Conceptualising Cultural Environments

1. Conceptualising Cultural Environments Lecture One: Cultural Spaces and Places

2. About the Module In this module we will introduce you to the creative and cultural industries with a specific focus on the events industry We will look at the historical development of these industries, identify their current structure and examine current influences upon the production, consumption and regulation of ‘leisure’ The notion of leisure is central to the cultural industries How would you define leisure?

3. Defining Leisure Leisure is generally defined as our free time when we have no compulsory or necessary commitments However, in this module we will begin to see that we are not always as free in our leisure time as we perhaps think we are… As event/cultural managers it is our job to manage and control what people do with their ‘free time Interestingly, the word leisure stems from the latin word licere which means to be allowed

4. Module Structure • Weekly lecture (one hour) • Make sure to attend! • Weekly seminar (two hours) • Split into two sections • In the first hour we will review and analyse the topic covered in the lecture • In the second hour we will introduce an another area of theory which is relevant to your studies • Readings • Each week you will be asked to complete a small number of readings, these should be completed before you come to class • Details of the set books and readings can be found in the module handbook • We will utilise a blog rather than blackboard for this module – here you will find all of the materials that you need for the module  • http://caledonianblogs.net/idci • We will go over the blog in your seminar classes later on today

5. Assessments Your first assessment for this module will be a group presentation. Working in groups of 3-4 people you will present to your seminar class in weeks 7-8 of the semester. This assessment is worth 40% of the final mark for the module. Your second assessment will consist of an individual essay. This will be due during the exam period in April. Further details will be given nearer the time.

6. Module Staff • Module Leader • Jenny Flinn, Lecturer in Events Management • Room M314, Jenny.Flinn@gcu.ac.uk • Lecturer • Dr John Harris, Senior Lecturer in Events and Sport Management • Room M314, John.Harris@gcu.ac.uk • Seminar Tutor • Claire McCauley, Events Manager

7. Defining Culture • In this module we will talk a lot about culture but we need to think about what we actually mean • Culture is ‘one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language’ (Williams, 2005:25) – it means different things to different people in different contexts • To simplify, there are two mains ways in which we can understand culture • Conceptually (values and beliefs) • Objectively (specific cultural forms)

8. Cultural Consumption In recent times the consumption of culture has grown in importance (more on why this is next week) As such, the creative and cultural industries have grown in prominence in the last 20-30 years According to UNESCO they combine the creation, production and distribution of goods and services that are cultural in their nature and are often protected by intellectual property rights In the UK cultural consumption provides around 2 million jobs with employment growing at double the rate of the economy as a whole Culture and creativity is seen as highly desirable to individuals, cities and nations due to the symbolic meaning that it can convey

9. Cultural Places and Spaces According to Bull, Hoose and Weed (2003) leisure can take place practically anywhere – any space, place or environment can be utilised Events can take place in any number of settings This includes, small spaces, large spaces, the city, the countryside, formal settings and informal settings… Think of events that you have been to – where do they take place and why?

11. Formal and Informal Codes of Behaviour The spaces of everyday life produce and are produced by everyday culture, cultural experiences, and power relations Think about how we behave in different cultural places and spaces Behaviour in public is restricted by both official and informal regulatory codes In some settings there are strict instructions of how to behave which may be explicitly stated, in others there are unwritten rules of behaviour

12. Space and Place It is these ‘codes’ of behaviour which distinguish between space and place Place is the physical arrangement of geographical or architectural elements – physical layout Space is the practiced element of the place – the way in which the place is used by the people who inhabit it As managers we need to think about how we want people to behave and how we can control and manipulate this…