MA Arts Administration & Cultural Policy

This module will address a range of issues relevant to cultural policy and practice in the UK and other European countries. We will discuss the relationship between cultural production and policy and deal with issues of ‘what is culture’ in different cultural contexts and countries. The module has two distinct elements: the first will deal with post-war arts policy and practice within the UK, exploring the main developments that have contributed to the evolution of current policy. It will examine the interrelationship of the many functions and responsibilities of the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), the Arts Councils of, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and their regional offices, and how policy is managed at a national, regional and city level. This section of the module will also map the relationship of the ‘cultural industries’ to the economy of access, accountability and cultural/national identity will be explored as well as specific areas of arts and tourism, arts and regeneration, arts education and the globalisation of culture. In general the module will concentrate on policy in relation to the performing arts although reference will be made to visual arts and the heritage sector. 

The second section of the module will provide an introduction to cultural policy models and cultural policies in other European countries, and the structures and priorities that govern arts support. It will look in particular at the situation in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland as well as the specific issues facing arts policymakers in Central and Eastern Europe. Reference will also be made to the role of the European Union in cultural policy development.

 
Through presentations, discussions and group work, considers a range of strategies and practical tools and processes that can be used in a range of disciplines and cultural contexts.

This is a non assessed module aimed to develop your skills.

This module considers the ethical and operational issues involved with fundraising, taking you through both fundraising processes and the development of strategy, from research, approach and delivery to monitoring and evaluation.

This module is not assessed and is aimed to develop your skills.

In this module you will have the opportunity to discuss with senior members of the cultural management profession how policies are reflected in their organisations. To deliver this module the programme works with some of our ‘Partners in Learning’.

This module introduces you to models of management and professional practice and prepares you to undertake a placement with an arts organisation. It will introduce you to models of management and professional practice appropriate to arts organisations. You will examine the relationship between arts management practice and the culture in which that practice is situated. The module is in two parts.

The first, through presentations and seminars, will equip students to develop a critical approach to both general management policy and practice, and to how practice has been developed to meet the characteristics and requirements of the arts sector. You will be introduced to key ideas in organisational management from Weber to Handy and Belbin, and current writing on leadership. You will also be introduced to different forms of legal structures for organisations and basic issues relating to employment.

In the second part, through undertaking a placement with an appropriate arts organisation, you will be able to observe, account for and analyse contemporary management practice. Internships, while being tailored to student needs and that of the host organisations, will be of roughly three months duration for two or three days a week.

Normally internships relate to particular projects within an organisation, therefore the most appropriate level of attendance can be negotiated with the organisation on a case-by-case basis with tutorial support. As the module enjoys considerable goodwill within the profession there is normally a suitable placement to develop the interests of each student (ICCE has over 100 Partners in Learning who have taken students in the past).

A further period of placement may be available at the end of the taught section of the module. We take care to match you with a suitable organisation, in relation to your overall academic and vocational needs. However, it is not possible to guarantee a placement with a particular organisation. If you do not secure an internship then an alternative assessment will be arranged.

This module will introduce you to a model for producing a business/strategic plan for an arts organisation. This is the key document required by all arts organisations, particularly those within the subsidised sector and those wishing to join it. It is currently common practice to write a business plan that considers a three-year period, which is then rolled forward on an annual basis. It is a document that should have an external and internal purpose (i.e. be suitable to send to funders, businesses, banks etc), in addition to being a reference point for staff, and board members. It should refer to all aspects of an organisation’s activities, including the artistic and educational programming, management and staffing, location and resources, finances, marketing and development.

All students will write a Dissertation on an aspect of Arts Administration and Cultural Policy. You start preparing your dissertation in term one with sessions on study skills. These are followed by a series of seminars, primarily with practitioners, which introduces you to key issues of how policy is implemented in practice. Sessions are normally two hours long, initiated by a presentation that outlines the history, remit and policy of an arts organisation followed by a discussion on the key areas of current concern. You will then be able to discuss (in timetabled discussion groups and on Virtual Learning Environment forums) and expand on the issues raised and make connections with the policy areas studied in Cultural Policy and Practice (CP&P). These seminars also introduce you to a range of specialist practice that is only briefly covered in CP&P, such as reminiscence theatre or gallery education programmes.

Writing the dissertation will draw on areas studied throughout the three terms. You are encouraged to explore current issues through research, analysis and debate and will be supported by tutorials. You are also encouraged to be resourceful in researching areas where there is little published material and interviews with practitioners and policymakers may be a primary resource.