CARNIVALS, FESTIVALS, AND THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module uses some of the largest public events in the world - the carnival and the festival - to elucidate the role and impact of the creative industries in society. Latitude, Glastonbury, Woodstock, Burning Man, Nottinghill Carnival, St Patrick's Day parades: how do these international events differ? How are they managed and what issues do they portray? Heritage, Authenticity, Escapism? What are their similarities, successes and failures? How do the promoters and organisers in the creative industries campaign, co-opt and sustain their practice? This module will give theoretical and hands-on industry and digital experience to students working in this critical nexus.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

SKINNER Jonathan (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

The Festivalisation and Spectacularisation of Society
Popular Podcasts, Social Media and Society
Carnival practice, ideology and translation
Challenging Carnivals and Festivals
The role of government and charity sectors in the creative industries
Developments and innovation in music festivals
Staging large scale public events and the use of space
Tradition, Modernity and the ICH and SDGs of Carnivals and Festivals
Researching Carnivals and Festivals

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Essay analysis of a media campaign (1500w)

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate analytical and transferable skills developed from case studies from the carnival, festival and creative industries. This applied and research-led teaching develops insights into - and links with - the industry and facilitates Employability with a career-ready skillset stressing Digital capabilities. It will achieve the Learning Outcomes stated above through the assessment strategy that comprises:

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Assessment 1: Podcast industry insights (LO 4, 3)


• Assessment 2: Essay analysis (LO 1, 2)

Module aims

• To critically examine the place of carnival, festival and the creative cultural industries in society
• To appreciate the competing tensions with managing large-scale carnivals and festivals
• To develop practical experience in analysing and marketing large-scale carnivals and festivals
• To develop Digital competency in analysing and creating IEM-related podcasts

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Increase your critical understanding of the complex relationship between carnivals, festivals and society. Enhance understanding of community events developed for some students in the level 5 Fieldtrip option. Increase your ability to analyse and examine public events in terms of use of space, marketing, and sustainable development goals. Develop digital skills relevant to careers in the creative industries and in accordance with the global pillars (Global and cultural capabilities, Digital capabilities, Employability).

The learning and teaching methods include:

Lecture presentation, workshop groupwork, online materials, podcast examination and analysis

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN3210

Other information

Digital Capabilities: This module focuses on developing students’ capabilities in creative industry podcasts – their production and analysis. They will co-create their own podcasts and will develop industry insights into their analysis.

Employability: The assessments in this module are THE industry focused: they will engage with government and charity sectors and their networks through case studies. This will increase students' employability when they go on to work in the industry.  

Global and Cultural Capabilities: Students will develop creative industry experience and networks. The additional focus on public events will ensure global reach and local application of this pillar skillset.

Sustainability: Students will learn engage with UN SDGs and their relationship with public event production and the creative industries agenda.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students will develop this pillar through the production of podcasts, teamwork soft skills, and problem-solving resourcefulness from case studies.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.