Cultural Festivals and Special Events

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170

Admission to the Graduate Diploma (Arts & Cultural Management specialisation), Master of Art Curatorship, Master of Arts and Cultural Management, or Master of Arts and Cultural Management (Moving Image).

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Cultural festivals, carnivals and special events are a prominent feature of arts and cultural activities at the local, national and international level. Through a series of international and local case studies this subject examines the cultural, economic and artistic origins of and rationales for these events in the context of a range of theoretical framings. These include the presence of invented traditions, the carnivalesque and ritual in contemporary festival practices. The role of programming, artistic direction and audiences will be explored in order to appreciate the diverse range of interests that served by such events and the social and political contexts within which they take place.

• to examine the historical and cultural aspects of festivals;
• to convey an appreciation of a range of local and international arts and cultural festivals;
• to foster an understanding of the nature of festival artistic programming; and
• to explore the economic, political and social contexts of festivals and special events.

2000 word assignment 40% (due during semester) and a 3000 word assignment 60% (due in the examination period).

Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of classes in order to pass this subject.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

At the completion of this subject students should:

• be able to demonstrate research and analytical skills;
• be able to demonstrate clear spoken and written communication;
• be able to demonstrate attention to detail; and
• be able to demonstrate understanding of ethical and cultural contexts.