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JRN1010 Analysing News and Media

Semester 1, 2023 Toowoomba On-campus
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Humanities & Communication
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator:

Overview

At a time when the digital revolution is spawning an unprecedented flood of information and disinformation each day, we need to be able to judge the credibility and reliability of news reports, and we need to understand why that matters. This course provides critical perspectives on what makes journalism distinct among other forms of content and communications, and examines the role journalism plays in the functions of a society.

This course is designed to teach students how to become more discriminating news producers and/or consumers. The course will seek to help students recognise reliable information and teach them how to apply their critical-thinking skills so they can act on such information. As part of their instruction, students also will learn how the journalistic process works and how professional journalists make decisions.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. identify and describe the concept of news literacy and why it matters;
  2. critically evaluate and analyse various forms of information to classify news from other forms of content and information, such as propaganda and opinion;
  3. identify evidence, bias and fairness, assertion and verification, and inference and influence in journalistic work;
  4. effectively deconstruct written and visual texts, and communicate an analysis of the journalistic process and how journalists make decisions;
  5. exercise judgment to evaluate the ethical standards in journalistic processes and decisions;

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Power, contexts and functions of news media 15.00
2. Differentiating between news and other forms of media information 25.00
3. Deconstructing print, digital and broadcast news stories 25.00
4. Influences on news credibility and reliability 20.00
5. Journalistic decision-making processes 15.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

There is no set textbook for this course. Students will be required to access a series of selected readings, available online via URL listings on the course 精东传媒app Desk, to supplement their learning.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Quiz No 10 1,2,3,4,5
Assignments Written Case 精东传媒app No 40 1,2,3,4,5
Examinations Non-invigilated Time limited online examinatn No 50 1,2,3,4,5
Date printed 9 February 2024