Defined as a sector of subsectors encompassing industries that exploited creative talent through various types of intellectual property, the term Cultural & Creative Industries (CCIs) was coined in the 1990s, with a view to redefining the economic value of arts and culture. The concept of ‘creative industries’ has grown and gained more importance in the fields of economics, politics and academia ever since.

In this course we are to approach CCIs from a variety of perspectives first by enabling students to contextualise the activities of creative industries within wider cultural and commercial frameworks, and then by exploring major issues addressed and strategies employed in the industries. The course is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars. While in the former key issues, concepts and theories will be identified, in the latter students will discuss ideas and engage in debates arising from the lectures, the required readings and practical cases.

There are three main units:

Unit 1: Culture policy and the development of the CCIs
This unit explores why the CCIs have grown by looking into shifts in modes of consumption, leisure and time use, together with the shift in developed economies away from industrial production to service industries.

Unit 2: Work and organisation in the CCIs
This unit looks at the characteristics and varieties of organisation and management of cultural production, as well as the nature of work within the CCIs. It examines the process of entrepreneurship, in which culture and the market meet, and who is involved and why it is important in the context of the CCIs.

Unit 3: Convergence, production and consumption
This unit examines changes in the organisation of cultural production, and further considers the relationship between technology and organisations. It then looks at the shifting interrelationships between the production and consumption in the digital era, and models of audience segmentation.