Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the role of journalism in society
Demonstrate a broad understanding of how newspapers developed
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of some of the issues and debates surrounding contemporary reporting and associated ethical issues.
Demonstrate an understanding of basic academic research and study skills

Content:

This module will look at the purpose of journalism, how it developed, and journalistic reporting in the present day, focussing on newspapers, and some of the issues and debates in this sector.
As part of this, students will be required to learn about the history of the press and freedom of the press from the 17th century to the development of new technology in the present day, including multi-platform delivery and the use of user-generated content, and the subsequent implications for producers and consumers of news. It will look at the role which journalism plays in wider society.
The module will go on to examine different types of journalism and ethical and other issues around the reporting and coverage of a range of specialisms, such as sport, science and/or crime reporting.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module is taught via a series of workshop/seminars designed to foster student understanding of journalism-related theory and current debates. These will be led and supported by two lecturers to enable full support and guidance for students as they work together in groups. Tasks and assessments are designed to ensure students are developing critical thinking and academic study skills, and a broad understanding of the context in which journalism operates.

Lecture
Workshops: 40
Intended Group size: Half cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Further details relating to assessment
Assessment 1 - Directed activities: these consist of weekly tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks to be completed successfully. A pass will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final module mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark.

Assessment weightings - the assignments move away from the standard tariff (2,000 words = 50%) to reflect the quality and complexity of the task, rather than simply reflecting the word count. The word count was not adjusted to reflect this for practical reasons.

Assessment:

001 Directed activities throughtout semester 1 10%
002 Literature review 1000 words end of semester 1 30%
003 Online referencing assessment during semester 1 20%
004 Essay 1000 words end of semester 2 40%
200 Directed activities throughtout semester 1 20%
201 Literature review 1000 words end of semester 1 50%
202 Online referencing assessment during semester 1 30%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Rebecca Whittington
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4YL4S1