Course Information

AJ2 Master of Arts (Journalism) (part-time)
Part Time
Journalism
Course code(s): GYA77
Course Location: University of Galway - Main Campus
Start Date: 2022-09-01
AJ2

Module information for course: 'AJ2'


Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (30 Credits)

Optional DJ6115: Journalism Bootcamp


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module will offer you a dynamic and high-intensity introduction to journalism. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of why journalism matters as well as practical skills needed to thrive as a journalist, including research and interviewing, audio and video reporting, and multimedia storytelling and production.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Comprehensively and critically understanding journalism practice, the journalism industry and its organisational structures
  2. Identify and resolve complex issues of journalistic activity and communicate them effectively to colleagues and to the public
  3. Critically evaluate news sources and information
  4. Develop professional skills for journalism across multiple platforms
  5. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive knowledge of the processes involved in sourcing, producing and editing content across multiple platforms
  6. Use judgement to identify ethical dilemmas and work to produce solutions
  7. Exhibit critical awareness of professional standards and practice
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Radio production" by Robert McLeish
    ISBN: 9780240515540.
    Publisher: Focal Press
  2. "The Digital Reporter's Notebook" by Mark Blaine
    ISBN: 9780415898514.
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DJ6115: "Journalism Bootcamp" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6135: Reporting Economics and Politics


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

In this module students will develop the skills necessary to understand fundamentals of macro-economics and politics. Through practice-led learning, students will gain an understanding of the Irish political system as well as the interplay between business, government and the economy; and the impact of policy on economic decision making.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically assess the structure and operation of the Irish political system.
  2. Develop knowledge of fiscal and monetary policy
  3. Gain an understanding of macro-economics and the interplay between government and the economy.
  4. Assess the utility of a range of journalistic research tools (including various forms of interviews, Freedom of Information requests, etc.) to particular stories, and apply them appropriately.
  5. Produce ethically responsible and critically-engaged reporting to a professional standard
  6. Translate complex social, economic and political developments into narratives easily understood by lay audiences.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The government & politics of Ireland" by Basil Chubb
    ISBN: 9780192850645.
  2. "Irish media" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 0415216419.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001
  3. "The Battle of Bretton Woods" by Ben Stell
    ISBN: 9780691162379.
    Publisher: University of Princeton Press
  4. "Business Journalism" by Keith Hayes
    ISBN: 9781430263494.
    Publisher: Apress
The above information outlines module DJ6135: "Reporting Economics and Politics" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6121: Social and Digital Production


Semester 1 | Credits: 5

This module aims to give students the professional production skills to operate competently as a professional journalist as well as understanding current theory and best practice in editorial design and production.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive knowledge of current research and scholarship on editorial production across multiple platforms.
  2. Operate a range of hardware and software used in editorial production across multiple platforms.
  3. Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the processes involved in sourcing, producing editorial content including the ethical principles, and copyright and legal restrictions.
  4. Evaluate, plan and implement strategies for improving editorial content and increasing audiences across multiple digital channels.
  5. Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems; in particular with working in teams, managing creativity and negotiating complexities in editorial practice across multiple platforms.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Adobe Premiere Pro CC Classroom in a Book (2018 Release)" by Maxim Jago
    ISBN: 9780134853239.
    Publisher: Pearson Professional
  2. "Editorial Design" by Cath Caldwell,Yolanda Zappaterra
    ISBN: 9781780671642.
    Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
  3. "Social Media for Journalists" by Megan Knight,Clare Cook
    ISBN: 9781446211137.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
The above information outlines module DJ6121: "Social and Digital Production" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6142: Global Media and Society


Semester 1 | Credits: 5

This module will introduce you to contemporary issues that shape the Irish and international media landscape, such as ownership, the UK press post Leveson, the Irish Press Council and media regulation generally. The ethics portion of this module will act as a roadmap to guide you through the cross-section of ethical and professional issues that impact on journalists in contemporary media.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop an understanding of global issues of concern to the media including the role of the media in democracy, and pressures on that function including ownership, press-power relationships and moral decay
  2. Demonstrate an awareness of ethical principles in media and develop a personal ethical 'compass'
  3. Show an awareness of the recent history of media ethical debates including partisanship in political coverage, the Leveson inquiry in the UK and misogyny and gender issues.
  4. Acquire knowledge about contemporary issues impacting on global media and society such as threats to democracy posed by misinformation and disinformataion.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Media Ethics" by Clifford G. Christians,Mark Fackler,Kathy Brittain Richardson,Robert H. Woods,Peggy Kreshel
    ISBN: 9780205897742.
  2. "Manufacturing Consent" by Edward S. Herman,Noam Chomsky
    ISBN: 9780099533115.
    Publisher: Random House
  3. "Media Law in Ireland" by Eoin Carolan,Ailbhe O'Neill
    ISBN: 9781784518004.
    Publisher: Bloomsbury Professional
  4. "Media Performance" by Denis McQuail
    ISBN: 9780803982956.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
  5. "Media Ethics" by Patrick Lee Plaisance
    ISBN: 9781412956857.
    Publisher: SAGE
The above information outlines module DJ6142: "Global Media and Society" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6133: Data Journalism and Visualisation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module students will learn a range of techniques for sourcing, analysing, and visually representing data-based stories, through practice-driven learning.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop stories that rely on leveraging the internet as a research tool and production space.
  2. Select and use appropriate analytical tools for a particular task to analyse database stories.
  3. Generate narrative storylines from patterns identified in large data sets.
  4. Analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques.
  5. Use appropriate visualisation tools to communicate complex data-based narratives to audiences effectively.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future" by Tom Felle
    ISBN: 9781845496630.
    Publisher: Theschoolbook.com
  2. "The Digital Reporter's Notebook" by Blaine, Mark
    ISBN: 9780415898614.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "Practicing Convergence Journalism" by Janet Kolodzy
    ISBN: 9780415890304.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "The Investigative Reporter's Handbook" by Brant Houston
    ISBN: 0312589972.
    Publisher: Bedford/St Martins
  5. "Principles of Convergent Journalism" by Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant, Douglas J. Fisher
    ISBN: 9780199838653.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  6. "The Online Journalism Handbook" by Bradshaw, Paul and Liisa Rohumaa
    ISBN: 9781405873406.
  7. "The Multimedia Journalist" by Jennifer George-Palilonis
    ISBN: 9780199764525.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  8. "Online Journalism" by James C. Foust
    ISBN: 9781934432174.
    Publisher: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers
  9. "Producing Online News" by Ryan Thornburg
    ISBN: 9781604269963.
    Publisher: CQ Press College
The above information outlines module DJ6133: " Data Journalism and Visualisation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6134: Business and Financial Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Confidence that you can cover financial/business/economic news gives you a useful skill to offer and can be an advantage in getting many jobs in journalism. Financial crises and their human impact have helped project business news onto front pages and regularly dominate the news cycle, and have implications that can spread far wider than the money markets and factory floors. This module will focus on making financial news more relevant, accessible and credible to a wider audience. Making sense and use of numbers in finding and telling stories without letting them take over will be a key issue.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically and systematically analyse how the world of business and finance functions, from SMEs to transnational corporations, with reflective insights into how the activities of these institutions are reported and interpreted.
  2. Display a critical awareness of the structure, balance and narrative in business stories, and of the kinds of information which need to synthesised and evaluated by the professional journalist.
  3. Critically analyse complex issues of journalistic activity for financial reporting and communicate them effectively to colleagues and to the public.
  4. Develop interviewing skills with a wide range of stories and covering complex issues
  5. Manage the implications of practical, operational and ethical dilemmas in the specific area and work to produce solutions.
  6. Apply knowledge to practical writing tasks and reflect on practice.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "How to read the financial pages" by Michael Brett
    ISBN: 0712662596.
    Publisher: Random House Business
  2. "How to Speak Money" by Lancaster, J
    ISBN: 9780571309849.
    Publisher: Faber & Faber
  3. "Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" by Chris Roush
    ISBN: 0415876559.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "Bad News How America’s Business Press Missed the Story of the Century" by Anya Schiffrin
    ISBN: 9781595587725.
    Publisher: New Press
  5. "Covering globalization" by edited by Anya Schiffrin and Amer Bisat
    ISBN: 9780231131759.
    Publisher: Columbia University Press
The above information outlines module DJ6134: "Business and Financial Journalism" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6125: Investigating Miscarriages of Justice


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will give students an introduction to the wrongful treatment of people by the state and powerful institutions and the investigative journalism techniques that can be used to highlight and report on gross injustices in Ireland and internationally.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental causes of miscarriages of justice.
  2. Showcase applied investigative journalism skills.
  3. Employ research and investigative skills and communicate effectively.
  4. Display an understanding of the complex nature of working independently and as part of a team on a multifaceted long-form investigation.
  5. Demonstrate awareness of critical failings in the justice system.
  6. Display knowledge of how advanced DNA testing can unearth and potentially prevent miscarriages.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church" by Investigative Staff of the Boston Blobe
    ISBN: 978031627153.
    Publisher: Back Bay Books
  2. "The Framing of Harry Gleeson" by Kieran Fagan
    ISBN: 9781848892460.
    Publisher: The Collins Press
  3. "Convicting the innocent: where criminal prosecutions go wrong" by n/a
    ISBN: 978067406611.
    Publisher: Harvard University Press
  4. "Maamtrasna" by Jarlath Waldron
    ISBN: 9780946130078.
    Publisher: Edmund Burke Publisher
The above information outlines module DJ6125: "Investigating Miscarriages of Justice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6112: Multimedia Newsdays


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module you will develop key skills and competencies required to work as a professional journalist in print, digital and broadcasting environments. You will work to produce news and features across multiple platforms; develop investigative, social newsgathering and verification expertise in an incubation environment, dissect your work and reflect on your practice. You will develop your editorial newsroom and team working skills through the production of a hyperlocal newspaper and website and social media channels, as well as live broadcast news days. Teaching will take place via a mix of regular lectures and news lab sessions, and news production sessions.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Evaluate journalism research methods and techniques.
  2. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role and structure of the news media.
  3. Undertake multimedia research, interviewing, story development and editing.
  4. Produce content in teams for the news media across multiple platforms while demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the importance of teamwork in newsroom environments and in negotiating complexities in editorial practice.
  5. Demonstrate technical and editorial expertise across multiple platforms via the operation of range of hardware and software used in multimedia editorial production.
  6. Critically evaluate and apply relevant knowledge and ideas, including theoretical knowledge such as law and ethics, to practical situations in a news environment.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Journalism Next" by Mark Briggs
    ISBN: 9781452227856.
    Publisher: CQ Press
  2. "Making the local news" by edited by Bob Franklin and David Murphy
    ISBN: 0415168031.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 1998.
  3. "Journalism of Ideas" by Daniel Reimold
    ISBN: 9780415634670.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "The Editorial Eye" by Karen Brown Dunlap, Jane T Harrigan
    ISBN: 0312152701.
    Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The above information outlines module DJ6112: "Multimedia Newsdays" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Required DJ6124: Final Project for journalism, media and communication


15 months long | Credits: 30

This module provides students with an opportunity to complete a substantial piece of research-based professional journalism as a capstone to their degree programme, so as to enable them to identify and research thoroughly a subject of their choice, on an original theme and which is worthy of sustained journalistic inquiry.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of specific fields under investigation
  2. Identify and evaluate academic and journalistic research methodologies and sources of information (interviews, texts, internet, journal articles, cuttings, broadcasts, libraries)
  3. Display a critical awareness of the responsibilities and roles of journalists and the social, ethical and legal contexts in which they work.
  4. Plan and conduct a piece of original journalistic research; analyse and evaluate information for editorial importance; identify and resolve inconsistencies.
  5. Demonstrate editorial balance and fairness, apply appropriate research strategies and effective and appropriate interviewing for the medium and the target audience.
  6. Apply the habit of reflection and a critical approach, showing an awareness of different cultural perspectives.
  7. Value and be aware of high-level professional standards, including accuracy, protection of sources, balance, fairness and relevant legal requirements.
  8. Display an awareness of the ethical dimensions of news gathering and reporting; display intellectual integrity, awareness of copyright implications, the importance of crediting the work of others and the unacceptability of plagiarism.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Reflective Practice" by Gillie Bolton,Russell Delderfield
    ISBN: 9781526411709.
    Publisher: SAGE Publications Limited
  2. "The Reflective Practitioner" by Donald A. Schon
    ISBN: 9780465068784.
  3. "Becoming a Reflective Practitioner" by Christopher Johns
    ISBN: 9781119193920.
    Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
  4. "Video Journalism for the Web: A Practical Introduction to Documentary Storytelling" by Kurt Lancaster
    ISBN: 9780415892674.
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DJ6124: "Final Project for journalism, media and communication" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DJ6122: Researching the Media


Semester 2 | Credits: 5

This course provides students with an understanding of the inter-related fields of journalism and media studies, through study of a range of scholarly works and independent research.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe the development of the field of journalism, in the context of various social and technological changes.
  2. Understand various normative models for the role of the press, and apply them to case studies.
  3. Critically examine the organisation and operation of news organisations.
  4. Analyse the content produced by the news media.
  5. Place Irish journalism and media in an international context.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (70%)
  • Oral, Audio Visual or Practical Assessment (30%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Key Readings in Journalism" by Elliot King (Editor), Jane Chapman (Editor)
    ISBN: 9780415880282.
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "What are journalists for?" by Jay Rosen
    ISBN: 9780300089073.
    Publisher: New Haven ; Yale University Press, 1999.
  3. "Media work" by Mark Deuze
    ISBN: 9780745639253.
    Publisher: Polity
  4. "The Rise of the Network Society: Volume I: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture" by Manuel Castells
    ISBN: 9781405196864.
    Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
  5. "The global media" by Edward S. Herman and Robert W. McChesney
    ISBN: 9780826458193.
    Publisher: Continuum
  6. "Global media governance" by Seán Ó Siochrú and Bruce Girard with Amy Mahan
    ISBN: 9780742515666.
    Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
The above information outlines module DJ6122: "Researching the Media" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DJ6143: Media Law


Semester 2 | Credits: 5

This module provides knowledge and tools to assist students in critically assessing their media environment within ethical and legal frameworks. Content includes learning on ethical decision making, media regulation and constraints, copyright, and legislation such as defamation and privacy.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Adopt an informed and personal stance on media regulation in today’s media.
  2. Analyse complex legal and regulatory issues in contemporary mass media and make compelling case-law based based arguments about them.
  3. Display an understanding of relevant legislation related to media including privacy, defamation and copyright
  4. Develop strong editorial judgement scaffolded by knowledge of media law and court practices.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (40%)
  • Department-based Assessment (60%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Quick Win Media Law Ireland" by Andrea Martin
    ISBN: 9781904887461.
    Publisher: Oak Tree Press (Ireland)
  2. "Media Ethics" by Clifford G. Christians,Mark Fackler,Kathy Brittain Richardson
    ISBN: 0205029043.
    Publisher: Pearson College Division
  3. "Media Ethics: Issues and Cases" by Lee Wilkins,Philip Patterson
    ISBN: 9780073526249.
    Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
  4. "Manufacturing Consent" by Edward S. Herman
    ISBN: 0375714499.
    Publisher: Pantheon
The above information outlines module DJ6143: "Media Law" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6100: Features Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Students will be introduced to the field of features journalism, and to a range of specific formats within the genre. Through extensive practical work, they will learn to identify and pitch stories; to research and investigate; and to write to format and deadline.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify and shape promising topics
  2. Conduct the research appropriate to various article types, to include interviewing, observation, document analysis
  3. Prepare a range of feature journalism pieces in the appropriate formats and styles
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "English for journalists" by Wynford Hicks
    ISBN: 9780415404204.
    Publisher: Abingdon, Oxon, [England] ; Routledge, 2007.
  2. "Writing feature articles" by Brendan Hennessy
    ISBN: 9780240516912.
    Publisher: Oxford ; Focal Press, 2006.
  3. "Essential English" by Harold Evans
    ISBN: 9780712664479.
    Publisher: Pimlico
The above information outlines module DJ6100: "Features Journalism " and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6115: Journalism Bootcamp


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module will offer you a dynamic and high-intensity introduction to journalism. You will develop your knowledge and understanding of why journalism matters as well as practical skills needed to thrive as a journalist, including research and interviewing, audio and video reporting, and multimedia storytelling and production.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Comprehensively and critically understanding journalism practice, the journalism industry and its organisational structures
  2. Identify and resolve complex issues of journalistic activity and communicate them effectively to colleagues and to the public
  3. Critically evaluate news sources and information
  4. Develop professional skills for journalism across multiple platforms
  5. Demonstrate a critical and comprehensive knowledge of the processes involved in sourcing, producing and editing content across multiple platforms
  6. Use judgement to identify ethical dilemmas and work to produce solutions
  7. Exhibit critical awareness of professional standards and practice
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Radio production" by Robert McLeish
    ISBN: 9780240515540.
    Publisher: Focal Press
  2. "The Digital Reporter's Notebook" by Mark Blaine
    ISBN: 9780415898514.
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DJ6115: "Journalism Bootcamp" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6135: Reporting Economics and Politics


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

In this module students will develop the skills necessary to understand fundamentals of macro-economics and politics. Through practice-led learning, students will gain an understanding of the Irish political system as well as the interplay between business, government and the economy; and the impact of policy on economic decision making.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically assess the structure and operation of the Irish political system.
  2. Develop knowledge of fiscal and monetary policy
  3. Gain an understanding of macro-economics and the interplay between government and the economy.
  4. Assess the utility of a range of journalistic research tools (including various forms of interviews, Freedom of Information requests, etc.) to particular stories, and apply them appropriately.
  5. Produce ethically responsible and critically-engaged reporting to a professional standard
  6. Translate complex social, economic and political developments into narratives easily understood by lay audiences.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "The government & politics of Ireland" by Basil Chubb
    ISBN: 9780192850645.
  2. "Irish media" by John Horgan
    ISBN: 0415216419.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2001
  3. "The Battle of Bretton Woods" by Ben Stell
    ISBN: 9780691162379.
    Publisher: University of Princeton Press
  4. "Business Journalism" by Keith Hayes
    ISBN: 9781430263494.
    Publisher: Apress
The above information outlines module DJ6135: "Reporting Economics and Politics" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6130: Employability and Career Skills


Semester 1 and Semester 2 | Credits: 0

This module will equip students with the professional knowledge and skills needed to transition into the fast-changing media industry, and develop their social capital. Students will develop the knowledge and understanding necessary to start their careers and gain employment.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Showcase employability skills by having successfully completed a workplace internship or shadowing programme and having cultivated a professional digital presence.
  2. Effectively analyse the opportunities afforded by industry disruption.
  3. Work successfully as part of a team.
  4. Reflect on personal strengths and develop self-awareness of areas for improvement.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Digital Transformation in Journalism and News Media" by Mike Friedrichsen,Yahya Kamalipour
    ISBN: 9783319277868.
    Publisher: Springer
  2. "Becoming a reflective practitioner" by Christopher Johns ; with contributions from Sally Burnie ... [et al.].
    ISBN: 0470674261.
    Publisher: ; Wiley-Blackwell
  3. "Communicative Figurations" by Andreas Hepp,Andreas Breiter,Uwe Hasebrink
    ISBN: 9783319655840.
    Publisher: Springer
The above information outlines module DJ6130: "Employability and Career Skills" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6134: Business and Financial Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Confidence that you can cover financial/business/economic news gives you a useful skill to offer and can be an advantage in getting many jobs in journalism. Financial crises and their human impact have helped project business news onto front pages and regularly dominate the news cycle, and have implications that can spread far wider than the money markets and factory floors. This module will focus on making financial news more relevant, accessible and credible to a wider audience. Making sense and use of numbers in finding and telling stories without letting them take over will be a key issue.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Critically and systematically analyse how the world of business and finance functions, from SMEs to transnational corporations, with reflective insights into how the activities of these institutions are reported and interpreted.
  2. Display a critical awareness of the structure, balance and narrative in business stories, and of the kinds of information which need to synthesised and evaluated by the professional journalist.
  3. Critically analyse complex issues of journalistic activity for financial reporting and communicate them effectively to colleagues and to the public.
  4. Develop interviewing skills with a wide range of stories and covering complex issues
  5. Manage the implications of practical, operational and ethical dilemmas in the specific area and work to produce solutions.
  6. Apply knowledge to practical writing tasks and reflect on practice.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "How to read the financial pages" by Michael Brett
    ISBN: 0712662596.
    Publisher: Random House Business
  2. "How to Speak Money" by Lancaster, J
    ISBN: 9780571309849.
    Publisher: Faber & Faber
  3. "Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" by Chris Roush
    ISBN: 0415876559.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "Bad News How America’s Business Press Missed the Story of the Century" by Anya Schiffrin
    ISBN: 9781595587725.
    Publisher: New Press
  5. "Covering globalization" by edited by Anya Schiffrin and Amer Bisat
    ISBN: 9780231131759.
    Publisher: Columbia University Press
The above information outlines module DJ6134: "Business and Financial Journalism" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6112: Multimedia Newsdays


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module you will develop key skills and competencies required to work as a professional journalist in print, digital and broadcasting environments. You will work to produce news and features across multiple platforms; develop investigative, social newsgathering and verification expertise in an incubation environment, dissect your work and reflect on your practice. You will develop your editorial newsroom and team working skills through the production of a hyperlocal newspaper and website and social media channels, as well as live broadcast news days. Teaching will take place via a mix of regular lectures and news lab sessions, and news production sessions.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Evaluate journalism research methods and techniques.
  2. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the role and structure of the news media.
  3. Undertake multimedia research, interviewing, story development and editing.
  4. Produce content in teams for the news media across multiple platforms while demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the importance of teamwork in newsroom environments and in negotiating complexities in editorial practice.
  5. Demonstrate technical and editorial expertise across multiple platforms via the operation of range of hardware and software used in multimedia editorial production.
  6. Critically evaluate and apply relevant knowledge and ideas, including theoretical knowledge such as law and ethics, to practical situations in a news environment.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Journalism Next" by Mark Briggs
    ISBN: 9781452227856.
    Publisher: CQ Press
  2. "Making the local news" by edited by Bob Franklin and David Murphy
    ISBN: 0415168031.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 1998.
  3. "Journalism of Ideas" by Daniel Reimold
    ISBN: 9780415634670.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "The Editorial Eye" by Karen Brown Dunlap, Jane T Harrigan
    ISBN: 0312152701.
    Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The above information outlines module DJ6112: "Multimedia Newsdays" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6133: Data Journalism and Visualisation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module students will learn a range of techniques for sourcing, analysing, and visually representing data-based stories, through practice-driven learning.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop stories that rely on leveraging the internet as a research tool and production space.
  2. Select and use appropriate analytical tools for a particular task to analyse database stories.
  3. Generate narrative storylines from patterns identified in large data sets.
  4. Analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques.
  5. Use appropriate visualisation tools to communicate complex data-based narratives to audiences effectively.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future" by Tom Felle
    ISBN: 9781845496630.
    Publisher: Theschoolbook.com
  2. "The Digital Reporter's Notebook" by Blaine, Mark
    ISBN: 9780415898614.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "Practicing Convergence Journalism" by Janet Kolodzy
    ISBN: 9780415890304.
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "The Investigative Reporter's Handbook" by Brant Houston
    ISBN: 0312589972.
    Publisher: Bedford/St Martins
  5. "Principles of Convergent Journalism" by Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, August E. Grant, Douglas J. Fisher
    ISBN: 9780199838653.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  6. "The Online Journalism Handbook" by Bradshaw, Paul and Liisa Rohumaa
    ISBN: 9781405873406.
  7. "The Multimedia Journalist" by Jennifer George-Palilonis
    ISBN: 9780199764525.
    Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
  8. "Online Journalism" by James C. Foust
    ISBN: 9781934432174.
    Publisher: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers
  9. "Producing Online News" by Ryan Thornburg
    ISBN: 9781604269963.
    Publisher: CQ Press College
The above information outlines module DJ6133: " Data Journalism and Visualisation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6125: Investigating Miscarriages of Justice


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will give students an introduction to the wrongful treatment of people by the state and powerful institutions and the investigative journalism techniques that can be used to highlight and report on gross injustices in Ireland and internationally.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental causes of miscarriages of justice.
  2. Showcase applied investigative journalism skills.
  3. Employ research and investigative skills and communicate effectively.
  4. Display an understanding of the complex nature of working independently and as part of a team on a multifaceted long-form investigation.
  5. Demonstrate awareness of critical failings in the justice system.
  6. Display knowledge of how advanced DNA testing can unearth and potentially prevent miscarriages.
Assessments
  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Teachers
Reading List
  1. "Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church" by Investigative Staff of the Boston Blobe
    ISBN: 978031627153.
    Publisher: Back Bay Books
  2. "The Framing of Harry Gleeson" by Kieran Fagan
    ISBN: 9781848892460.
    Publisher: The Collins Press
  3. "Convicting the innocent: where criminal prosecutions go wrong" by n/a
    ISBN: 978067406611.
    Publisher: Harvard University Press
  4. "Maamtrasna" by Jarlath Waldron
    ISBN: 9780946130078.
    Publisher: Edmund Burke Publisher
The above information outlines module DJ6125: "Investigating Miscarriages of Justice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.