This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
This module will give students an introduction to the skills and habits specialist journalists need in a digital age, as well as encouraging them to develop their own specialism in journalism. It will including studying and critically analysing the key issues and debates in a specific subject area, communicating complex ideas in a simple and engaging way to a general audience, building contacts and expertise, and a critical look at the jobs market for specialists.
Total contact hours: 24
Private study hours: 126
Total study hours: 150
BA (Hons) Journalism
BA (Hons) One Other Subject and Journalism
Main assessment methods
Assessed by coursework portfolio (100%)
To include:
News feature (2,000 words): 30%
News stories (2 x 600 words): 30%
Illustrated live two-way broadcast (4 minutes): 30%
Log-book (500 words), to include research methods, contact-building and list of employers of journalists in their chosen specialism – 10%
Reassessment methods
Like for like
Marr, A. (2004), My Trade, Macmillan
Husain, M. (2018), The Skills, 4th Estate
Bull, A. (2010), Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide, Routledge
Gillmore, D. (2010), MediaActive: A User's Guide to Finding, Following and Creating the News, O'Reilly
Briggs, M. (2009), Journalism Next: A Practical Guide to Digital Reporting and Publishing, CQ Press
See the library reading list for this module (Medway)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
8.1 Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of how journalists develop a specialism
8.2 Deploy some of the key intellectual and practical skills or capabilities used by specialist journalists working in the digital world
8.3 Demonstrate critical analysis by exploring major issues, debates and commentators or major thinkers within a chosen specialism
8.4 Demonstrate the ability to carry out various forms of independent research in a chosen field of specialist journalism and to assess and evaluate key topics and events and their portrayal in different parts of the media
8.5 Produce multimedia journalistic work to industry standards involving text, images, audio or video, involving sustained independent and critical enquiry
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
9.1 Demonstrate the intellectual skills of research, analysis and synthesis
9.2 Demonstrate how to gather, organise and deploy ideas and sustain narrative, argument and analysis using written and digital techniques
9.3 Communicate complex ideas and material clearly, confidently and in an engaging manner
9.4 Collaborate with colleagues to develop skills and produce engaging journalistic content
9.5 Consider and evaluate their work with reference to professional standards
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