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Hands-on Journalism

  • Module code: JO7001
  • Year: 2018/9
  • Level: 7
  • Credits: 30
  • Pre-requisites: None
  • Co-requisites: None

Summary

This module - which includes a two-week work placement outside the university - aims to give students the practical skills needed to work as a journalist. You'll get a chance to practise your core skills of researching, writing, interviewing and editing, running a live news website, the Kingston Courier (INSERT LINK) as a team. You'll learn how to design newspaper pages, and will also learn a wide range of multimedia skills, including video, audio and live broadcast using online and social media platforms. During the course of the module, you will build a wide-ranging portfolio to showcase all of the skills learned on the MA.

As well as counting towards your MA, this module leads to the NCTJ's Essential Journalism exam.

Aims

  • To develop the core journalistic skills of researching, interviewing, writing, production and editing across a range of media platforms.
  • To equip students to function successfully in a range of settings across the journalism industry
  • To build on students' existing team-working and communication abilities to work together as a group to a specified end.
  • To develop capacity for professional reflection on past performance and the ability to apply this to future actions
 

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

  • Produce journalism across a range of platforms to industry standard and work confidently in a journalistic setting
  • Recognise the constraints involved in producing journalism and engage critically with the pressures and opportunities confronting journalists in a changing industry.
  • Work professionally with colleagues to create journalism on the web and in print.
  • Reflect critically on their own performance and experience of practical journalism, and on future career possibilities.

Curriculum content

  • Concept design, launching and marketing a new product
  • News gathering
  • News values
  • Interviewing
  • Effective research
  • Feature writing
  • News writing
  • Using social media for research
  • Using social media for profile raising
  • Website design
  • Newspaper and magazine design
  • Editing and sub-editing
  • Using pictures
  • Video story-telling for online publications
  • Applying ethics, media law and regulation in real world scenarios

Teaching and learning strategy

The module will be delivered through a series of practical workshops, supported by short sections of whole class teaching to ensure key areas of professional practice are embedded in students' understanding.  The emphasis will be on the acquisition and honing of practical journalism skills supported by module tutors but these skills will be developed within the context of changing journalism practices in a digital age.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Definitive UNISTATS Category Indicative Description Hours
Scheduled learning and teaching Student- run operation 2 hour workshop; 1 hour news conference year long. Newswriting 3 hour workshop semester 1 Production 2 hour workshop semester 2 66 33 22 Total: 121
Guided independent study Researching, writing and producing journalism and working in the newsroom on student-run online and print media 179
Total (number of credits x 10) 300

Assessment strategy

The assessment strategy on this module is intended to test students' ability to research and write, to put together portfolios of industry-standard work to show employers, to work to deadline and to reflect fruitfully on their own performance through verbal and written appraisals. To this end, summative assessments include portfolios of multimedia production and news writing. Students will also have significant opportunities for formative feedback, both in workshops and when they are working together on their own media products. In addition to Kingston University assessments, students may also cover the syllabus requirements for the course's accrediting bodies.

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Learning Outcome Assessment Strategy
1. Produce journalism across a range of platforms to industry standard and work confidently in a journalistic setting Portfolios of journalism, in-class tests, appraisal of contribution towards the production of the newspaper, magazine or website, in both summative and formative assessment
2. Recognise the constraints involved in producing journalism and engage critically with the pressures and opportunities confronting journalists in a changing industry. Portfolios of journalism, in-class tests, appraisal of contribution towards the production of the newspaper, magazine or website, in both summative and formative assessment
3.Work professionally with colleagues to create journalism on the web and in print. Portfolios of journalism, in-class tests, appraisal of contribution towards the production of the newspaper, magazine or website, in both summative and formative assessment
4.Reflect critically on their own performance and experience of practical journalism, and on future career possibilities. Portfolios of journalism, in-class tests, appraisal of contribution towards the production of the newspaper, magazine or website, in both summative and formative assessment

Elements of Assessment

Description of Assessment Definitive UNISTATS Categories Percentage
CWK 2000 word Portfolio 30
CWK 4000 word Portfolio 70
Total (to equal 100%) 100%

Achieving a pass

It IS NOT a requirement that any major assessment category is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module

Bibliography core texts

Bradshaw, Paul and Rohumaa, Lisa (2011) The Online Journalism Handbook Harlow: Longman

Bull, Andy (2010) Multimedia Journalism: a Practical Guide, London: Routledge

Morrish, J & Bradshaw, P (2011) Magazine Editing: In Print and Online 3rd edition London: Routledge

 

Bibliography recommended reading

Evans, Harry (2000) Essential English for Journalists, Writers and Editors London: Pimlico

Hanna M, Dodd M, (2012) McNae's Essential Law for Journalists (21st edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press

Harcup, Tony (2009) Journalism Principles and Practice (2nd edition) London: Sage

Hicks, Wynford and Holmes, Tim (2002) Sub-editing for Journalists London: Routledge

Randall, David (2011), The Universal Journalist (4th edition) London: Pluto Press

 

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