APG5067 - Cultural economy and sustainable development - 2017

This unit examines the relationship between cultural production and consumption and new agendas for sustainable economic and social development developed by UNESCO, the World Bank and other international agencies. By cultural economy we include the broad range of cultural/creative industries, arts and traditional cultural practices and products, handicraft and forms of manufacture. We explicitly situate these as economic practices embedded in wider social and cultural contexts. Through our interdisciplinary and practice-based approach, we examine how cultural economies might be used to provide employment, strengthen identity and resilience and point to more sustainable, less volatile and dependent growth for developing countries. Through lectures, case studies and workshops, students are encouraged to bring their own experiences to bear on this emerging field of development.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Have a broad overview of contemporary issues in cultural economy and development
2. Have an appreciation of the specific and practical challenges and opportunities for cultural economies in developing countries
3. Apply independent research skills to a range of problems in the field of culture and sustainable development
4. Be able to write and communicate effectively and in analytical depth
5. Have a high degree of intercultural competence and effectively engage with the culture and development agenda in different parts of the world
6. Be able to effectively utilise academic concepts to identify and investigate concrete challenges and issues in cultural development

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Professor Justin O'Connor

Cultural and creative industries

International development practice

International sustainable tourism management