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

This unit is only available to postgraduate students. Undergraduate students wishing to study Journalistic Inquiry should enrol in KJB121.
Parts of this unit are taught concurrently with KJB121. It is essential to your development in journalistic thinking and practical ability to build on the knowledge and skills acquired in the prerequisite unit, Newswriting. As a next step in developing skills and knowledge acquired in Newswriting this unit focuses on generating story ideas and finding angles, researching, conducting interviews, exercising news values. It concentrates on gathering aspects, and introducing you to basic elements of a regular journalist's life such as news rounds and rigorous deadlines. The unit offers opportunities to explore specialisms in news rounds reporting and to reflect on the specialist and generalist reporters' role in society.

Aims

This unit aims to develop media professionals who can generate accurate, interesting and insightful stories, and who will exercise creativity in exploring issues and events from independently generated new angles - as against uncritical compliance with outside agendas, e.g. from public relations agencies, government or business. The unit also aims to advance generic newswriting skills, so as to enhance competency in other forms of writing.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. Generate story ideas and news angles through your own initiative.
2. Apply information-gathering skills including interviewing and the use of social media with journalistic intent through regular practice.
3. Produce news stories to deadlines, to a publishable standard.
4. Write in a succinct and dynamic style.
5. Apply the principles of visual journalism.
6. Understand the journalist's role in society including the need to promote work through social media.

Content

This unit addresses content such as:
- Systems and processes; writing for online; and the use of archives and the internet, including Freedom of Information and public records.
- Fields of operation and the roles of journalists in society, including police rounds; court reporting; contacts with Parliament and government; health, education and social issues; economic reporting; sport; environment and science and social media.
- Specialisms in rounds reporting.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The usual mode is lectures and tutorials (interviewing, researching, writing exercises or workshopping of stories that have been prepared in advance) or individual one-one consultations in lieu of tutorials in weeks where assessment is due. Current affairs tests in class. Supported by teaching staff you should progress towards being an independent learner. You will be encouraged to retrieve, evaluate and use information from interviews, databases, WWW, social media and other resources.

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: Portfolio of stories
Description: You will be required to write three news stories to strict deadlines from a prescribed set of rounds applying the principles of visual communication and dissemination using social media.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 6
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout Semester

Assessment name: In-class exercises
Description: You will be required to complete a series of in-class assessment including postgraduate seminar presentation, an interviewing exercise and a running story.
Relates to objectives: 1 to 6
Weight: 40%
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

There is no required text for this unit.

Recommended Text

Conley, David (1997), The Daily Miracle, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

De Wolk, Roland (2001), Introduction to Online Journalism, Allyn and Bacon, Needham Heights.

Harris, Geoffrey & Spark, David (1997), Practical Newspaper Reporting, Focal Press, Oxford, Boston.

Keeble, Richard (1998), The Newspapers Handbook, Routledge, London.

Pearson, Mark (1997), The Journalist?s Guide to Media Law, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Sydney.

Ward, Mike (2002), Online Journalism, Focal Press, Oxford.

White, Sally (1996), Reporting in Australia, Macmillan, South Melbourne.

Required readings, other course materials and essential messages are provided through the Blackboard site for this unit.

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