50148 Print Features

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Journalism
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Requisite(s): 50115 Journalism 2 OR 50235 Journalism 2

Handbook description

This subject is designed to introduce the skills required in feature writing. It aims to give students an insight into the breadth of style and genre of feature writing, including essays, columns, profiles and new journalism, and to explore more in-depth features. A range of techniques of researching, interviewing and writing is practised and critiqued. Ethical considerations are discussed in the context of particular examples of production.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On completion of this subject students should be able to:

prepare a story based on recent events
develop a publishable feature story
demonstrate an imaginative and discerning eye for a potential story
demonstrate excellent interview skills
engage in critical discussion of the quality of feature articles in magazines and newspapers
critically evaluate their performance as a feature writer.

Contribution to graduate profile

Have a knowledge and critical understanding of the media
Have the skills to enter journalism professional practice
Have a knowledge of the historical, philosophical, ethical and cultural foundations underpinning journalism and strive, throughout their careers, to promote the important role of professional and ethical journalism in the service of the public
Have an understanding of the role of the media in local, regional, national and global contexts
Have strong research skills and effectively retrieve and analyse information from a range of sources
Have an understanding and commitment to ethical journalism practice

Teaching and learning strategies

These will include lectures, discussion, on-site location exercises and practical assignments.

Content

This subject encourages students to take on the full time role of a feature writer, to look for story ideas, angles, anecdotes from friends, family, local community; to study newspapers, magazines, the broadcast media, advertising, marketing, and public relations in order to identify trends and ideas.

This is the kind of journalism where your imagination and creativity play an important part. Be a writer 24 hours a day: in your daily life: look out for story ideas, angles, anecdotes from your friends, relatives, the local shopkeeper, whoever. Be curious. Watch the rest of the media with a writer's eye. Look for follow-ups.

The idea is that each cohort of students becomes a features section with the lecturer as features editor and the students as writers. In classes/editorial conferences – as in the workplace - students are expected to regularly contribute original story ideas for group discussion.

The coursework requires students to write three features for potential publication: a news follow up feature, a profile and a major feature. Coursework will also require students to analyse and discuss features, go on location for observational work and present – in the weeks allocated – an individual analysis of feature stories (text or weblink for the article chosen for analysis MUST be provided to the class by the week before the student's individual presentation).

Students are also required to keep a working diary, making entries at least weekly re ideas/potential follow up, stories encountered etc. Final reports to class will utilise these diary entries.

Assessment

All assignments and exercises must be delivered on deadline. Failure to meet the deadlines for assignments will result in marks being deducted. To achieve a pass, students must achieve a pass on all assignments, Students will be given a Grade for each Assignment i.e. Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction, High Distinction. As in all our courses, all stories are aimed to be potentially for publication. Ideally one of the features completed should be suitable for publication in one of our own publications, including the community newspapers The Point and Southside News, in Reportage Online, or in Book News, which is also published by the Department of Writing, Journalism and Social Inquiry.

Assignment 1: A 1,000-word feature story

Objectives	Prepare a follow-up feature story based on recent events
Value	25%
Due	Week 6 Due online Monday September 5
Task	To source, research and write a feature story of publishable quality. This story should be based on some aspect of a recent news event or demonstrate currency in its terms of reference and narrative. A potential publication point should be kept in mind. (Students may wish to aim for publication in The Point or Southside News.)
Assessment criteria	Assessment criteria includes quality of the idea, quality of the intro and the degree to which it demands attention, demonstrates newsworthiness and narrative value, the breadth of source material, a demonstrated understanding of the subject matter and the issues involved, the imaginative shaping of the content, and the quality of structure, clear writing and correct English expression.

Assignment 2: Short profile (750 words)

Objectives	Demonstrate an imaginative and discerning eye for the details, quotes, anecdotes that make for a strong profile. Demonstrate interviewing skills
Value	25%
Due	Week 9 Due online Tuesday October 4
Task	The aim of this task is to develop an imaginative and discerning eye for a potential story; to be aware of people, their lives, their hopes and dreams; to learn to engage in conversation with a person with the intention of seeking out his or her story. A potential publication point should be kept in mind. (Depending on subjects, profiles could be aimed at publication in The Point, Southside News or Book News.
Assessment criteria	Assessment criteria will take into account imaginative projection, narrative value, and use of colour and quotes.

Assignment 3: A 1,500 word feature

Objectives	Develop a potentially publishable feature story
Value	30%
Due	Week 12 Due online Monday Oct 24
Task	To identify a strong feature story with a currency that recommends it for publication. The story should involve many interviews, background research and lively writing. This is the major Assignment and should be of such quality as to potentially find publication in a magazine or newspaper. (A particular (potential) publication point should be kept in mind.)
Assessment criteria	Assessment criteria include quality of the idea, quality of the intro and the degree to which it demands attention, demonstrates newsworthiness and narrative value; the breadth of contacts, a demonstrated understanding of the subject matter and the issues involved, the imaginative shaping of the content, and the quality of structure, clear writing and correct English expression.

Assignment 4: Class Presentation

Objectives	Demonstrate an imaginative and discerning eye for ideas and stories. Engage in critical discussion of the quality of feature articles in magazines and newspapers
Value	20%
Due	(Individual weeks will be allocated in first session.)
Task	Students will evaluate in detail a substantial feature originally published in a newspaper or magazine. In evaluating the feature stories, students are asked to consider target audience, type of features, variations in style, structure, theme, tone, quality of intros/ endings, sources/ interviews/ backgrounding research. Student presentations to class must also incorporate reference to the readings designated for that week. All students may also be asked in any week to give a spontaneous evaluation of a current feature in the Sydney Morning Herald or the magazine sections of the SMH/Australian, and contribute to editorial discussions and workshops. The main aim of this exercise is to stimulate students to read a wide variety of magazines and journals, to heighten their awareness of writing styles and choices, and to sharpen their critical eye and discernment.
Assessment criteria	Assessment criteria includes regular class attendance, lively participation in discussion and exercises, evidence of wide reading and thorough research, demonstrated awareness of feature content in local newspapers and magazines, and quality of presentation.

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Recommended text(s)

As well as the course reader, students are expected to read the daily newspapers; at a minimum, for reference in class, The Sydney Morning Herald, in order to be aware of the news environment and identify potential follow-up feature ideas from news stories. Students are also expected to READ and RETAIN each week the Good Weekend and the Weekend Australian Magazine as current features will inevitably be a topic for discussion. Students should also make themselves familiar with Australian and overseas magazines that regularly publish features, e.g. The Monthly, Vanity Fair, Esquire, the New Yorker, Marie Claire etc.

Indicative references

Learning from other writers is established methodology in this discipline. Extensive reading of a wide range of features in a wide range of publications is expected. As well as the Course Reader, available from UTS, and other articles distributed in class, the following texts are recommended as useful references for this subject (some of the excerpts in the Course Reader are from these texts.)

Eisenhuth, Susie & McDonald, Willa, 2007, The Writer's Reader, Understanding Journalism and Non-Fiction, Cambridge University Press

Ricketson, Matthew, 2003, Writing Feature Stories, Allen & Unwin

Miller, Adrienne (editor), 2003, Esquire's Big Book of Great Writing, Hearst Books

Fogg, Christine, 2005, Release the Hounds, Allen & Unwin

Pilger, John (editor), 2004, Tell Me No Lies, Investigative Journalism and Its Triumphs, Jonathan Cape

Garner, Helen, 1996, True Stories: Selected Non fiction, Text

Leser, David, 1999, The Whites of Their Eyes: A Collection of Feature Stories from the Good Weekend, Allen & Unwin

Zinsser, William, 1994, On Writing Well: An informal guide to writing non-fiction, Harper Collins

King, Stephen, 2000, On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft, Hodder & Stoughton

Carey, John (ed.), 1987, The Faber Book of Reportage, Faber

Wolfe, Tom, 1973, The New Journalism, Harper and Rowe

Didion, Joan, 1993, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, (features collection, originally pub. 1968)

Mitford, Jessica, 1980, The Making of a Muckraker, Quartet

Malcolm, Janet, 1990, The Journalist and the Murderer, Bloomsbury

Richards, Ian, 2005, Quagmires and Quandaries, Exploring Journalism Ethics, UNSW Press

Dempster, Quentin, 1997, Whistleblowers, ABC Books

Wilson, Ruth, 2000, A Big Ask: Interviews with Interviewees, New Holland

Silvester, Christopher, 1993, The Penguin Book of Interviews, Penguin

Bell, P. & Van Leeuwen, T., 1994, Confession, Contest, Conversation: The media interview, UNSW Press

Hurst, John, 1988, The Walkleys, Australia's Best Journalism in Action, Richmond

Dunleavy, Maurice, 1988, Feature Writing, Deakin University

Strunk, W. & White, E.G., 1972, The Elements of Style, Macmillan (Complete copy also published on the internet.)

Students must also ensure they have access to a good quality dictionary and a thesaurus.

A book of English expression such as Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Oxford Uni Press, will also prove useful.