Journalism BA (Hons)* (with Foundation Year)

The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.

Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.

Introduction to Journalism and Society

The module will provide a theoretical context for you to understand the role, power, and influence of the mass media in society (and the function of journalism therein), as well as set out the historical development of the mass media and journalism. You are expected to engage with key theoretical concepts related to communication, including models of communication and mass communication theories, as well as media representations and identity.

Introduction to Reporting

This practice-based module will introduce you to key elements of news writing, interviewing, and opinion/analysis writing. The early weeks of the module will focus on developing your news writing techniques (how to write in short, simple language), how to sharpen intros and prioritise information within an inverted pyramid structure, and how to quote and/or paraphrase sources clearly and accurately. It will draw on concepts of News Values and ‘newsworthiness’ to support you in identifying news angles for stories, and in addressing the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How aspects of a report.

Journalism Structures and Power

Through this module, you will learn key concepts and arguments related to the Political Economy of Communication, with a particular focus on how the ownership and control of news media affects the professional practice of journalism. The module will examine news media industry structures and concentration of corporate ownership through the lens of the marketisation of news. This will include an examination of how the commercial imperatives of news media organisations can result in market failures (the underproduction of quality news, and the under-resourcing of investigative journalism, for instance).

Introduction to Digital Reporting

This practice-based module will run on the basis of two streams, and will highlight interconnections where appropriate: Mobile and Social Media Journalism, and Editing, Sub-Editing, and Fact Checking. The first part of the module will focus on Mobile and Social Media Journalism. Here, you will work both individually and collectively in editorial teams to research and produce news content using mobile technologies and social media platforms.

Journalism, Regulation, Ethics, and Law

This module will seek to deepen your understanding of the relationship between the media/journalism and the State, while developing your knowledge of the ethical and legal considerations underpinning professional journalistic practice. The module will explore the key role of Ofcom in the UK’s media regulatory architecture across broadcast media and areas of digital/social media, and in reflecting UK media policy.

Audio and Digital Journalism Production

This practice-based module will support you in developing skills in audio journalism (radio and podcasting) as well as in digital journalism more generally. The first part of the module will focus on traditional radio and broadcast reporting skills, where you will become familiar with radio production technologies, including for both recorded and live reporting. For the latter, you will be introduced to the Adobe editing application Audition.

International Journalism and Technology

This module will familiarise you with key factors impacting the practice of journalism in an international context, including the impact of historical and contemporary processes of globalisation on international news flows. The module will also examine how, in both historical and contemporary contexts, the practice and societal value of journalism has been affected by shifts in communication technologies.

Research Methods in Journalism

It is important for Journalism students to develop key research skills to conduct research in the field. This module will provide you with appropriate skills and understanding of how to develop research questions, how to do literature review, and how to collect, collate, and analyse data applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research approaches.

Semester 1

Theory Module 1 (Journalism and Societal Crises)

Topics: Journalism and Societal Crises (Conflict, Environment, Populism); Journalism and Religion; Journalism and Economic Crises; Peace/Conflict Journalism; Journalism and Crime

Practice Module 1 (Video Journalism and Visualisation)

Topics: Video/multimedia Journalism; Visualisation and Data Journalism

Semester 2

Theory Module 2 (Political Journalism and Popular Culture)

Topics: Political Communication and Journalism; Journalism and Popular Culture; Journalism and Celebrity

Practice Module 2 (Editorship and Journalism Production Specialism)

Topics: Editorial strategies and management; In-depth multimedia journalistic production on an editorial specialism of the student’s choice (e.g., sports, photo, fashion, politics, the environment)