Rome, Italy, July 14-18, 2025
The program will meet daily from Monday to Friday
9.30 am - 1.30 pm CET - times may be subject to adjustment
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This course is open to all interested parties and assumes no prior knowledge of the field. It is likely to benefit individuals working in, or aspiring to work in, cultural heritage, heritage administration, museums, archaeology, law enforcement, military, intelligence, civil service and diplomacy.
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OVERVIEW
The destruction, looting, (re)construction, and manipulation of tangible cultural heritage has become and important dimension of hybrid warfare and geopolitical competition in the 21st century. This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the complex problem of cultural heritage in conflict and competition. It will provide an global and conceptual overview of the subject, case studies from on-going conflicts including Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian Ocean.
The course will also cover how war and competition impact cultural heritage, the motives of various actors involved, and approaches to cultural property from destruction and exploitation.
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CERTIFICATION
Participants who complete the course will receive an AUR Certificate of Completione.听This course does not offer institutional Credit Hours.
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About your instructor: Dr. Chris Jasparro
Dr. Chris Jasparro is geographer, field, archaeologist, and specialist in cultural property protection and countering cultural heritage exploitation. He is a former civil servant whose last post was an endowed chair at the US Naval War College. Presently he serves as the Administration and Operations Officer for the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (which is a UNESCO designated NGO) and a commander of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Maritime Resource Cultural Protection Unit.
He was awarded a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Kentucky. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in numerous areas in the U.S. and Mongolia, conducted anti-looting and trafficking research and work in North America and Asia, and worked as cultural heritage war crimes analyst and investigator.
He has worked with, advised, and consulted for a number of NATO, UK, US and French military cultural property protection units as well as NGOs, and government agencies involved in cultural and natural resource protection.
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COURSE OUTLINE
Each day will consist of four hours of contact time, comprising lectures, discussions, case studies, and interactive exercises.
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Day 1: Cultural Heritage and Exploitation in War and Geopolitical Competition
The first session will focus on understanding how cultural heritage has played a role in war and geopolitical competition from antiquity to the present, introduce and explain key concepts, and provide a contemporary overview of the topic (to include coverage of emerging forms of physical and informational warfare and international law).
Day 2: Europe, Ukraine, Middle East/North Africa
This session will look at case studies from Ukraine, Europe more broadly and the Middle East and North Africa on how cultural property is being used to support the conflict and geopolitical aims of key actors including the destruction, looting, construction and reconstruction, and information manipulation of cultural heritage.
Day 3: Asia and Maritime
This session will provide case studies of how cultural heritage has become a centerpiece of geopolitical competition and diplomatic maneuvering in Asia as well as in key maritime zones to include case studies from inland Eurasia and the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.
Day 4: Actors and Challenges
This session will begin with an overview of key governmental, military, international and non-governmental actors involved in protection cultural property and their respective capabilities. The section will end with a discussion of the challenges involved in protecting and preserving the integrity of cultural heritage under the present and emerging threats covered previously.
Day 5: Protecting Cultural Heritage and Countering Exploitation
The final session will cover methodologies and approaches to protecting (and responding to) physical destruction of an informational manipulation of cultural heritage to include open-source analysis, mapping, and investigation, emergency planning, and countering heritage based propaganda.
Please note this schedule may be subject to adjustment.
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COURSE TUITION
鈧�1,495.00 (euros)/participant
MEALS, TRANSPORT, AND ACCOMMODATION
Please note that all participants are responsible for their own transportation, accommodation, and insurance coverage. As a major tourist venue, Rome has an extensive supply of hotel accommodation at all levels, but participants are advised to book as early as possible in order to secure the booking of their choice.
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REGISTRATION:
Please register below.听听
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL/VISA REQUIREMENTS
International participants must be informed about Italian travel information and hold a valid entry visa if required.听
For non-EU citizens, or with your local embassy.
Cultural Heritage Protection in Contemporary Geopolitics and Conflict