Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LM Creative Economies and Creative Cities
School	School of Geog Earth & Env Sci
Department	Geography
Module Code	03 30053
Module Lead	Dr Yueming Zhang
Level	Masters Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-180 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Since the publication of Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class in 2002, “creative class” and “creative city” have quickly become buzzwords in urban policy making for addressing post-industrial urban development and/or regeneration in and beyond cities of the Global North. The ideas of creative class and creative city have also been much criticized by academic researchers and resisted by local communities. This module examines the key components of the idea of creative city, explores the diffusion and adaptation of creative city policies on a global scale, and situates such idea and policies within the broader context of neoliberal urbanism. It consists of four themes: Themes 1 and 2 discuss the role of knowledge, technology, culture, and art as creative industries; Theme 3 focuses on the global diffusion of the discourse of creative class/city; and Theme 4 offers critiques of the idea of the creative city as well as alternative understandings of creativity.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Understand the key debates regarding post-industrial urban development and creative city policies Critically interpret creative entrepreneurship and the political economy of creative industries Evaluate the implications of creative city policies for economic and community development Show an awareness of diverse manifestations of creativity on a global scale
Assessment	30053-01 : Presentations : Presentation (20%) 30053-02 : Reading Analysis : Coursework (30%) 30053-03 : Essay : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessments: • 1 group presentation (20%); • 1 x 1,000 word reading analysis/response; (30%) • 1 x 4,000 word essay (50%) Reassessment: There is no reassessment at the final stage for Undergraduate Masters students. Postgraduate Masters students will be reassessed in failed components.
Other
Reading List