This course invites you to engage with the growing importance of culture, and of policymaking in the field of culture, in a range of contexts worldwide. You will engage with the practical realities of cultural and managerial practice and critically reflect on the real world examples you encounter. You will examine what culture is and how it can be and is used by national, international, and local governments to benefit states and support and regulate the arts, as well as to express power and control.
Investigating current issues, themes and developments such as cultural diplomacy and cultural democracy will expand your knowledge but also improve your ability to research. Your practical skills and theoretical knowledge in the realm of culture, policy, and management will enhance your CV, and you will be able to apply them in a multitude of workplace contexts in the cultural sector, in government, or as a freelancer. On completion, you will be ready for the world of work, research, or higher study.
Core modules
Major Project
The Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies is an interdisciplinary centre for teaching and research in the fields of cultural and media policy and the creative industries. The commitment to interdisciplinarity is reflected in our Major Projects, where you will be encouraged to draw on approaches from across the humanities and social sciences in producing your work. Successful projects can emerge from creative engagement with scholarly debates, from the design and analysis of original empirical work, or from some combination of these. This openness of approach is also reflected in how Major Project research can be represented.
Cultural Theory
The module will examine the historical development of the concepts and ideas that underpin the practices of the arts, culture and the creative and media industries and the ways in which these have contributed to shaping cultural policies in contemporary societies. By considering a broad range of writings, the course will examine ideas from the Renaissance, the European Enlightenment and the emergence of modernity that have proven influential in the process of institutionalizing state provision for culture and the arts that took place from the second half of the 18th century. Contemporary thinking and writing around the place of the arts and cultural industries in the world will also be explored.
International Cultural Policy
What is the relationship between Government, the subsidised cultural sector and the creative industries? What is the role of cultural policy with regard to creative, economic and social imperatives?
Through the consideration of a range of contemporary cultural policy issues, you will debate the function and limitations of cultural policy, specifically in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. You will also have the opportunity to examine the industrial framework within which cultural artefacts are produced, distributed and consumed. From examining the interaction between arts and business, and between the state and the cultural industries, to using a variety of methods to evaluate cultural policy in different contexts, you will broaden your understanding of the cultural policy landscape and develop valuable research skills.
Research Design
This module aims to prepare you for your Major Project, which is a substantial piece of independent research on a topic of your choice. The module will equip you with a broad understanding of relevant research methods from which to select an appropriate approach for your own project. It will introduce you to ethical dimensions of research. It will equip you to write an effective proposal (including research questions, rationale, explanation and justification of research methods, identifying relevant literature and data sources).
By the end of the module, you should be ready to submit your proposal and be equipped with a broad understanding of research methods in the cultural, creative and media industries field.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Developing Audiences for Cultural Organisations
- Managing Cultural Organisations
- Marketing and Markets
All students will take a total of 3 option modules which also includes their course specific applied management module. The bespoke applied management module for this MA is Placement and Case Study. This module gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in practice- or industry-related contexts.
