COMS102-13S2 (D) Semester Two 2013 (Distance)

The News Machine

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 8 July 2013
End Date: Sunday, 10 November 2013
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 21 July 2013
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 6 October 2013

Description

This course provides students with an understanding of the forces that shape the selection and presentation of news. It introduces significant theoretical approaches that seek to explain what is news and the criteria by which it is selected; it explores key aspects of the production of news and analyses specific areas of news (foreign, political, sport and crime) in more depth.

PLEASE NOTE:
COMS102 (D) is offered as Distance Learning and under the STAR programme. Distance Learning and STAR programme students may enrol in this course.

This course introduces students to the study of journalism. You will learn about: how the news works; issues and constraints that journalists face; and how the news is changing. Among the major ideas threaded through the course are the independence of journalists, the way technology shapes what journalism can do, the position of the news within society and politics and the double orientation of news producers towards public service and selling a product. Learning will take place largely through active engagement with the news, including brief tasters of doing journalism.

Learning Outcomes

  • On completion of the course you should be able to:
  •    understand how news is produced and the major forces shaping its production
  •    identify ideas of quality journalism
  •    construct arguments about the power of journalism within society
  •    discuss how news is changing
  •    reflect on the role of technology in journalism
  •    interpret media content in terms of production dynamics
  •    critically analyse media content
  •    work individually and in small groups on information-gathering and analysis
  •    develop basic news skills

Course Coordinator

Donald Matheson

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Learn exercises 30% Due Fridays (5% each)
Tutorial participation 10% Weekly from weeks 2 - 11
TV News analysis 16 Aug 2013 30%
Essay 27 Sep 2013 30%

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

Harcup, Tony; Journalism : principles & practice ; 2nd ed; SAGE, 2009.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $644.00

International fee $2,800.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All COMS102 Occurrences

  • COMS102-13S2 (C) Semester Two 2013
  • COMS102-13S2 (D) Semester Two 2013 (Distance)
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