LT238-6-SP-CO:
Research and Data Handling
2026/27
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Monday 18 January 2027
Thursday 25 March 2027
15
23 April 2026
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA P500 Journalism,
BA P501 Journalism (Including Year Abroad),
BA P503 Journalism (Including Placement Year),
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 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)
This module aims to develop students' critical thinking about the impact of new technologies and AI on the information cycle. It strengthens their skills in areas such as open-source research and digital investigation, with particular attention to emerging developments on the web.
They will explore new forms of storytelling in data journalism and collaborative journalism in the era of big data, while also engaging with the ethical questions these practices raise.
The aim of this module is:
- To give you sophisticated understanding of storytelling in the digital era and ethical issues around big data and the impact of AI on journalism. It will 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:
- Identify and develop stories from large datasets, interrogate data critically, and uncover the narratives they reveal.
- Understand the impact of AI and new technologies on the information cycle, from production to distribution and reception.
- Develop creative techniques for presenting data-driven stories across a range of media platforms.
- Critically engage with the key ethical questions raised by AI, including issues of accuracy, fairness of representation, and disinformation
The module will use mixed methods, including critical lectures, guest lectures, in-class reading, in-class presentations and student-led discussions.
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 |
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.
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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