Journalism MA

Core modules:

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Researching News

Finding, researching, and developing news stories is a basic journalistic skill and one that is common to all media. This module is intended to equip students with the understanding, knowledge, insights and skills necessary for effective journalistic research and news gathering. It seeks to develop in students some of the basic practical skills involved - such as effective interviewing and researching - with the development of 'news sense' and an understanding of the potential sources of news in a variety of settings. It will demonstrate the generic nature of news gathering skills across all media.

15 credits

Writing News

This unit is designed to introduce students to the discipline of writing news and writing for publication and relate that to an understanding of the relationship between the practice of journalism, the production values of the media and the definitions of news. Students will learn to write clear succinct and accurate English, which both presents the reader with a logical and readable narrative and demonstrates a positive understanding of appropriate news values. They will learn to apply their skills through a number of exercises of varying complexity.

15 credits

Law for Journalists

This module aims to develop students' understanding of legal constraints on journalists working in the UK, including defamation and contempt law. Students will also study how matter can be published in the public interest, and how a journalist can challenge invalid restrictions. There will also be a study of the Editors' Code of Practice and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

15 credits

Ethics and Regulation

This module examines some of the major ethical controversies in journalism. Students will explore debates about the tension between freedom of expression and the exercise of responsibility, and about the need to balance privacy rights with publishing material in the public interest. There will also be study of regulation, truth-telling, media representation of vulnerable groups and journalists' relationship with their sources. Students will explore how ethical behaviour is encouraged in journalism, and consider how the industry codes seek to achieve this in the UK.

15 credits

Power and Society - The Institutions of Government

This unit explores the institutions and organisations which significantly affect the nature of our society and which effect change within it. It explores the nature of the relationships between local, national and international institutions of government and seeks to equip journalists to understand how those relationships reflect or effect the decision making processes in society. It will also examine the structures and processes of the institutions of government at local, national and European level.

15 credits

Advanced Journalism

Writing effectively for print means understanding the wide range of disciplines involved in the production of the finished product. This unit will introduce students to those disciplines. They will be introduced to the practice and principles of newspaper design and production through desk top publishing. They will develop their understanding of newsgathering and writing skills through experience of a range of events such as Crown Court trials and local authority meetings. They will be introduced to the disciplines of feature writing and gain an insight into the different approaches to sustained narrative.

30 credits

Journalism Portfolio

This module requires students to submit a portfolio of journalistic work accompanied by detailed explanations of the background work involved. The portfolio of journalistic work should demonstrate the student's ability to initiate ideas and undertake the necessary research to produce a finished and substantial piece of journalism in one area of the media. The subject/s must be approved by a course tutor beforehand via an assessed video pitch. The portfolio should be made up of a range of stories which together should total at least 8,000 words or 10 minutes of broadcasting and be accompanied by a description of the development and research involved in its production totalling at least 4,000 words.

60 credits

Optional modules

You will choose one from the list below.

Sports Journalism

This module focuses on what specialist sports reporting in a digital age involves and explores the skills necessary for a modern sports journalist across all platforms. The module encompasses a range of sports including football, F1, basketball and cricket, with a focus on how sports news is gathered, delivered and consumed.

Students will learn about how to thoroughly research specialist sports as well as the importance of finding a niche. They will be able to demonstrate background knowledge in their news gathering skills and production of digital content. Students will be introduced to different writing styles and formats including techniques for engaging an online audience today. The module will explore how the sports news agenda is driven by data as well as looking at the wider context of societal and cultural issues within sport and also how sport operates as a business. Reporting on social media and the distribution of content on different platforms will be a pivotal part of learning how to produce sports stories for a specific audience with an understanding of how social media has transformed how live sports events are covered. The module will also enable students to learn about live sports reporting and the best techniques to deliver content through conventional kit and mobile journalism.

20 credits

Communicating with the Media

This module will provide students with knowledge and skills necessary to communicate messages through the media. Case studies and practical workshops will allow students to learn about the practice of media communication. They will learn how the media operates and how to communicate messages through interviews, press conferences and news releases. Topics covered in the module will include the development of communication strategies, the understanding of news values and news cycles and strategies for successful and ethical communication.

15 credits

Dealing with data for journalists

News reporting relies increasingly on knowing how to understand and analyse data. 'Now that information is abundant, processing is more important.' (Philip Meyer). Data science is the scientific discipline that feeds into this new type of journalism. It provides methods for collecting and systematizing data, which is then analysed using a combination of statistical and machine learning techniques, and finally presented in an appealing and understandable format. This module will equip students with the confidence to appreciate and apply the most widely used statistical techniques, which constitute the very core of data science and, hence, facilitate responsible evidence-based journalism.

15 credits

Critical Incidents in International Journalism

In this module students will explore and analyse international critical incidents (for example, in the UK, US, Asia and Africa) and the efforts to ensure high-quality journalism that follow them. Students will engage in the critical analysis of media reform history, theories and perspectives related to critical incidents in journalism. Additionally, students will have an opportunity to develop their own media reform project and/or participate in an existing one.

15 credits