Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Feature writing is a mainstay of journalism which practitioners cultivate during a career. Feature writing is a form that is particularly useful for freelance journalists; it originates in print and contains principles that apply to all media. Writing features in various forms, e.g. human interest, business, personal columns, is a further step in the development of individual journalistic capabilities. This unit builds foundational skills in generating, researching and writing feature stories. You will be coached to find publication opportunities in off-campus media.

Aims

This unit aims to advance your generic journalistic skills in the context of feature writing, such as generating story ideas and new angles, researching and interviewing, writing interesting copy - in the context of writing features. It also aims to provide you with experience in the preparation of feature stories of professional quality and give access to the benefits of reflection and a constructive critique of your research and writing. Ultimately it will prepare you for producing credible non-fiction articles in a dynamic and appealing style, engaging skills that will be useful for a wide range of professional work outside journalism. It will also provide awareness of the market for feature material for writers including freelance journalists.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. Differentiate between news features and specialist features, and adapt your writing style accordingly.
2. Deploy creative non-fiction writing techniques, incorporating elements such as anecdotes, quotation and description as appropriate.
3. Apply advanced journalistic skills through effective interviewing and observation to elicit relevant facts, background, and anecdotal or descriptive material.
4. Meet deadlines, apply style guidelines and operate within an ethical framework.
5. Employ research techniques for journalistic inquiry that include interviewing primary sources, the appropriate searching of other media sources, and use of the internet.
6. Locate outlets, mainly but not exclusively, newspapers and magazines, targeting stories to maximise publication opportunities.
7. Reflect and constructively critique your own research and writing.

Content

This unit addresses content such as the 'environments' of feature writing: what is feature writing? Working as a freelancer. Skills and techniques: anecdotes, quotations and description; interviewing and reporting in feature formats; writing features to deadlines; leads, bodies and endings; longer stories. Categories: including human interest stories, music and arts reviewing, columns with a by-line, writing for a small publication.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Feature Writing involves lectures that introduce you to the major styles of feature writing, the techniques involved in researching and crafting feature stories, and key issues affecting feature writers' workplace environments. Tutorials build on material covered in lectures, allowing you an opportunity to build a portfolio of feature stories and enabling tutors to provide feedback. Feature Writing will involve writing exercises in tutorials and for homework, usually with an emphasis on completing assignments to deadlines.

Assessment

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
An assignment submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be marked. If you are unable to complete your assignment on time, you should submit on time whatever work you have done.

Faculty Assessment Information
To access complete Creative Industries Faculty Assessment Information please refer to the Blackboard site for this unit.FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Through the semester you will have the opportunity to receive oral and/or written feedback on drafts of feature articles. Weight 0%

Assessment name: In-class assessment
Description: Practical exercises. You will be required to complete tutorial exercises, and deadline-driven features during class time.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 7
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout Semester

Assessment name: Portfolio
Description: Portfolio of Feature Writing. You will be required to write a combination of short and longer publishable feature articles for newspapers and magazines on topics that are negotiated with your tutor. Rewriting is part of this assessment. Please see Blackboard for further information.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 7
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Required Text

Ricketson, M. (2004) Writing Feature Stories: How to Research and Write Newspaper and Magazine Articles, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 25-Mar-2013