Syllabus - Orthelious/pdcp_2020 GitHub Wiki

Course Syllabus

Professional Development for Creative Practices | Winter 2020

Course Information

Carnegie Mellon Course Number: 60-350
Meeting Time: Thursday, 6:30pm » 9:20pm
Location: College of Fine Arts, Room 307
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Instructor

Tom Hughes
Associate Director, Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
Adjunct Professor of Arts Management, CMU School of Art College of Fine Arts, Room 111
[email protected]
He/Him/His

Contact Information

Office location: College of Fine Arts, Room 111
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Fridays 9am-11am or by appointment
Pronouns: He/Him/His

Course Website

https://github.com/Orthelious/pdcp_2020/wiki

1. Course Information

A. Course Description
B. Prerequisite Knowledge
C. Course Website and Resources
D. Course Units
E. Schedule
F. Communication Methods

A. Course Description

This course is intended to expose students studying in creative fields to the basic principles, skills and functions of business used every day in creative practices and industries.

Running a successful creative practice - whether an individual studio practice, a temporary collaboration or commission, an incorporated business, or a non-profit - all require a foundational knowledge of basic organizational, legal and financial structures and practices.

Throughout this course, students can expect:

...to develop a starting knowledge of basic business concepts;
...to learn a foundational understanding of ethics and best practices in business;
...to develop problem-solving skill sets and methodologies for managing creative projects and programs;
...to practice applying these learnings to their own creative practices.

B. Prerequisite Knowledge

This course assumes no prior knowledge in business, business coursework or administrative experience.

C. Course Website and Resources

The entirety of course content will appear on this site. It will continue to be accessible after the course has ended.
There is no required textbook for this course.
Any resources mentioned in class or cited in lecture pages will be accessible for free online.

Why is the course organized in this manner? In the corner of my house there is a bookshelf holding all of my (expensive) graduate school textbooks collecting dust. Most of the things I need to cross-reference I can find online or at a library.

Yes, we could have a required textbook for this class, but I want you to develop an active practice of finding the resources, tools, research, answers and new questions as you go. Textbooks do offer important contextualization, but as you'll find out in this course, I consider the process of seeking out that context in real life situations to be of greater importance.

D. Course Units

This course has eight units. Each unit is a basic primer on a set of business concepts that are essential to running a creative practice.

Business Formation

Topics Covered: Business structures and formation

The starting point for every business: who are you and how will you work with others? We'll start this course with a primer on basic business structures, from sole proprietorships to corporations—examining the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Labor

Topics covered: agency and representation; employment standards; labor law

The main focus of the unit will be on agency and employment—how do we define our relationships with the people we work with? Who can represent us and what are the implications for that relationship? How do we hire someone?
Intellectual Property

Topics covered: Copyright, patent and trademark law; roylaties and licensing; derivative properties and fair use

As creative practitioners, we all actively engage in the act of creating, sharing, borrowing and—in some cases—stealing intellectual property. The goal of this unit is to help you understand what intellectual property is, how it differs from physical property, how you can protect it, and how to ethically use and share it.
Legal Agreements

Topics covered: Legal agreements; contract enforcement; negotiation

Get it in writing! This unit is all about how we make agreements concrete and legally enforceable. We'll start with the standards of legal agreements and then delve into contracts, best practices, negotiation, enforcement and litigation.
Finances: Income

Topics covered: Fundrasising; earned income; proposals How do we make that money? In this unit, we'll look at the primary methods for creating income for your business. The unit will start with primers on fundraising and earning an income, and capping off with best practices for budget development and proposal writing.
Finances: Accounting

Topics covered: Financial concepts; financial planning; budgeting; taxes Now that you have that money, what do you do with it? Successful businesses don't just do well at bringing in funds, they also do well at managing it. In this unit we'll cover the basic concepts of accounting, financial management, and taxes. Understanding the importance of these concepts will lead you on the path to financial stability.
Communications Topics covered: Marketing; Networking; Presentation skills Going viral ain't common and it ain't easy. So how do we get our names out there? During this unit, we'll discuss the basics of building a marketing plan, how to work with media, and networking and presentation skills.
Strategy

Topics covered: Business models and plans; strategy development All of the subjects covered in prior units are considered essential factors in running a business, but to run a successful business you will need a plan. In this unit, we'll discuss the concept of business models and business plans—essentially putting all of our units together into a cohesive strategy.

E. Semester Schedule

Week	Date	Units Covered	In-Class Workshop
One	January 16	Course Introduction; Business Formation	-
Two	January 23	Labor	Lightning Business Build
Three	January 30	Labor	Hire Each Other!
Four	February 6	Property	Break it down
Five	February 13	Property	Playlist Challenge
Six	February 20	Agreements	Strung Together
Seven	February 27	Agreements	Contract Review
Eight	March 5	Finances: Income	Negotiate!
Nine	March 19	Finances: Income	House of Cards
Ten	March 26	Finances: Accounting	Minimum Rate Workshop
Eleven	April 2	Finances: Accounting	At What Cost?!
Twelve	April 9	Communications	Networking Workshop
Thirteen	April 23	Strategy	Speed Presentations
Fourteen	April 30	Strategy	Business Model Generation
Fifteen	May 7 (1-4pm)	Course Final	Pitch!

F. Communication methods

Github — Course content
Email — Class updates and general announcements

Grading Policies

A. Grading Breakdown
B. Grading Scale for Course Grade
C. Scoring Rubric for Workshops
D. Make-Up Workshop Policies

This course will have 14 workshops—one for each of our class sessions (minus the first day of class). Each assessment is worth 5 points for a total of 70 points. All assessments are pass/fail.

Why? This course is focused on the practical application of business concepts to your own practices. It is not about selecting the right answer on a quiz or writing the perfect essay. We're going to practice what we preach.

I can't emphasize enough that all workshops will be at the beginning of each class. There may be a required writing component as homework, but all submission and grading happens during class. Come to class on-time.

A. Grading Breakdown

70 points — Assessments 				
30 points - Default starting points for the course
-----------
100 Points

B. Grading Scale for Course Grade

(A) — 90 to 100 points  
(B) — 80 to 89 points  
(C) — 70 to 79 points  
(D) — 60 to 69 points  
(R) — 59 points and below

C. Scoring Rubric for Workshops

All workshops are pass/fail. Incomplete and/or late assessments will receive half-credit.

* (P) Pass — The graded activity was completed according to prompt. 
	Full credit — 5 points. 

* (I) Incomplete/Late — The graded activity was either incomplete, did not follow prompt, and/or was submitted late. 
	Half credit — 2.5 points. 

* (F) Fail — Student did not participate in the graded activity or schedule a make-up assignment. 
	No credit — 0 Points.

D. Make-Up Workshop Policies

If you have an excused absence, you may schedule office hours to complete the workshop with no penalty (full 5 points)
If you have an unexcused absence, you may schedule office hours to complete the workshop for half-credit (2.5 points)
Instructor must be contacted about make-up work within 1 week of the original workshop date. If a make-up session is not requested in that time period, the student will receive an (F) for that assessment.

3. Class Policies

A. Class Etiquette
B. Attendence Policy
C. Request for Accomodations
D. Recording Policy
E. Safer Spaces Policy
D. Support Resources

A. Class Etiquette

Be on time — Class starts at 6:30pm.
Be present — Engage with course content and engage with your classmates.
Keep electronics in 'politeness mode' — i.e. closed or face down and on silent. If you must use your electronics for an emergency, please go out in the hall.
Respect for others is required — No one gets to be rude or ramble. There will be no interrupting of, or speaking over, classmates. Threatening or aggressive language will not be tolerated. Students engaging in such behavior will be verbally warned, and if the behavior continues, asked to leave the classroom.
Please interupt the instructor — This class is not a passive lecture, this class is meant to be an active conversation.
Respect for identity — For this course to have the intended impact, it is necessary that we all be ourselves (to the best of our ability). However someone chooses to be identified within our group (identity expression or non-expression, social and/or economic status, professional goals, etc) is how they will be identified by their classmates and by their instructor. We do not debate identities in this course—we empower them.

Students are strongly encouraged to hold Instructor to these same standards of etiquette.

B. Attendance Policy

Sam the Eagle

If you are tardy (6:45pm or later) three times, you will be marked down for one absence.
Three or more unexcused absences will result in the drop of one letter grade.

Please look at the semester schedule and see if you need to miss class for any excusable reason (religious observance, job interview, university-sanctioned event, etc.) and notify me as soon as possible.

We may be able to make alternative arrangements for completing assessments. If there are extenuating circumstances that require you to miss more than one class session, please come and discuss this issue with me in advance of your absence(s).

C. Requests for Accommodations

If you have a disability and have an accommodations letter from the Disability Resources office, I encourage you to discuss your accommodations and needs with me as early in the semester as possible.

I will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, I encourage you to contact them at [email protected].

D. Recording Policy

No student may record any classroom activity without express written consent from me or a request via the Office of Disability Resources ([email protected])

E. Safer Spaces Policy

I am dedicated to providing a harassment-free environment in the classroom for everyone, regardless of race, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, religion, or marital status. Harassment includes offensive comments related to any protected personal characteristic, deliberate intimidation, sustained disruption of speech, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Students asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If student continues to engage in harassing behavior, they will be ejected from the classroom. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact me and/or Mark Cato in the School of Art Office.

F. Support Resources

Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress. All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is almost always helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm, call someone immediately, day or night:

ACaPS: 412-268-2922
Re:solve Crisis Network: 888-796-8226
If the situation is life-threatening, call the police: CMU Police: 412-268-2323 / Off campus: 911