Introductory description

Together with the year 1 module ‘Thinking Culture and Creativity’ this core module aims to introduce key concepts and frameworks which underpin the programme.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module consists of two overlapping strands - industry structure and critical perspectives.

The 'structure' strand contains five sessions: industry structure; market structure; organisational structures; entrepreneurs, executives, mavericks (positioning participants' practice within the industry structure); culture and values (positioning participants' values and ethos within the industry structure.

The 'critical perspectives' strand also contains five sessions: political economy of the cultural and creative industries; passionate and precarious labour, self branding and network societies; the digitalisation of culture, ethics of the culture industries. The common theme across this part of the module is a reflection on how creative and media practitioners negotiate their position within the industry systems of power and ownership; some individual sessions may be reframed to incorporate current issues and debates (for example effects of pandemic lockdown on creative labour, sustainability and ecological perspective on creative economy).

Students will use their case study to focus on a specific critical issue in the media, creative and cultural industries, and use their assignment to relate the theoretical issue to practical strategies and solutions . The annotated bibliography will allow them to develop their academic research skills in support of the essay assignment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of different models and definitions of the media, creative and cultural industries
• Demonstrate an understanding of how theories of cultural consumption are manifest in the media, creative and cultural industries
• Demonstrate an understanding of how industry structures and business models influence creative practice in the media, creative and cultural industries
• Demonstrate an understanding of key regulatory and policy paradigms shaping the creative sector
• Gather, interpret and present evidence, with which to analyse political, economic, technological and socio-cultural change in the media, cultural and creative industries
• Reason critically and debate interpretations
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different modes of analysing the creative and media industries
• Communicate what they have learnt, both orally and in writing

Indicative reading list

Doyle, Gillian. 2002. Media Ownership: The Economics and Politics of Convergence in the UK and European Media. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Freedman, Des. 2013. The Politics of Media Policy, Cambridge: Polity.
Hesmondhalgh, David. 2013. The Cultural Industries (3rd edition), Sage.
Kokas, Anney. 2017. Hollywood: Made in China, Oakland: University of California Press.
Merrin, William. 2014. Media Studies 2.0, London: Routledge.
Oakley, Kate and O’Connor, Justin (ed.). 2017. The Routledge Companion to the Cultural Industries (Routledge).
Thussu, Daya Kissan (et al.) China’s Media Go Global, London: Taylor and Francis.

Subject specific skills

Understanding of different models and definitions of the media, creative and cultural industries
Understanding of how theories of cultural consumption are manifest in the media, creative and cultural industries
Understanding of how industry structures and business models influence creative practice in the media, creative and cultural industries
Understanding of key regulatory and policy paradigms shaping the creative sector
Ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different modes of analysing the creative and media industries

Transferable skills

Ability to gather, interpret and present evidence
Ability to reason critically and debate interpretations
Ability to communicate what students have learnt, both orally and in writing