The report is designed primarily to develop your research skills. It ought to be a piece of social scientific research into a particular area of the creative and cultural industries. It should not be entirely technical nor should it be primarily conceptual. The report should aim to provide a full overview of the individual topic by contextualising the development, summarising its main features and any relevant current debates and noting potential consequences in the area of cultural industries. Do not simply describe what you see, imagine instead that you are being asked by potential investors or policymakers to assess the distinctive characteristics of your chosen phenomenon. What is notable, special, interesting or important about the subject?
Most of your research will, necessarily, not come from books. You will have to use journals, newspapers, magazines and on-line sources to access up-to-date information. You will be assessed on both the quantity and the quality of the sources used and your ability to provide a clear, structured overview of the chosen topic. You will need to demonstrate that you are able to make decisions about what issues or features of the topics being studies are, in your opinion, more important than others. Please present the report in the appropriate format – consult your Student Handbook for details.
Full referencing is required. If you are using sources from the Internet, please give the full URL address, date accessed and original date of material. When referencing from newspapers or magazines, please give author (if known), title of article, date and page number. Please consult Weblearn for referencing guidelines. The report is due in week 14. It should be 2000 words in length, single-sided, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt font. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA: These are not acceptable academic sources and using them will lower your grade considerably.