Culture Industries (330-0-20)
Instructors
Jacob Arnaud Smith
Meeting Info
Louis Hall 119: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
We tend to think of creative works in aesthetic or artistic terms: the way they tell us stories, present us with larger-than-life performers, fill our daily lives with music, or inform us about the world. However, the films, television shows, videogames, and popular recordings that we enjoy are produced, distributed, and marketed using the techniques and strategies of modern industry: that is, show business is just as much about the business as it is the show. This combination of art and industry has long sparked debate about the status of the cultural or creative industries, and the ways in which they intermingle art and commerce. What is distinctive about the creative industries as industries? What makes an "authentic" expression within this context? Where does the creativity lie in the complex and collaborative productions of the creative industries? What role do advertising and market research play in shaping creative products? To what degree can audiences take an active role in their experience of creative works? How have technological or regulatory developments influenced the way in which creative products are produced, distributed and consumed? What is the culture of work in the creative industries, and how can it be made to be more diverse and inclusive? How can media texts be made so that they cross cultural or national boundaries?
This course will address these and other questions through an engagement with scholarship on a range of media industries including film, radio, television, popular music, advertising, animation, and digital gaming. The course is designed to provide a historical and theoretical introduction to media industries and to allow students to apply that knowledge to a range of industrial contexts. Our investigation will highlight several business-oriented career paths that RTVF majors might follow after graduation and will be enriched by conversations with Northwestern alums currently working in those areas.
Learning Objectives
• to develop a vocabulary for describing and critiquing the creative industries;
• to become acclimated to the academic field of media industry studies;
• to situate a personal engagement with the creative industries within a broad historical and theoretical context;
• to develop a critical understanding of key debates and case studies in the creative industries;
• to understand and compare different career paths in the media industries;
• to apply theoretical and historical knowledge towards the development of original arguments, research plans, and business strategies in media industries.
Evaluation Method
40% Industry Updates
30% Guest Reports
30% Group Project
During the quarter, you will keep track of current developments in the creative industries based on an examination of industry trade publications. These will provide the case studies for several short "Industry Update" papers. You will also write several short papers as part of your preparation for our guest speakers. There is a Group Project in which students pitch and develop a plan for an original transmedia franchise. The Group Project culminates in a presentation at the end of the quarter. The grade for the Group Project is split between a presentation grade that is shared by everyone in the group, and a short written report for which each student receives an individual grade.