Free online course: Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime

Donna Yates of  The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research stars (alongside a shady character with sinister ginger eyelashes, Meg Lambert and Jessica Dietzler) in a You Tube video promoting the "Free online course: Antiquities Trafficking and Art Crime" which begins February 2016. 

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posted on You Tube by  The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research

They seem to have forgotten (so far) to supply the link under the video to the course itself so here it is: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/art-crime.Duration: 3 weeks, 4 hours pw Certificates available (you have to pay for that).

In Week 1, we will track how ancient artefacts are looted from archaeological sites, trafficked across multiple international borders, and end up in the possession of some of the world’s most respectable museums and collectors.
In Week 2, we will learn about crimes of fine art: heists, fakes, and vandalism.
In Week 3, we will discuss the ethical, legal, and emotional issues associated with the return of stolen cultural objects.

Not much time, then, for a detailed discussion of metal detecting and the effects of the 'Portable Antiquities Scam' on public perceptions or an in-depth exploration of Ms Yates'  views on the misuse of motifs of "cultural destruction" in misdirection and propaganda by the US government in their current involvement in the Middle East. Both of them topics relevant to the Cuno/Fitgibbon-esque questions "Who owns the past? Who owns art? Who owns culture?".

You can also join the conversation about the course on social media using the hashtag #ArtCrimeFL.