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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: SOC2057 Module Title: JOURNALISM: WRITING FOR NEWSPAPERS
Module Provider: Sociology Short Name: SOC2057
Level: HE2 Module Co-ordinator: DUNN C Ms (Sociology)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 1
Assessment Pattern

Unit(s) of Assessment

 
Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)

 

4000 word portfolio containing 5-9 original and topical articles

 

100

 

Qualifying Condition(s) 

 

A weighted aggregate mark of 40% is required to pass the module.

 
Module Overview
This module is an introduction to practical journalism, studying the different styles of newspaper writing and giving you the chance to start trying those styles out for yourself. We will look at the context for newspaper news writing, the skills required to produce journalism, and examine the current media debates.
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
None
Module Aims

To examine the social, cultural, political and economic contexts of contemporary journalism practices

To enable students to analyse and practice different styles of journalism produced for particular markets

To evaluate current debates in journalism studies concerning the ethics of reporting, regulation, and the ideological role of the news media

To enable students to develop original pieces of journalism

 
Learning Outcomes

Having completed this module, students should be able to:

 

·         Understand a range of features relating to how different forms of print news journalism work

 

·         Recognise the importance of ethical considerations to journalistic practice

 

·         Differentiate between different approaches to journalism and their connection to different sorts of publication and market

 

·         Identify and use different approaches to finding and researching stories

 

·         Appreciate the importance of particular approaches to structure and narrative to the development of articles

 

  • Produce a range of original and topical news articles, utilising different journalistic styles
Module Content

·         How are newspapers put together? Looking at the “jigsaw”

 

·         How to structure a news story – analysis and practical

 

·         How to find a story – analysis and practical

 

·         News sources and starting to research– what is reliable information?

 

·         Introduction to interviewing

 

·         Law and ethics

 

  • Basic editing skills – how to wield the blue pencil
Methods of Teaching/Learning

·         11 x 2 hour sessions consisting of lectures, discussion and practical workshops

 

·         Ongoing development of portfolios of articles with feedback


Reading and critical discussion
Selected Texts/Journals

Clow, K.E. and Baack, Burns, Lynette S (2002), Understanding Journalism (Sage)

 

Cutts, Martin (2004) Oxford Guide to Plain English (Oxford UP)

 

Fergusson, Rosalind and Martin H. Manse (1998) The Macmillan Guide to English Grammar (Macmillan)

 

Fleming, C (2006) An Introduction to Journalism, London: Sage

 

Harcup, T (2004) Journalism: Principles and Practice (Sage)

 

Niblock, S (1996) Inside Journalism (Blueprint)

 

Pape, S and S Featherstone (2005), Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction (Sage)

 

Strunk, William (2000) The Elements of Style (Longman)

 

Welsh, T et al (eds) (2007) McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists (Oxford UP)

 
Last Updated
April 2011