European Capital of Culture on the Curriculum

Short description

Through the course, the students will learn

to demonstrate knowledge of significant cultural and political theories
to demonstrate basic historical knowledge of cultural politics and the institutionalisation of culture
to describe and analyse the character and issues of contemporary cultural life, including the positioning of art in the cultural field as a whole (locally, nationally and internationally).

Teacher's motivation

The background for this activity is to identify how students can engage with and evaluate the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) 2017.

Description of the activity

The case work is integrated into a compulsory and defined process, which in general assists in qualifying and preparing/concluding the students' work on the cases. The students will be given an assignment to conduct a research- and interview-based study of an individually chosen project under "Rethink" - Aarhus European Capital of Culture 2017, with special focus on its administration and reflection of the international and European dimension contained in the project’s formulation and its former/current status.

In addition, I provide the students with a range of instructions in connection with their individually chosen case work. The case study should preferably include a:

Factual presentation: the project’s character, artistic-cultural production and activity(s), purpose/objective, intentions, geography, its relation to the "Rethink" application, as it is found, as well as to the requirements in the European Capital of Culture (ECoC).
The study of the project must be related to Emilia Palonen's text (on ECoC), which they have read during the course, her presentation and analysis of ECoC in relation to the four levels of interest (local, regional, national and international) with a focus on the international level
The study should assess whether the case project fulfils the "Rethink" application’s central strategies, objectives, plans and goals regarding the European and international levels.

Work process and methods:

Find/discuss a focus or a particular issue in your case
Prepare the interview and allocate responsibility
Document the interview with a transcript and keywords
Conduct an analysis of the interview/research
Write a case report of approx. 2-3 pages per person
Place the report in the shared online conference
Everyone presents their report orally. Thirty minutes per group + 10 minutes for the feedback group. Recap and perspectivation of cases with everyone
Remember to state sources and texts, plus a short process description (meta-reflection).

Outcome of the activity

In their evaluation of the course the students pointed out that they had received an alternative knowledge of culture-political ethics and their own practice, which they would not otherwise have gained through ordinary teaching, and they had gained an insight into their own (lack of) knowledge about Rethink and ECoC. The course gave the students a specific approach to Rethink 2017 and showed them that they can contribute with something useful: They can actually help to "quality assure" the European Capital of Culture 2017.

Worth considering

In the final evaluation the students stated that the whole course had been intensive and demanding, but very instructive.

They also pointed out, however, that the Rethink 2017 case course had perhaps taken up too much of the total Culture 2 course programme as a whole. It was suggested, for instance, that we next year consider

placing case work within the European Capital of Culture 2017 at the beginning of the semester,
concentrating and limiting it to a couple of weeks as a kind of introductory project to Culture 2, but with the option of returning to it, e.g. in the final exam assignment.

I also find this would be better.

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