices and spaces. Heritage items can be old, but also quite recent in origin. For us, national museums are not more an object of study than the gay pride or possibly a local football pitch. In our teaching we do focus on historical and ethnographic collections, but experience museums and art institutions may equally be included. In all we do, we look at the balance and interaction between theory, practice and ethics which collectively form the basis for professionalism.

The vision of the Reinwardt Academy is to be an educational institution for cultural heritage which is recognised around the world as leading and distinctive. The international master’s programme AMHS is to contribute to this global ambition. Indeed, an international mind-set and orientation are quintessential to the Academy’s vision on museum and heritage work. This is effectuated in various ways. The international outlook is reflected in the curriculum, which contains international case studies and policy frameworks, and a one-week international excursion. It is equally reflected in various geographic specialisations and international experiences of the core lecturers. This is supplemented by international visiting lecturers, from academia or professional institutions. Last but not least, an international orientation is achieved through the international classroom, with English as the language of instruction. The small-scale, but intense programme of some twenty students from maybe ten different countries creates an international dialogue, leading to the creation of new visions, understandings and insights and an international mind-set which is everlasting. In order for all students to have this stimulating educational environment, it is critical that part-time students – who are likely to be Dutch – sit in the same classroom as the full-time students – who are more likely to be international.