Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Arts Advocacy and Cultural Policy (Online)

AA 6040-A70

Course: AA 6040-A70
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: TA
CRN: 10007

Course Description

Students will develop an understanding of arts advocacy and cultural policy at multiple levels, developing strategies to engage with civic, business, state, and federal agencies on behalf of the arts. Students will become empowered advocates for the arts through readings, case studies, discussions, professional practice, and critical analysis of both national and international cultural policy. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Arts Administration students only

Required Texts

Understanding Cultural Policy: Government and the Arts and Culture in the United States by Carole Rosenstein 

The Democracy Owners' Manual : A Practical Guide to Changing the World, Shultz, Jim, 2002. 

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • Understand the history and current state of Cultural Policy in the United States.
  • Develop creative strategies to engage with civic, business, state, and federal agencies on behalf of the arts.
  • Become empowered advocates for the arts through readings, case studies, discussions, professional practice, and critical analysis of domestic and international policy.
  • Apply theory directly into practice through the creation, execution, and evaluation of a local or state advocacy initiative.

Course Requirements


Class work is broken down into four areas: Contribution, Assignments, and the International Presentation, and Advocacy Plan. All assignments and readings are expected to be completed by the due date/time listed on Canvas. 


Contribution: 20%


Weekly discussions:
Students are expected to start each week prepared and to actively contribute. Each week, class will be conducted in Canvas Discussions which will focus primarily on readings and assignments, but are not limited to such. Discussions on the Readings will open at 9:00 am on the first day of the week [usually Mondays] and will close at 11:59 on the fourth day of the week [usually Thursdays]. Each discussion will include a few questions from the instructor to get the ball rolling. These discussions should be an organic, collaborative, and insightful process. Remember, participation is not necessarily about having the right answers. It is simply allowing for critical thinking, trying out new ideas and positions, and helping others consider all sides of an issue. Divergent beliefs and world-views may be shared; respect for those differences is to be maintained. Students are expected to use appropriate terms and language within all discussions and work.


Assignments: 25%


Most assignments are draft elements of the final Advocacy Plan. The goal of these assignments is to give you feedback on each element to help you build a final product at the end. We will also take several “political personality quizzes,” where points are for completing the assignment, not your individual answers. This section also includes an outline submission of your International Cultural Policy Presentation



International Cultural Policy Presentation: 30%


Students are required to upload a presentation on the arts and culture policy of a country other than the USA.



The purpose of this presentation is to give an overview and analysis of other nations' art and culture policy. The assignment will include an uploaded presentation file, as well as a video submission of your presentation.


The presentation should:

  • Describe and critically analyze the history, development and current arts and cultural policies of a country outside of the United States or its Territories.
  • Highlight key arts organizations or key cultural elements, and how they fit in (or drive) the arts and culture of the nation.
  • Describe the funding model for arts and culture in the country, and how funding flows to arts and culture organizations.
  • Describe and analyze current strengths in the policy approach, as well as major issues/problems facing the country in relation to its arts and cultural policies.
  • Provide recommendations of how to deal with those current issues/challenges, and what lessons the US might learn from those strengths/challenges.
  • Students must utilize both primary and secondary sources.
  • Students will make a 25-minute presentation.
  • Presentation will be uploaded with audio, then shared with the class for the next week's discussion.
  • Students will include a works cited slide.
  • The presentation is worth 100 points.

Advocacy Plan: 25%


Students will create an Advocacy Plan based on their research and feedback from previous assignments. This final product should not just be a compilation of the sections, but a cohesive synthesis of each topic/assignment. The assignment will include a table of contents, and the order shall be determined in the Advocacy Plan Canvas description. The final assignment will be graded on how well feedback was integrated, strength of research and argument, as well as grammar, layout, and overall writing quality. The plan is worth 100 points.

Course Outline

Below are the topics covered in the course:

 Module 1: History and Overview of Policy and Political Thought
 Module 2: Cultural Bureaucracy
 Module 3: Cultural Regulation and Provision; Advocacy
 Module 4: Cultural Research and Analysis; Advocacy Research
 Module 5: International Cultural Policies; Advocacy Storytelling
 Module 6: Current Policy Issues; Lobbying
 Module 6: International Policy Presentations and Advocacy Plan

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

All assignments and readings are expected to be completed by the due date/time listed on Canvas. For assignments turned into the instructor, ten percent  [10%] may be deducted for each 24-hour period past the deadline. In the event of an emergency, students are required to obtain approval for a deadline extension before the due date of the assignment.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to start each week prepared and to actively contribute. Questions and prompts can be found in Canvas Discussions, and are primarily focused on readings and assignments, but are not limited to such. 

Class discussions should be an organic, collaborative, and insightful process. Remember, participation is not necessarily about having the right answers. It is simply allowing for critical thinking, trying out new ideas and positions, and helping others consider all sides of an issue. Divergent beliefs and world-views may be shared; respect for those differences is to be maintained. Students are expected to use appropriate terms and language within all discussions and work.

Course Fees

There are no fees associated with this course.

Arts Administration Program Policy on AI Use

AI Policy Update

AA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY:  AA Artificial Intelligence Policy: Use of AI (artificial intelligence) programs is allowed in Arts Administration courses within the parameters outlined below, SUBJECT TO INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL. This policy represents the program wide rules for use. If you have any questions, please contact the specific instructor.

  • AI may be used in written assignments submitted directly to the instructor. Remember, AI cannot do all your writing for you. It can, however, be a tool for you to use if you can harness and proficiently utilize this technology ethically and responsibly. For example, using AI to help organize your thoughts, create outlines, or to help proofread your papers is a perfectly acceptable application.
     
    • GRADING: The same minimum standards will be in place for each written assignment, no matter if you are using AI in your writing process or not. Assignments that fail to meet the minimum rubric requirements specified will be graded as such. Please note that many assignments in this program will ask for your personal analysis, opinion, experience, and may also ask you to incorporate in-class discussion elements. AI cannot do any of those things effectively. As a result, choosing to use AI may ultimately not be the most efficient use of your time, so you should always carefully consider whether or not you want to use it.

    • ACCURACY: AI is prone to writing factually incorrect statements, inventing fake quotes from real sources, and inventing entirely fake sources. It is your responsibility to double-check that any AI-assisted work you submit is free from these errors, verifying information before submitting it. Work containing factual errors or fictitious quotes/sources will be graded accordingly.
 
    • CITATIONS: If you use AI in your writing, it must be cited. As there is no penalty for using AI appropriately, so there is no benefit to lying about or trying to conceal your use of AI in this class. Concealing or lying about your use of AI is akin to plagiarism and will result in your assignment receiving a zero. 

  • AI may NOT be used in activities that require direct personal participation or presentation. AI may be used to brainstorm or proofread, provided the final participation or presentation itself is created and delivered by the student.
     
    • DISCUSSION FORUMS: These forums are conversations between you, your classmates, and the instructor. As such, we expect you to come to these discussion forums as your authentic self.
    • PRESENTATIONS: Presentations are intended to reflect the student’s own voice, presence, and engagement with the material. Students may not use AI to generate or deliver presentations on their behalf. This includes, but is not limited to, AI-generated voices or AI-produced video content. 

Canvas Mobile vs Desktop

While the Canvas app is good for small tasks (like checking grades), it is strongly advised that the majority of Canvas work be done on a laptop or desktop computer. Some aspects of the course simply don't populate in the app, so if you use it exclusively, you will certainly miss things.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.