COMMS 201 : Journalism Studies

Arts

2022 Semester One (1223) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores journalism and the news media, examining their histories and contemporary state. Students gain knowledge about how the news media influences culture and society and will examine how recent social, political, and technological shifts have impacted on journalism. This course is primarily theoretical but has a practical component that involves news writing.

Course Overview

The course introduces you to some of the key issues, debates, and controversies in journalism studies today. It examines journalistic practices and their contexts mostly from a theoretical, but also from a practical, perspective. The course is organised into three blocks. The first looks at what journalism is, how it has changed through history and what it means to write the news. The second block explores the thought that being a journalist means holding and exercising a certain level of power over others. The third block is concerned with the modern challenges that journalism faces. It explores the profound impact of social, political and technological shifts (such as globalisation and tabloidisation) on journalism today. The practical component involves you each writing a short news item based on an actual press conference from a well-known politician or personality.

In the next 12 weeks, we will explore the role that journalism plays in society. In particular, we will ask questions that address the relationship between news and power, race and ethnicity, gender, entertainment, online media, globalisation and social movements. 

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 60 points at Stage I in BA courses Restriction: FTVMS 225

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Analyse the key debates surrounding the role that journalism plays in democratic societies. (Capability 1.1, 1.3 and 2.1)
  2. Explore the history of journalism and its emergence. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 3.1)
  3. Explore and describe the way the news is constructed through a series of news conventions.
  4. Identify and critically analyse the impact of commercial and state ownership of the media on news production. (Capability 1.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 5.2)
  5. Evaluate how the news represents gender, race, and class within the community. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 4.1)
  6. Demonstrate an ability to write a news item based on a real press conference. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.2 and 4.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 25% Individual Coursework
Assignments 25% Individual Coursework
Test 1 25% Individual Coursework
Test 2 25% Individual Coursework

Next offered

Semester 1, 2023

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect two hours of lectures, a one-hour tutorial, five hours of reading and thinking about the content, and two hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including lectures and tutorials to complete and receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials may not be available as recordings.
The course will include one event (which may be live or online) which forms part of the assessment. 
Attendance on campus is required for the tests.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2022.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

There is no prescribed text. Instead, you are assigned 1-2 articles or chapters per week that you are required to read prior to your lecture and tutorial. The weekly readings are posted on the Canvas page under Reading Lists. You must read those articles listed in Talis as 'essential resources' and are encouraged to read those listed as 'further resources' which can include documentaries, all of which engage with and investigate the role of news media and journalism. There are plenty of additional readings listed within each week's syllabus module under the Module tab.

Weekly readings will form the basis of what we will discuss in tutorials each week. One way of making sure that your engagement with the weekly reading is satisfactory is to take thorough notes and conduct a rigorous analysis of what you are reading.

Please use the further readings in the Weekly modules as a starting point when you write your assignments. You are also expected to undertake your own independent literature research in preparation for the assessments.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 03/11/2021 06:04 p.m.