Program Overview

ETH205 Ethics and Law for Creative Industries

This subject aims to acquaint students with ethical and legal issues in relation to practice in creative industries. Students will be introduced to key ethical and legal concepts and institutions through case studies relevant to creative and professional practice, and will then apply this knowledge to a range of relevant scenarios as well as to their own practice.

Subject Outlines

Subject Outlines and assessment tasks are updated each session.

Availability

The subject is available in:

• Session 2 (60)
• On Campus: Wagga Wagga Campus
• Online: Wagga Wagga Campus

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Incompatible Subjects

• COM326

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

• be able to demonstrate an understanding of the foundations of ethical thinking and ethical decision-making
• be able to actively contribute to the identification and evaluation of ethical issues in creative and professional practice, and to the resolution of ethical dilemmas which may arise in their practice
• be able to confidently participate in ethics clearance procedures, in particular the processes relating to CSU Human Research Ethics
• be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the laws and legal issues relevant to professional practice in film and television, theatre production, acting, advertising, multimedia and graphic design
• be able to recognise legal issues and problems in practice
• be able to demonstrate individual and group problem solving skills by application of relevant legal knowledge

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to key ethical concepts (including theories, principles, and values) and their application in relevant practical and professional contexts
• Introduction to key ethical institutions (codes of ethics, research ethics processes, and protocols, including Australia Council Protocols for producing Indigenous Australian arts) and their application in relevant practical and professional contexts
• Ethics in creative industries (application of key ethical concepts and institutions to case studies in human, animal and environmental ethical contexts)
• Ethics of communication and entertainment (the ethics of the dissemination, communication and artistic expression of information in all its modes - digital, visual, oral, written, etc. - in the creative industries specifically and the media and new media generally)
• Basic elements of the law of contract, how it relates to specific areas such as employment and sub-contracting practice, and how it is used in contracts dealing specifically with aspects of visual and performing rights, such as certain agreements, indemnities, releases, etc.
• A basic understanding of the law of agency, the role, duties and liabilities of the agent, the principal and the third party, particularly in relation to visual and performing arts related issues
• Basic aspects of liability and negligence which relate specifically to productions etc., how to use indemnities and the effect thereof etc.
• The ownership, use and transfer of intellectual property rights, including the Copyright Act, Designs Act, Trademarks Act etc., aspects of performers protection etc.
• The law of Defamation and the ethics of reputation, relevant cases and defences such as parody and truth