LT138-4-AU-CO:
The Journalistic Imagination: Contemporary Issues in Journalism

The details
2024/25
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 13 December 2024
15
07 June 2024

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
LT144
(none)
(none)

 

LT231, LT232

Key module for

BA P500 Multimedia Journalism,
BA P501 Multimedia Journalism (Including Year Abroad),
BA P503 Multimedia Journalism (Including Placement Year),
BA P590 Journalism and Modern Languages,
BA P550 Journalism and Criminology,
BA P551 Journalism and Criminology (Including Placement Year),
BA P552 Journalism and Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
BA P540 Journalism and Sociology,
BA P541 Journalism and Sociology (Including Placement Year),
BA P542 Journalism and Sociology (Including Year Abroad),
BA P510 Journalism and English Language,
BA P511 Journalism and English Language (Including Placement Year),
BA P512 Journalism and English Language (Including Year Abroad),
BA P530 Journalism and Literature,
BA P531 Journalism and Literature (Including Placement Year),
BA P532 Journalism and Literature (Including Year Abroad),
BA P570 Journalism with Human Rights,
BA P571 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA P572 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA P580 Journalism and Politics,
BA P581 Journalism and Politics (Including Placement Year),
BA P582 Journalism and Politics (Including Year Abroad),
BA P565 Film and Journalism,
BA P566 Film and Journalism (Including Foundation Year),
BA P567 Film and Journalism (including Placement Year),
BA P568 Film and Journalism(including Year Abroad),
BA P595 Journalism and Language Studies

Module description

The module introduces students to the world of journalism, focusing on contemporary debates about the production, distribution and reception of news and the changes being wrought by social media and AI. The module will introduce students to research on disinformation and propaganda. The course will also equip students with a critical understanding of ethical concerns in journalism.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To orient students to the world they’ll be entering. The best journalists are not only curious about the world around them, they are also conscious of the institution they represent, with all its commercial, ethical, and technological challenges.

  • To identify and critique key issues raised by the production, distribution and reception of news, understand the economic, political, cultural and technological factors that shape news, understand news processes and information flow, and prepare for the challenges posed to journalism by propaganda and disinformation.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Identify and critique key issues raised by the production, distribution and reception of news.

  2. Describe and assess the economic, political, cultural and technological factors that shape news.

  3. Develop a critical understanding of news processes and information flow.

  4. Understand the challenges posed to journalism by propaganda and disinformation.

  5. Understand the ethical dilemmas in journalism.

Module information

Essential Reading:



  • Adam & Clark (2005). Journalism: The Democratic Craft. Oxford University Press.

  • Rusbridger, A. (2020). News and How to Use It: What to Believe in a Fake News World. Canongate.

  • Weaver & Willnat (2012). The Global Journalist in the 21st Century. Routledge.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • A weekly two hour session, comprising a lecture and an interactive seminar, and will include film screenings.

Bibliography

  • Adam G. Stuart and Roy Peter Clark (2005) Journalism: The Democratic Craft. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Freedman, S. (2011) Letters to a Young Journalist. Basic Books.
  • Hargreaves, I. (2014) Journalism: A Very Short Introduction. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199686872.001.0001.
  • Orwell, G. (2004) Why I Write. London: Penguin.
  • Rusbridger, A. (2020) News and How to Use It: What to Believe in a Fake News World. Edinburgh: Canongate Books.
  • Weaver, D.H. and Willnat, L. (2012) The Global Journalist in the 21st Century. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Presentation  29/11/2024  20% 
Coursework   Essay (1,500 words)  13/12/2024  75% 
Practical   Participation mark    5% 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Martin Bright, email: martin.bright@essex.ac.uk.
Paul Anderson
LiFTS General Office - email liftstt@essex.ac.uk. Telephone 01206 872626

 

Availability
Yes
No
Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 14 hours, 14 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

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