Introduction to Creative Industries
CUE 1001 (3 credits, June 7 to July 30, 2021)
Fulfills UMD's Global Perspective Liberal Education requirement
This course is an introduction to the history and contemporary scope of the culture industry, and the closely associated creative economy. Topics discussed include tourism, sports, arts and entertainment, mass media, and the food and beverage industry.
Course Features
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Fully online at your pace
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Personalize the course
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A student-friendly video game-like course interface
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Examples of creative enterprises you will become familiar with SF Soundbox, Odegard Carpets, Mystery Makers, Humans of New York, Meow Wolf
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Register for the course
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UMD students Search for CUE 1001 in MyU>Student Center |
Non-degree seeking student Click here and search for CUE 1001 |
More about the course
Course Overview
This course is an introduction to the history, development, and contemporary scope of the culture industry and creative economy. It examines how culture and creativity have become important elements of our global economy and the rising importance of cultural products and services we consume every day. In the past, the United States and the global economy heavily relied on industrial production, yet today a distinctive shift to a creative economy based on cultural products has occurred. Arts and crafts, tourism, entertainment, sports, digital mass media, food, and beverage products – all generate an increasing percentage of our overall economic output, providing a multitude of entrepreneurial opportunities. Students in this course will be introduced to the academic discipline of cultural and creative entrepreneurship. This discipline studies how individuals and groups can become change agents that organize cultural, financial, social, and human capital to generate income and promote economic growth from cultural and creative activities. Its scholarship provides innovative solutions that result in economically sustainable cultural enterprises enhancing livelihoods and creating cultural value on a global scale. Through case studies on certain cultural products, students will be exposed to and gain an appreciation of the diversity of material cultures in the United States and around the globe, and will critically examine the impact of commercialization of ethnic, native and global products on the populations that create them.
Project work constitutes 40% of the grade and is the basis to achieve the learning objectives of this course. The project provides a platform to learn both hard and soft skills to be cultural and creative entrepreneurs.