Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

Students who have studied journalism at UG level may be able to switch compulsory modules for practice ones based on their portfolio of evidence.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module develops multimedia journalism production, creativity and innovation. More particularly, this module:
- Consolidates understanding of the conventions and practices of producing multimedia journalism in a range of contexts;
- Consolidates practical knowledge of the key elements of clear, concise writing, video and audio production and reporting and editing;
- Considers the ethics of multimedia journalism and the role of the journalist;
- Assesses the significance of how intercommunications between representational and presentational production are reshaping and developing social media;
- Develops the ability to select the right multimedia technology for the story at hand;
- Clarifies and develops skills in journalistic branding and self-branding, social media optimisation and interactivity with audiences.

Outline Of Syllabus

Multimedia Journalism 2: Global Innovation is a student-led exercise of professional practice, digital creativity and critical evaluation of innovations in journalism in global contexts. Through two projects – a news-based personalised website and a group digital feature with a range of elements - students develop writing, video and audio, editing and digital communication capabilities.
Students use visual, written and audio techniques appropriate to the story or content at hand, experimenting with storytelling techniques. The creative projects offer the opportunity to analyse the field and their practice to embed expertise in audience engagement, social media optimisation, brand identity, user experience and design, news and feature production.
This module allows students to develop their multimedia content skills. Students develop skills in writing, production, interviewing, and multimedia journalism in a range of contexts.

Lectures encourage students to consider global innovations in journalism practice, journalism production writing in relation to genre, convention, audience, grammar and form, and ethics.
The assessment procedures outlined below mean that students work to frequent deadlines and engage in practical, journalistic activities on a weekly basis.
Students are responsible for managing their own workload, and journalistic outputs, used to establish a portfolio of journalistic work.

The topics covered in this module may include • global innovations in journalism practice • multimedia news and feature production • Intercommunications between ‘representational’ news and ‘presentational’ social media. • Critical evaluation of ‘news values’ • Pitching and commissioning (multimedia feature) • News and feature production in text, video and audio form • Interview features and the practice of depth interviewing • Applied ethics in professional journalism.

Not all of these topics are necessarily taught every year; and indeed the syllabus may shift in emphasis according to media climate and culture at the time of teaching.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

A student successfully completing the module will have:
A4. An understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data and information dissemination in the context of global journalism;
A5. An in-depth understanding of key production processes and professional practices relevant to media, journalism, cultural and communicative industries;
B1. Effective problem-solving strategies and high-level analytical and planning processes in the production of multimedia journalism;
B3. The ability to reflect on the relationship between theory and practice in the context of Multimedia Journalism;
B6. The ability to analyse key theoretical and practical concerns in the context of multimedia journalism production;
B7. The ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data and to extract information from relevant data sources for the production of multimedia journalism;
B8. The ability to analyse and develop strategies around creative practice using underpinning knowledge of the theoretical and practical landscape of media, journalism and communications.

Intended Skill Outcomes

A student successfully completing the module will have:
C1. The capacity to produce multimedia journalism and communication materials, which communicate with audiences;
C2. The capacity to develop and apply advanced professional skills to the production of journalistic and related practical work;
C4. A capacity to reflect critically on the key theoretical, subject-specific and practical concerns of media and journalism, and the journalistic techniques of multimedia newsgathering and production;
C6. The skills to produce news reports in a range of media forms and to comprehend and manage change in journalism and the media industry.
C8. Professional understanding and practice of enterprise, income streams and the branding and optimisation strategies needed for journalism in digital and social spaces.
D5. The skills to work effectively, both independently and as member of teams in both an academic and professional context.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Knowledge for this module relates closely to practice and product as well as theory and analysis. It is useful for students to have the opportunity to comment on drafts as well as on existing work or work by established writers/publications.

Learning and teaching supports students through iterative and informed assessment, which guides the learning experience. While there are no formal ‘formative assessments’, student-led journalistic work guides the module with feedback and feed-forward through workshops and through sharing of content with readers, key to the learning experience.

As a compulsory module for MA International Multimedia Journalism, this delivery advances students' practical skills and provides a clear trajectory in training, skill acquisition and assessment needed for journalism practice and will ensure that subsequent modules on the programme (such as the Final Project) can utilise and build upon these skills without the need for repetition of training.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

There are two elements of assessment:

Assessment One (65%)

A creative portfolio comprising of the following elements: (A5; B1; B3; B6; B8; C1; C4; C8)

A 500 word critical analysis exploring contemporary journalistic practice in global contexts;

A link to a personalised website and specific links to three pieces of journalism amounting to the equivalent of 1500 words;

A screen-grab of the statistic page of the website immediately prior submission.

The assessment criteria for assessment one are as follows:

Production of a range of digital content for a specific audience using visual, audio, written and interactive technologies as appropriate and with accuracy;

Demonstrate the ability to use digital and social media to produce and disseminate content effectively in order to build an audience;

Demonstrate the ability to build brand in digital space;

Demonstrate the ability to effectively news gather using interview skills from a topical ‘patch’.

Demonstrate a critical and analytical definition and discussion of the topic drawing on a range of secondary and primary sources related to the selected topic;


Assessment Two: (35%)

A group multimedia feature, comprising of written, video and audio elements.

The assessment criteria are as follows:

Appropriate selection and expansion of a news topic with evidence of new lines, gathering and appropriate use of sources;

Production of accurate and informative multimedia feature with relevant written, video, audio, fact-files and image selection;

Accurate, informative and engaging journalism as appropriate for the selected audience and topic.

General Notes

N/A