The Atlantic Wall Digital Heritage Approaches to Exhibiting Twentieth Century Conflict

Description

Explore the history and archaeology of the Second World War with us! Help design an interactive digital heritage model and exhibition. Take part online or on the front line!

This bespoke course began in 2024 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in the Netherlands. All students will join online sessions from April 2026 to October 2026 and can choose to also spend a weekend in the Netherlands on fieldwork.  Students only joining online receive a 50% discount on the stated fee. 

Optional weekend in the Netherlands Dates TBC. 

Eighty two years after the liberation of the Netherlands began in Zeeland, many sections of the Atlantic Wall are yet to be fully recorded and understood. Participants in this project will create an online exhibition to show case a Second World War coastal battery using the latest digital heritage technologies. Team members will come from diverse backgrounds including active and veteran military personnel bringing a range of perspectives and insights to this part of the story of Battle of the Scheldt.

1. Participants will form a team working to form a clear narrative to emphasises the lost voices of conflict. They will explore, digitally record, and interpret a Second World War coastal battery in Zeeland the Netherlands, a structure formed part of the famous Atlantic wall. 

2. Using digital techniques and engaging with the perspective of active and veteran military personnel the group will design and curate an open access interactive exhibition of the Coastal Battery.

3. The course will have a blended format to create an inclusive environment that welcomes international participants, specifically veterans of conflict and their family members in Canada, The United States, The United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. 

Target audience

- Undergraduate students of museum studies, archaeology, anthropology, history, geography, media and digital humanities.

- Serving and veteran military personnel.

Aim of the course

Develop skills in:

• Researching and contextualising modern conflict archaeology in the Netherlands with a focus on the Atlantic Wall
• Recording standing heritage structures in the landscape
• Developing understanding of standing heritage biography
• Digital reconstructions and mapping of standing heritage
• Where possible identify and record any remaining eye witness testimony of the Battle of the Scheldt
• Creating an open access digital heritage platform
• Working in a diverse group with international backgrounds including serving and veteran military personnel. 

Study load

Approximately 70 hours total for the online and in person team.

35 hours will be spent on the in-person mapping in Zeeland.

Approximately 35 hours will be spent on online activities such as research and processing which will be done by the whole team.