Digital Culture and Creative Industries

The mission of the four-year doctoral degree study programme Digital Culture and Creative Industries (hereafter DCCI) is to prepare researchers for educational and cultural institutions that are focused on research into the implications of the proliferation of digital and networking technologies and their potential for creative application, and also their application in the creative industries. The aim of the study programme is to train and educate top experts in the fields of new media arts, digital culture and culture management with a focus on the creative industries.

The doctoral degree study programme DCCI is unique in the context of other art and science doctoral degree study programmes in the Czech Republic. This is the only programme that links together theory of art, social sciences, a technical knowledge of digital and networking technologies and research based on experimental testing of systems (artistic, cultural, technical). It has been established in response to labour market demand and the underdeveloped professional discourse in this area in the Czech (and Slovak) academic sphere.

The concept of the study programme is based on the interconnection of theoretical research and creative practice (artistic, design, curatorial, production) conceived as a specific type of basic (primary) research, that is necessary for a deep understanding of the studied phenomena and their critical reflection in them. Emphasis is placed on cooperation with the sphere in which the practices are applied (topics of dissertations taking into account the current needs of subjects from the sphere of application) and on the international dimension of study (study visits and internships abroad, presentations of academic and research outputs at international forums, special lectures by foreign experts, etc.).

The DCCI programme is intended for graduates from the follow-up master’s degree programmes Theory of Interactive Media and Culture Management at the Department of Musicology of the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University. It is open to graduates from related master’s degree programmes (media studies, new media studies, managements of culture and cultural institutions), which do not have a relevant accredited doctoral degree programme.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• Use and develop an in-depth knowledge of world, European and Czech history of new media arts and digital culture.
• Apply knowledge of theories and methods of critical analysis in the interpretation and evaluation of new media arts, digital culture products and the products of creative industries.
• Put the research project into a broader framework of the philosophy of media, technology and contemporary aesthetics.
• Assess the quality and determine the typology of an art work using digital technology.
• Use knowledge of theories and methods of critical analysis in the field of management and marketing in art and culture.
• Be well-versed in the issues of creative industries, both theoretically and in terms of legislation and grant policy.
• Process collected data, interpret the achieved results, and present and defend the findings in the appropriate forums.
• Carry out independent research work.
• Pass on the acquired experience and knowledge through pedagogical activity, lectures and publications.
• Design, plan, lead, implement and defend a research or creative project in digital culture, new media arts and creative industries.

Graduate employment means the professions and positions for which the graduate is to be educated and/or the types of employers for whom the graduate will be able to work. The employment of graduates can be viewed from the perspective of their end-of-studies abilities, language competences, career opportunities or a particular advantage in the context of other universities.

Graduates of the DCCI doctoral degree study programme can apply the acquired qualifications in research institutes and workplaces as university teachers, in particular, and in other positions. They are authorized to carry out independent academic and research activities in the field of basic and applied research. In a broader sense, they are able to perform any activity related to academic work, i.e. dealing with conceptual issues, scientific and organizational activities and teaching.

Graduates will find employment in:

- academic and other institutions concerned with science, research, development and innovation;

- galleries, as exhibition curators and authors of exhibition concepts;

- museums and archives of new media arts, as experts in the new media arts and the possibilities of archiving and mediating it;

- dramaturgy, as dramaturges and directors of new media arts festivals;

- creative industries, especially in the field of game design and marketing;

- national institutions dealing with the policy of developing creative industries and innovations supported by the use of digital technologies.

The Digital Culture and Creative Industries study program is designed to interact with the academic and application sectors using a variety of tools:

- Research topics of PhD students and the development of the DKKP study programme are subject to continuous consultation with practitioners who are integrated into the running of the programme as consultants and in the positions of the members of the Subject Council.

- Practical training/Work placement is included in the doctoral degree study programme as a compulsory subject. It is conceived as a semester course of 320 hours. It will take place under supervision in cultural institutions, media archives, within the dramaturgical and organizational teams of festivals, or in companies in creative industries, depending on the focus of the research project.

- PhD students participate in research projects, writing of academic papers, editorial work and teaching in preparation for an academic career.

The recommended topics of the doctoral thesis correspond to the professional orientation of the trainers involved in the implementation of the programme. They will be concerned with:

- New Media Arts;

- Digital Culture;

- Curatorship of New Media;

- Game Studies;

- Management and Marketing in Arts and Culture.

When designing research projects, the emphasis is on:

- The research methodology, including the invention of new research methods and strategies that may be categorized as digital humanities: evil media (Fuller and Goffey), software studies (Fuller et al.), speculative software, and the use of artistic strategies as a specific method of investigating technical objects (Harwood, Zylinska et al.).

- Interdisciplinary and borderline research: The research topics of doctoral students are situated at the intersection of disciplines. Therefore, students will always have one main supervisor and also an expert consultant from the field, who is involved in their research project. It may be an academic, but it could also be an artist or a game developer.

- The interconnection of theoretical research and artistic creation: The concept of artistic creation as a critical analysis of the phenomenon enables, in justified cases, a research project to be based on a combination of theoretical work with a practical project.

- Linking research with innovative interventions into the sphere of applications: Dissertations may take the form of methodological writings which bring an innovative redesign of processes and activities in cultural institutions, creative industries, and formal and informal associations that affect the research areas of DCCI, i.e. digital culture, new media art and creative industries.

Formal characteristics of doctoral theses: See Study and Examination Regulations of MU, Article 31 Doctoral theses.

- The basic structure of the dissertation: 1) Description of theoretical background; 2) Formulation of the research problem; 3) A list of the research objectives arising from it; 4) Design of adequate research methods; 5) A logically and transparently structured research project with chapters and subchapters; 6) List of illustrations; 7) List of literature and sources.

- The submitted text must be linguistically correct. Instances of widespread and serious misspellings may constitute a reason for not accepting it.

- Recommended font size: Times New Roman 12 pt or Arial 11 pt for the main text and 10 pt for references.

- The dissertation is required to be a minimum of 200,000 characters long. This covers the main text of the work, including the foreword, introduction and conclusion, notes, content and resume; the supervisor decides on the inclusion of appendices. The list does not include the list of literature, title page and affidavit.

- A summary in Czech and two foreign languages is compulsory.

- Doctoral thesis are to be submitted in three copies, book bound.