LP104-30 Thinking Culture and Creativity
Introductory description
to be completed
Module aims
This module aims to equip the student with a working knowledge of the concepts and theories fundamental to understanding contemporary culture and apply this knowledge in a practical group project. It aims to demonstrate to the student that a historical understanding of culture and creativity can provide a source of creative ideas, inspiration and intellectual material for media and creative production, and that art and intellectual history offer considerable resources for innovation in contemporary media and communication. The module will seek to establish significant intellectual, creative, academic and practical capabilities, all of which are central to playing a transformative role in future global media and creative industries. It will develop a student’s initiative, ability to take risks, experiment and test ideas. The module will aim to dissolve students’ assumptions on the nature of contemporary media content and impact, and through creative thinking processes re-define creative content, communication and engagement, audiences and experience.
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 is in two parts and is taught over Terms 1 and 2 and intends to stretch Level 4 students in critical theory, analysis and application of ideas.
Part 1: Artistic Revolutions and the Radical Cultural Shift (key theories and art movements that represent moments of radical change in the Twentieth Century into the new Millennium)
Part 2: Mediating Creative Transformation (constructing new theory as creative process for high-impact media)
Part 1:
(i) The Avant-Garde – art into everyday life
(ii) The Rise of Popular Culture
(iii) The Post-Modern
(iv) The rise of Brand
(v) Digital Futures
Part 2:
(i) Avant-Garde production
(ii) The Pop cultural product
(iii) The Post-modern intervention
(iv) The Branded production
(v) The Digital product
Each week a specific brief will direct the production toward a specific challenge – explicitly aimed at current dilemmas both social and economic (from populism, mass migrations, terror and fundamentalism; diversity and multiculturalism; social sustainability and the need for new productive markets). This will complement the work undertaken in Media Lab 1.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Fully appreciate theoretical knowledge on key moments in cultural history – periods of artistic and philosophical transformation.
- Develop analytical-cognitive ability to relate philosophical and theoretical developments with arts, cultural and creative practice.
- Establish interpretative competencies in identifying and understanding the conditions (political, social, economic) of radical cultural transformation.
- Demonstrate academic skills in theory-construction and the use of theory as framework for planning and creative production.
- Develop professional skills in team work and creative application of knowledge.
Indicative reading list
Indicative References
Calinescu, M. (1987) Five Faces of Modernity: Modernism, Avant-garde, Decadence, Kitsch, Postmodernism, Duke University Press.
Hall, S. ed. (1997) Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices, London: Sage.
Hughes, R. (1991) The Shock of the New, New York: Knopf.
O’Reilly, D., (2005) ‘Cultural brands/branding cultures,’ Journal of Marketing Management 21, pp. 573-88.
Madoff, S.H. (1997) Pop Art: A Critical History (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art), London: T&H.
Poggioli, R. (1971) The Theory of the Avant-Garde, New York: Harper
Schroeder, J.E. (2006) Brand Culture, Routledge.
Schroeder, J.E., Warren, S., Bell, E., (2013) The Routledge Companion to Visual Organization, Abingdon, Oxon and New York: Routledge.
Schroeder, J.E. (2005) ‘The artist and the brand’, European Journal of Marketing, 39, pp. 1291-1305.
Stern, B. B., Zinkhan, G.M., Holbrook, M., (2002) ‘The netvertising image: image communication model and construct definition’, Journal of Advertising 31, Fall, pp. 15-28.
Subject specific skills
Theory building
Conducting theoretical analysis
Conducting a Literature survey
Composing and communicating a presentation
Transferable skills
Identifying and organising research sources
Selecting from a range of interpretative frameworks
Using interpretative frameworks appropriately
Group coordinated work
Composing and delivering presentations
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 10 sessions of 3 hours (10%) |
| Tutorials | 10 sessions of 2 hours (7%) |
| Private study | 250 hours (83%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
250 private study hours
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Group Work (presentation) | 40% | |
| Written Research Paper (3000 words) | 60% |
Feedback on assessment
In class formative assessments and verbal feedback. Written feedback on written assessment. Verbal and written feedback on presentations
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 1 of ULPA-P301 Undergraduate Media and Creative Industries