ARTS POLICY AND PRACTICE - 2025/6

Module Overview

The module provides an overview of the structures that support and shape the arts and creative industries in the UK and introduces current issues and debates in cultural provision. It introduces the arts funding system in the UK, government policies for the arts, and the support infrastructure for music in the UK. It also provides the opportunity for discussion of the issues that shape and influence the arts professions and impact upon arts workers and audiences.

Module provider

Music & Media

Module Leader

WILEY Christopher (Music & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

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

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None for Music/CMT/Tonmeister students

Module content

The module introduces key areas of cultural policy in the UK: topics such as funding, access, education, equal opportunities, leadership, disability issues and cultural diversity will be investigated with particular reference to government policies and documentation. You will be expected to undertake preparatory background reading for lectures, working to analyse existing arts organisations and develop a written business case (with budget) for an original project.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Group presentation (if applicable) is replaced with a 1000-word written assignment.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate and develop subject knowledge, analytical skills, transferrable skills and professional skills.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Oral presentation (addresses LOs 1–7)


• Coursework – written submission (2,000 words) (addresses LOs 1–7)

Module aims

• The module introduces you to key areas of arts policy and practice in the UK. It aims to engage students with critical thinking and debate around the main issues that influence cultural policy and affect arts practitioners and audiences.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to further students’ understanding of arts policy and practice in the UK in preparation for the Professional Training placement.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures


• Discussion


• Independent preparation and research


• Group work


• Oral presentation


• Individual tutorials

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: MUS2033

Other information

The Department of Music and Media is committed to developing graduates with attributes encompassing employability, digital skills, global and culture awareness, sustainability as it relates to music and the wider arts and, finally, resourcefulness and resilience.

This module provides opportunities to engage with these attributes in myriad ways including:

Cultural and global capabilities: developing an appreciation of different arts organisations, professions and practitioners as well as governmental cultural policy in the UK.

Digital capabilities: conducting research using digital resources (to include extensive Internet-based research) and preparation of digital documents (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, slides) to create digital artefacts.

Resourcefulness and resilience: independence of practice, developing skills and work for assessment, maximising available resources, finding creative ways to address assessments and exercising resilience in doing so, overcoming difficulties and other challenges in undertaking a wider range of pursuits.

Sustainability: depending on the topics studied during the modules and the students’ pursuit of independent study for assessment, issues of sustainability may also be addressed.

Employability: developing a general awareness of cultural policy and practice in the UK, focused on but not exclusive to Music, suited to many careers in the diverse arts industries, as well as transferable skills appropriate to all graduate destinations.

These values are embedded within the module's learning outcomes and educational aims, and throughout the programme.

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.