| Unit name | The Business of the Humanities |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HUMS20003 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Tim Cole |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Humanities |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit examines the business of the Humanities. It looks at the economic role of the Humanities, and the emergence of the knowledge economy. Working with local and national external partners, the unit looks at the relationship between entrepreneurship and the Humanities. It enables students to develop skills in pitching and planning business ideas related to industries such as heritage and publishing. The unit provides both a critical introduction to the knowledge economy, and a tool kit for entrepreneurship.
On successful completion of the unit students will be able:
1) To think critically about the the economic role of the Humanities with a degree of sophistication appropriate to Level I
2) To analyse the emergence and operation of the knowledge economy at a level appropriate to Level I
3) To relate Humanities learning to business opportunities
4) To construct a basic business model
5) To communicate business ideas through a pitch and a plan
Weekly 2 hour interactive sessions
A 3 minute business pitch (25%); a 1000 word reflective essay (25%); a 4 page business plan (50%). The first tests ILOs 4-5; the second ILOs 1-3; the third ILOs 4-5.
J. De Groot, Consuming History: Historians and Heritage in Contemporary Popular Culture (Abingdon, 2006)
D. Edgerton, The Shock of the Old: Technology and global history since 1900 (London, 2006)
J. Mockyr, The Gifts of Athena: Historical Origins of the Knowledge Economy (Oxford, 2002)
J. F. English, The economy of prestige: prizes, awards and the circulation of cultural value (London, 2005)
