Though none of these are mandatory, this list of resources contains content that you might find useful and interesting ahead of beginning your degree. Having a look through a few of these will give you a better idea of what to expect from the content to come, and help give you a foundation before the term starts.
The list is split into three sections in line with the course – Culture, Media, and Creative Industries, and are mostly freely available to access online. For those that are not, a rough window for the price has been included. Previews are available for all of the listed books on Google Books, and second-hand copies of all of the titles are likely to be much cheaper
Culture
Thomas, A. (2020) Why Representation Really Matters (TEDX Bristol, 2020).
- Available free online.
- A recording of a TED Talk, that challenges viewers to conceive of a world where all races are represented in all aspects of life.
Hall, S. & Open University (1997) Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices. London, Sage.
- Available free online.
- An outline of how visual images, language and discourse work as `systems of representation’.
Storey, J. (2018) Cultural theory and popular culture: an introduction. Eighth edition. London, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £30 new
- A theoretical, analytical, and historical introduction to the study of popular culture, and coverage of fundamental issues in cultural studies
Astrid Erll (2008) Cultural Memory Studies : An International and Interdisciplinary Handbook. 1–18.
- Available to download.
- An introductory exploration into the relationship between culture and memory
Media
Long, P. (2013) Media studies : texts, production, context . Second edition. Routledge.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £45 new
- A comprehensive introduction to exploring the ways in which various media forms make meaning; are produced and regulated; and how society, culture and history are defined by such forms.
Fuchs, C. (2013). Social Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £28 new
- A critical exploration inro social media, asking questions about issues of ownership, power, class and (in)justice.
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture : where old and new media collide . New York :, New York University Press.
- Available online.
- A look into the dynamic between individuals and different media channels, exploring where old and new media intersect
Banks, M.J., Conor, B. & Mayer, V. (2016) Production studies, the sequel!: cultural studies of global media industries. New York, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £30 new
- A collection of case studies that uses the lens of cultural studies to explore the experiences of media workers across the world and examine international production cultures for a range of media
Creative Industries
Caves, R.E. (2000) Creative industries: contracts between art and commerce. Cambridge, Mass, Harvard University Press.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £25 new
- A look into e visual and performing arts, movies, theatre, sound recordings, and book publishing to examine the organisation of creative industries
Wreyford, N, O’Brien, D, and Dent, T (2021). Creative Majority: An APPG for Creative Diversity report on ‘What Works’ to support, encourage and improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the creative sector. A report for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Creative Diversity.
- Accessed here.
- The culmination of a collaborative research project that aims to support, encourage and improve equity, diversity and inclusion in the creative sector.
Holden, J., 2015. The ecology of culture.
- Available here.
- An investigation of the complex interdependencies that shape the demand for and production of arts and cultural offering
De Beukelaer, C. & Spence, K.-M. (2019) Global cultural economy. London, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £23 new
- An interrogation of the role that culture and creative industries play in society.
Mason, R., Coffield, E. & Robinson, A. (2018) Museum and gallery studies: the basics. London, [England], Routledge.
- Preview available via Google Books, costs around £20 new
- An entry-level guide to the key ideas, approaches and contentious issues in the field of museum and gallery studies