LT396-6-AU-CO:
Journalism and Storytelling
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2025/26
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Inactive
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
27 August 2024
Requisites for this module
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This module is about the theory and practice of narrative. Students will consider the origins and enduring power of dramatic form. Through the comparative analysis of key examples, they will develop an understanding of the core principles of storytelling. They will address this primarily in the context of journalism both as a technique legitimately employed to relay ‘news’ and as a means of distorting the reality of events by interested parties.
We will consider the ethical issues presented both for journalists and those employed in the public relations industry. We will consider the way storytelling techniques transcend specific media and have continued through the digital communications revolution of the past twenty five years. We will look at how some of the best journalistic storytellers have transferred those skills to longer-form writing and to fiction. In practical workshops, we will aim to develop students’ practical storytelling skills.
The module builds on the writing classes offered at levels 4 and 5 of the various Journalism degrees but is self-contained and suitable for any level 6 student with appropriate interests.
The aims of the module are:
- To explore the theory of storytelling and how it relates to concepts such as rhetoric and metaphor
- To link classic examples of journalistic practice with techniques used in the most fundamental forms of communication
- To explore the use of storytelling techniques to distort public discourse
- To investigate the ethical dilemmas presented by use of storytelling techniques
- To consider the relationship between factual and fictional storytelling
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Develop an understanding of the various theories of storytelling.
- Demonstrate a high standard of critical thinking, particularly in regard to storytelling techniques applied both by journalists and those seeking to influence journalists.
- Become conversant with the use of storytelling techniques in key news stories of the modern era.
- Develop the ability to structure their own stories to maximum legitimate effect.
- Develop the ability to recognise and counter the use of storytelling technique by interested parties.
- Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the line between acceptable and unacceptable artifice in journalism and non-fiction writing.
- Develop an understanding of the application of storytelling techniques across media and into the era of interactive communications.
No additional information available.
This module will be delivered via:
- A series of seminars/workshops in autumn term.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
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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
Dr Idrees Ahmad, email: m.i.ahmad@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Idrees Ahmad
LiFTS General Office – email: liftstt@essex.ac.uk
Telephone 01206 872626
Yes
No
Yes
Prof Jairo Alfonso Lugo-Ocando
College of Communication, University of Sharjah, UAE
Dean and Professor of Journalism
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (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).
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