Postgraduate - UnitAPG4773 - Research and reporting

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Journalism
Offered	Not offered in 2015
Coordinator(s)	Associate Professor Philip Chubb

Synopsis

This unit introduces basic principles and practices in professional journalism. It focuses on news and current affairs research and reporting for print/online publication, and the role and ethics of journalism in liberal democracies. Students develop a series of stories working independently and in groups, and use online forums for mutual story development and feedback. Students develop an understanding of, and ability to contribute to, contemporary debates in journalism. Students work to deadlines researching and reporting news stories for print/online publications.

Outcomes

On completion of this course students should be able to

demonstrate an ability to identify and research a news story and conduct interviews
demonstrate an ability to write in a clear, concise, factual way using news and feature conventions
take appropriate photographs and caption them to complement a story
identify key ethical and legal obligations associated with reporting
work independently and in groups to produce news reports
demonstrate an ability to set and meet deadlines
demonstrate an awareness of local, national and international people and events relevant to current issues and media issues
demonstrate an ability to write under pressure
demonstrate a critical awareness of some social implications of journalistic practice

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 100%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Philip Chubb