This special study examines art / media management and production in relation to opportunities and challenges posed in the current digital landscape. Students are able to familiarise themselves with how projects are managed; rights management issues, defining and understanding rights in the context of their own topical areas of interest; professional practice; and/or, production work. Looking at such rights as copyright, brand rights, image rights, privacy, freedom of expression and information, censorship, and regulation - students explore how these work in practice. They also develop knowledge and understanding of the use of agreements and of licensing, and relate these to art / media production and, professional practice. Students have a wide range of case studies to focus on: film, music, fashion, advertising, PR, publishing, and art; global media production and cultures of appropriation.
There will be an opportunity for portfolio development and the study of theoretical aspects of ‘digital disruption', the impact and use of free / open media and, how making media is affected by share culture, remix/mashups. Production work with archives and issues raised by archival rights are an important focus and students learn how to navigate these. To understand what happens to art and media work once produced, students look also at distribution, the rights affecting distribution, and the impact on these of e.g. download culture, cultural appropriation, globalisation; transborder flow, media convergence and spreadability.
Students may EITHER write an extended essay OR engage in production or practice-based projects. The focus topics are wide and based on student choice (such as, in the past, free expression and identity; cyber-bulling & social media; documenting conflict; PR and reputation work; culture jamming; brand management; style and advertising; online art trade; music production). The output options are also wide ranging (from critical essays; to video essay; blogs; podcasts / vlog websites; music and video mashups; short video documentary). There is a substantial opportunity to transfer employability skills and knowledge acquired in the module to a range of professional contexts.
This module will be taught in a fortnightly, two-hour seminar block. Activities within this block remain as flexible as possible to allow the module to adapt to student interests and questions as they develop from readings and discussions. Seminars will encourage active participation and as part of this encouragement ask all members of the seminar to come prepared to ask specific questions of the group each session and, where appropriate, to lead discussions. Students will present work within the seminar format in the form of work in progress presentations on their projects and also assessed presentations relating to key themes from the module content.
Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
---|---|---|
Scheduled learning and teaching | Seminars Tutorials x 6 | 223 |
Guided independent study | Research and reading in preparation for taught classes, preparation of assignments. | 275 |
Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 |
Students are required to produce an extended researched essay or a piece of practice informed research related to the module content. The title and scope of this will be agreed with the module tutor in advance and will enable students to develop focused and sustained work based on their own guided research and in response to the themes and concerns of the module.
Students will also give a 1015 minute presentation on an aspect of the module content in the first half of the teaching schedule. Presentations are designed to ensure students cover a range of material from the module.
Students will be asked to present one of the topics covered in the module reflecting critically interconnecting theory and practice using relevant examples.
Formative assessment and feed forward opportunities will be provided through, class based exercises and discussion and work-in-progress seminar presentations. These will also offer opportunities for peer review.
Breakdown of Element of Assessment:
a) The practice based option:
1) Individual Presentation (30%)
2) Coursework (70%): Students will be required to produce a Portfolio of two pieces of work as part of their practice informed research project.
1. Practical Project
2. Extended reflective essay: (max 2,500 words)
b) The essay option:
1) Individual Presentation (30%)
2) Coursework (70%): 5.000 words research essay.
Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
---|---|
Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of a particular subject/topic or theme. | The presentation and the extended researched essay/piece of practice informed research. |
Utilise rigorously conceptual and theoretical perspectives and debates in the analysis of their specific topic/subject matter. | The presentation and the extended researched essay/piece of practice informed research. |
Demonstrate critical understanding of the significance of social, historical and cultural contexts in their analysis. | The presentation and the extended researched essay/piece of practice informed research. |
Demonstrate an ability to work independently, negotiate research foci and to manage their time efficiently. | The extended researched essay/piece of practice informed research. |
Demonstrate an ability to design and produce an extended piece of researched study in an appropriate format. | The extended researched essay/piece of practice informed research. |
Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Coursework | Individual Presentation | 30 |
Coursework | Portfolio (Practical Project & 2,500 Word Reflective Essay) | 70 |
Total (to equal 100%) | 100% |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module
The bibliography is dependent on the subject matter of the special study.
Recommended reading will be set according to the specific topic of each special study.