Insegnamento a.a. 2018-2019

30385 - POLICIES FOR ARTS AND CULTURE

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OBS  |  SECS-P/07)
Course Director:
GIOVANNI VALOTTI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: PIERGIACOMO MION DALLE CARBONARE


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

This course aims at investigating policies and programs tackling different needs and issues related to the arts and cultural field. Nowadays different public and private policymakers are intervening in the arts: for this reason, we analyze policies and programs enacted by public institutions (i.e.: cities), together with policies and projects developed by grant-making foundations, corporate philanthropists, business firms, nonprofit organizations and individual artists and cultural entrepreneurs. The course has a hands-on approach. Lectures in class are as important as off-campus visits, meetings with practitioners and policymakers working in the field, observation exercises, team-working on applied projects. The city of Milan and its cultural environment is the natural laboratory for students' learning about how cultural policies are enacted and implemented. At the end of the course, students are able to frame and understand different policy issues emerging in the arts and culture field and they are able to develop a public program/project to address these issues.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The course focuses on specific topics related to cultural policies and its actors. It is structured in the following main parts:

  1.  Understanding the main actors in the field of cultural policies.
  2. Analisying the different aspects related to policy-making: design; implementation and evaluation.
  3. Discuss policy issues, including: community outreach and engagement; role of art fairs; funding arts and culture; urban revilatization policies.
  4. Policy innovation: develop a cultural innovation project (part of the group project).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Describe the main cultural policies of a country/institution.
  • Identify the main issues related to governance in the cultural sector.
  • Explain the relationship between government policies and managerial practices and their effects on the citizens and on the local development.
  • Discuss different cultural policies issues.
  • Develop a cultural innovation project.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Analyze the cultural policies of a country/institution.
  • Choose the appropriate methodologies related to policy formulation and implementation.
  • Measure and interpret the relevant KPIs in the cultural sector.
  • Develop teamwork skills.
  •  Interact and communicate effectively in multi-cultural contexts.
  • Present a project in a public call.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Company visits
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Individual assignments
  • Group assignments

DETAILS

The learning experience of this course includes, in addition to face-to-face lectures, case discussions, a group project, real examples and interactions with guest speakers/company visits from institutions that are involved in developing and implementing cultural policies in Milano. Each topic is analyzed at the national, city and organizational level, so as to make the students aware not only of the political perspective, but also of the different applications and implementations at the city and organizational level. Over the course students are engaged in a semester-long group project that builds on all concepts presented and discussed during the course with the aim of developing a project proposal to tackle a cultural gap in the city. Students then prepare a power-point presentation to present their project. Students also are asked to read and present specific papers (presented by the professor) in the second part of the semester, aimed at introducing the discussion over the policy issue tackled in the same class (4 classes in total). Papers have different perspectives and expamples on the topic to be discusses. Lastly, after each meeting with practitioners/company visits, students have the opportunity to write a brief post reflection paper (max 2 pages) in order to highlight the main take-aways and lessons learnt from the meeting. A minimum of 2 post reflection papers should be submitted. Attendance: due to this teaching methodology, heavily based on interaction and class discussion and participation, attending is strongly recommended.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
    x
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  x  
  • Group assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
  x  
  • Participation
x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes the student assessment is based on three main components:

  1. In-class case policy paper group presentation (10% of the final grade) aimed at presenting a relevant policy issue through a paper specifically assigned by the professor and kicking off the class discussion.
  2. Individual post reflection paper (10% of the final grade) aimed at re-elaborating the concepts and discussion had during the meetings with practitioners or company visits.
  3. One group assignment (40% of the final grade) designed for the purpose of verifying the student ability to:
    • Identify and analyze the main issues related to cultural policy in Milano.
    • Apply the appropriate tools and methodologies learnt in class.
    • Propose and structure an innovative cultural project aimed at tackling the issue considered.
    • Organize and present effectively the relevant outcomes. The deliverable consists both of a pitch presentation and a final report.
  4. Final written exam (40% of the final grade) aims to assess the student’s learning level of the issues and models discussed in class.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Written exam, (100% of the finale grade) based on open questions related to the reference materials, which aims to assess the student’s learning level of the main concepts, methods and tools detailed in the teaching material as well as the ability to analyze some implications related to them through the presentation of examples and references.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • Case studies and reading materials uploaded on the e-learning platform.
  • Selected papers available on course reserve.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • M. HOWLETT, M. RAMESH, A. PERI, Studying Public Policy. Policy Cycles and Policy Subsystems, Oxford University Press, 2009, Third Edition.
  • G. BRADFORD, M. GARY, G. WALLACH, The Politics of Culture: Policy Perspectives for Individuals, Institutions, and Communities, The New Press, 2001 University Press. Third Edition (2009).
Last change 20/06/2018 22:41