MODULE DESCRIPTOR

TITLE Writing for the Media SI MODULE CODE 55-7894 CREDITS 15 LEVEL 7 JACS CODE P500 SUBJECT GROUP Communication DEPARTMENT Media Arts and Communication MODULE LEADER Julie Gillin

MODULE STUDY HOURS (based on 10 hours per credit)* Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities

Placement (if applicable)

Independent Guided Study

Total Number of Study Hours

36 n/a 114 150 MODULE AIM To enable students to develop the skills necessary to write clear, vigorous, interesting and balanced media reports for print and digital platforms. Students will develop the skills necessary to recognise, obtain and select relevant and newsworthy facts using appropriate skills and techniques. They will develop and extend their understanding of the ways in which the relationships between journalists, editors, proprietors, sources and audiences affect the content and structure of news. The module will also enable students to review work self-reflectively. MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES By engaging successfully with this module a student will be able to:

• Identify and use ethical working practices • Evaluate and use appropriate sources of information and data including primary sources • Identify and select appropriate formats and styles for original news stories • Reflect on and critically evaluate your own performance, skills and attributes.

INDICATIVE CONTENT Seminars/writing workshops will be designed to equip you to develop the required skills, knowledge and understanding to enable you to produce news items for the media. Exercises in the seminars will be designed to assist you to develop your practical writing skills and, in finding and researching your own news stories, improve your understanding of the professional, social and other factors which inform the working practices of journalists. You will be expected to contribute to these exercises and discussions and to reflect critically on your contributions (and those of others) within a supportive environment. You will be provided with a range of reading materials from selected newspapers, magazines and academic texts, and will be expected to work independently outside the hours of the taught sessions. LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT - STRATEGY AND METHODS Students will be supported in their learning, to achieve the above outcomes, in the following ways: Your work will be assessed on a regular basis during the semester. This will involve gathering original material, interviewing and news writing for publication in print and online.

Newsgathering and news writing assignments will test your awareness and understanding of key concepts and writing techniques. You will produce a blog which will include work in progress and reflection on your experience.

ASSESSMENT TASK INFORMATION Task No.*

Short Description of Task

SI Code EX/CW/PR

Task Weighting %

Word Count or Exam Duration**

In-module retrieval available

1 Portfolio of journalism CW 60 1,500 words N 2 Critical evaluation

essay CW 40 1,500 words N

FEEDBACK Students will receive feedback on their performance in the following ways: Formative feedback will be provided at regular intervals to ensure that, at all stages, students are clear about what and how they are doing and what they need to do in order to achieve their full potential. In many cases, this feedback will be provided informally on an on-going basis in lectures, seminars and workshops. In other cases, it will be offered more formally in individual and/or group tutorials.

Peer review activities will be encouraged through presentations and individual and team exercises.

Summative feedback will be provided in writing at the end of the module.

A detailed checklist of specific assessment criteria will be explained to students at the beginning of the module for each assessment component (and then published on the Blackboard site).

LEARNING RESOURCES FOR THIS MODULE (INCLUDING READING LISTS) The module Blackboard site will be used to supplement learning through hosting lecture and seminar materials, module guides, assessment information and other relevant materials as well as for making module-related announcements. Appropriate hardware and software to produce, edit and publish journalistic content will be available to students via the university newsrooms. Technical support is available from non-teaching staff if required. Other learning material will be available via the Learning Centre. The reading list includes: ( * indicates key text ) Banks, David, and Hanna, Mark (2014). McNae's Essential Law for Journalists (22nd edition). Oxford:

OUP

Conboy, Martin (2013) Journalism studies: the basics. London: Routledge

Davies, Nick (2009) Flat Earth News an award-winning reporter exposes falsehood, distortion

and propaganda in the global media London: Vintage.

Evans, Harold and Crawford, Gillan (2000) Essential English: for journalists, editors and writers (2nd

edition). London: Pimlico.

Franklin, Bob. (2005) Key Concepts in Journalism Studies. London, Sage.

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

Hicks, Wynford (2013) English for Journalists. 4th edition. London: Routledge

Keeble, Richard (2006) The Newspapers Handbook. 4th edition. London: Routledge

Keeble, Richard (2009) Ethics for Journalists. London: Routledge

King, Eliot and Chapman, Jane (ends) (2012) Key readings in journalism. NY; London: Routledge.

Knight, Megan and Cook, Clare (2013) Social Media for Journalists: principles and practices. London:

Sage.

*Pape, Susan and Featherstone, Sue (2005) Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction.

London: Sage

Randall, David (2011) The Universal Journalist. 4th ed. London: Pluto.

Rohumaa, Liisa and Bradshaw, Paul (2011) 2nd edition. The Online Journalism Handbook: skills to

survive and thrive in the digital age. Harlow: Longman.

Sanders, Karen (2003) Ethics and Journalism. London: Sage

Sheridan Burns, Lynette. (2002) Understanding Journalism. London: Sage

Smith, Jon (2007) Essential Reporting. The NCTJ Guide for Trainee Journalists, London: Sage.

Spark, David and Harris, Geoffrey (2011) Practical Newspaper Reporting. 4th ed. London: Sage.

Useful websites

http://www.ajeuk.org/

http://stream.aljazeera.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/journalism/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/default.stm

http://creativecommons.org

http://globalvoicesonline.org/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/series/greatinterviews

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/series/mediatalk

http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/

http://journalisted.com/

http://www.journalism.co.uk/

http://www.nctj.com/

http://www.10000words.net

The best way to learn to be an effective media practitioner is to read and listen to the work of other practitioners. Students must read widely from a variety of newspapers including broadsheet and tabloid, national and local press, and listen to and/or watch a radio and television news bulletin at least once a day. Copies of daily newspapers are available to read in the newsrooms.

REVISIONS Date Reason July 2014 Confirmed in MA PR/Journalism/International Journalism/Sport Journalism reapproval

SECTION 2 MODULE INFORMATION FOR STAFF ONLY MODULE DELIVERY AND ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT INFORMATION MODULE STATUS - INDICATE IF ANY CHANGES BEING MADE NEW MODULE EXISTING MODULE - NO CHANGE Y Title Change Level Change Credit Change Assessment Pattern Change Change to Delivery Pattern Date the changes (or new module) will be implemented 09/2014

MODULE DELIVERY PATTERN - Give details of the start and end dates for each module. If the course has more than one intake, for example, September and January, please give details of the module start and end dates for each intake.

Module Begins Module Ends Course Intake 1 30/09/2014 20/12/2014 Course Intake 2 DD/MM/YYYY DD/MM/YYYY Course Intake 3 DD/MM/YYYY DD/MM/YYYY

Is timetabled contact time required for this module? Y

Are any staff teaching on this module non-SHU employees? N If yes, please give details of the employer institution(s) below What proportion of the module is taught by these non-SHU staff, expressed as a percentage?

MODULE ASSESSMENT INFORMATION Indicate how the module will be marked *Overall PERCENTAGE Mark of 40% Y *Overall PASS / FAIL Grade N

*Choose one only – module cannot include both percentage mark and pass/fail graded tasks SUB-TASKS Will any sub-tasks (activities) be used as part of the assessment strategy for this module?

N

If sub-tasks / activities are to be used this must be approved within the Faculty prior to approval. Sub-task / activity marks will be recorded locally and extenuating circumstances, extensions, referrals and deferrals will not apply to sub-tasks / activities. FINAL TASK According to the Assessment Information shown in the Module Descriptor, which task will be the LAST TASK to be taken or handed-in? (Give task number as shown in the Assessment Information Grid in Section 1 of the Descriptor)

Task No. 2

NON-STANDARD ASSESSMENT PATTERNS MARK 'X' IN BOX IF MODULE ASSESSMENT PATTERN IS NON STANDARD, e.g. MODEL B, ALL TASKS MUST BE PASSED AT 40%. NB: Non-standard assessment patterns are subject to faculty agreement and approval by Registry Services - see guidance notes.