Course Resources Archive

This module will introduce students to the professional practices and considerations associated with the creative industries.  Students will research, secure and undertake a period of work experience or industry placement in a business or organisation appropriate to the student's area of study and career aspirations.  If a placement in the students intended specialism is deemed not appropriate or viable they will undertake an extended body of research into the profession which will include primary source material focussing on some aspect of the professional context of the discipline.

The module will begin to prepare students for self-employment, employment or further study after graduation through a series of key lectures, master classes by visiting practitioners and business professionals and a number of workshops and seminars covering a range of transferable skills associated with self promotion, employability, reviewing career aspirations and creative practice, as well as planning further study and personal development.

Topics covered are designed to meet the range of career aspirations associated with the specialised courses within the School of Art and Design and include: seeking employment, the development of CV’s and letters of application, copyright, licensing and protecting your work, contracts, costing creative work, portfolio management, self and business promotion, networking, an introduction to business structures, setting up as a practitioner/freelancer/business, fundraising and seeking support and advice for business and research work, roles and relationships within the Arts and creative industries, membership of professional bodies and their requirements (such as the pathway to becoming a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute).

This module facilitates students updating their Personal Development Planning (PDP) in the light of experience gained, and skills and knowledge acquired, through reviewing the key lectures, workshops, placements and research undertaken during this module.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a knowledge and critical understanding of the current opportunities and demands of employment (or self-employment) within a specialist area of the creative industries.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and a critical understanding of the legal, ethical and regulatory responsibilities incumbent on a practitioner in the creative industries.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of entrepreneurial skills to support creative practice and enhance employability.
4. Effectively communicate information and analyse evidence, arguments and assumptions to compile a structured report reflecting on employment opportunities and challenges within a specialist professional area.
5. Critically review their Personal Development Planning to develop effective strategies towards identifying and achieving personal, academic and career goals; have a greater appreciation of the relationship between study skills, the acquisition of personal transferable skills and future employability.

Plan, design and structure self-promotional material, including the continuing development of their CV.

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.