LT238-5-SP-CO:
Research and Data Handling
2024/25
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
21 August 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
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 P595 Journalism and Language Studies
This module helps you develop your skills in research and investigation with particular reference to the new areas emerging on the web, through the Freedom of Information Act and through social media. It will also give you confidence in handling statistics-based stories, questioning methodology and assumptions and making your own judgements about data and statistics.
The aim of this module is:
- To give you sophisticated research capabilities and equip you with the skills you need to find, assess and report stories to be found in big data and through social networks.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Conduct advanced searches of the internet and other sources.
- Understand how to look for stories in big data, how to interrogate data and find the hidden stories they have to tell.
- Handle statistics and numbers with confidence and due scepticism.
- Understand how to use social networks as a means of finding and reporting stories.
- Understand how to use the FOI Act to extract information and source stories.
- Develop creative techniques for the presentation of data-based stories in different media.
Research:
Advance web research techniques that help you find what you want discover the unexpected.
Data Journalism:
Learn the range of published material and how it can be managed and mined for stories.
Freedom of Information:
Understand the use of targeted FOI requests and how to make the Act work for you.
Social Media:
Find, investigate, verify and solicit information through Twitter, Facebook and others.
Making sense of statistics:
Understand the dangers of taking figures at face value; how to question and assess what the figures are really saying.
This module will be delivered via:
- Weekly two-hour lectures/classes.
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non - essential items, please refer to the module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Coursework |
1500 word research plan (group work) |
20/03/2025 |
40% |
Coursework |
750 word article/script (individual) |
27/03/2025 |
30% |
Coursework |
750 word reflective commentary on the research plan (individual) |
27/03/2025 |
30% |
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
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Fatima El Issawi, email: feliss@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Fatima el Issawi
LiFTS General Office - email liftstt@essex.ac.uk
Telephone 01206 872626
Yes
Yes
Yes
Prof Jairo Alfonso Lugo-Ocando
College of Communication, University of Sharjah, UAE
Dean and Professor of Journalism
Available via Moodle
Of 8 hours, 8 (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.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.