50174 Professional Practice and Culture

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

Requisite(s): 50106 Media, Information and Society OR 50227 Media, Information and Society

Handbook description

This subject examines professional agency in the production of culture. It situates professionalism within debates about the social role of intellectuals, and takes a comparative approach to issues including the relationship of professionals to principles of public service and ethics, the impact of corporatisation and industrialisation of professional work, the impact of new communication technologies on relations with employers, clients and audiences, and the impact of increasing globalisation of professional practice. These issues are explored in relation to case studies of particular professions including journalism, communication management, the law, film and television production and creative writing.

Subject objectives/outcomes

The learning objectives of this subject for students are:

to acquire and demonstrate a critical understanding of professional practice in socio-cultural production, and contemporary debates about the activities of some of the key professions
to apply some of the major scholarly approaches to researching and thinking about the role of the professions
to contribute constructively and critically to face-to-face and online discussions of the subject matter of the course
to produce written work for assessment that demonstrates a critical knowledge of the major scholarly debates in this subject area

Contribution to graduate profile

Have the skills to enter journalism professional practice
Will seek opportunities to make significant intellectual and creative contributions to the social, political and cultural life of the communities in which they live
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 a critical understanding of issues of gender, racism, ethnicity, disability and class and the way these are linked to issues of media representation, production and reception
Understand the role the media has played in the dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the importance of the role the media can play in the reconciliation process and bringing justice to all communities
Have an understanding and commitment to ethical journalism practice

Teaching and learning strategies

Your work as a student should be directed to achieving these objectives through participation in the course activities (lectures, tutorials, reading, research, online discussions, etc) and demonstrating your achievements through the way you produce your work for assessment.

There are 13 weekly classes of three hours duration. The classes consist of two activities:

for the first part of the semester: a series of lectures will introduce the topics, and tutorial discussion of lecture material, student contributions to online discussions and plans for the major research project. In some weeks there will be two lectures and in other weeks, one lecture and a longer tutorial.
for the later part of the semester: a series of student-led seminars, where we present and discuss work-in-progress for the students' research and case studies for the major assessment project.

Readings for each topic will cover a variety of analytical perspectives in order to introduce a critical understanding of debates about professional practice. These readings are the jumping off point for the lectures and online discussions. Progress of students on their assessment tasks will be discussed and assisted during class. Readings and notes for some additional topics are available on UTS Online. Students may draw on these for their final project.

Content

Culture is a major element of what defines human societies and the individuals who live in them. Over the last hundred years or so, a large proportion of activity that has a cultural impact in economically advanced societies has come to be performed by professionals working either as freelance independents or as employees of corporatised businesses, mostly located in cities. This is the case for 'high culture', which has long been the preserve of professionals, for popular culture, and also for that broad range of activity in the symbolic sphere that can impact on the way in which societies construct their social interactions, for example, in the media, law, health, education, architecture, etc.

Furthermore, people working in all of these fields often seek publicity in the mass media to promote their activities, and so representation of their work becomes incorporated into discourses mediated by media professionals. This gives media professionals a major role in the interpretation and definition of social and cultural activities in which they are not directly involved.

This 'industrialisation' and 'professionalisation' of cultural activity and its promotion has created a large group of what could loosely be defined as 'cultural professionals', who play a significant role in the representation and construction of social relations. Further, the advent of new communication technologies has contributed to the restructure of many industries and professions, changing the spatial and temporal rhythms of professionals' lives (both at work and at play), and providing new types of access for non-professionals to cultural production and exchange.

This subject is a critical study of debates about the role of the professions in social and cultural production. It situates the professions within their intellectual, social and economic contexts, and explores their roles from a variety of theoretical perspectives. It will explore debates about cultural agency, ethics and moral responsibility, the social structure of professions, and the impact of 'globalisation' on professional practice.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Participation in Online Discussion group

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Due	Commencing in Week 2, and to be completed by 10 May
Value	30% of total mark (20% awarded by tutor, 10% awarded by anonymous peer assessment)
Task	Cumulative contribution of approximately 2000 words in at least four distinct postings per student, with at least one posting per fortnight. Each student will be assigned membership of an online discussion group at the beginning of the semester. There will be up to seven members of each group. Using the UTSOnline section of the subject website, each student will make a written contribution on a regular basis to their group`s discussion of the weekly readings and lectures. In these contributions you will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the relevant concepts and arguments of the text(s) under discussion and to comment on them in ways that contribute positively to the discussion process. Your tutor will give oral feedback on your group`s online discussion in the tutorials, and might from time to time make written contributions to the discussions. All online contributions should be completed within a week after the last lecture, ie by 10 May. You will get a final written comment and grade from your tutor at the end of the semester. Over the semester your contributions should accumulate to a minimum total of 2000 words, and comprise at least four discrete contributions. Each contribution should include a word count for that contribution plus a running total of the cumulative word count for the semester.
Assessment criteria	Your work will be assessed for the quality of its scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) acuity and insight in the empirical account ability to apply theoretical analysis to empirical phenomena effective use of written sources clarity and strength of the argument presented presentation of written work (references, bibliography, literary style)

Assessment item 2: Oral and written presentation of progress report on research essay

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Due	As per week assigned to each group.
Value	20% of final mark
Task	This task involves an oral and written presentation of 1000 words per student to your tutorial group of a progress report for your major research essay (Task 3). The schedule for presentations will be discussed in Week 1 and confirmed in Week 2, to commence in Weeks 10/11. The presentation may be done individually or in groups of up to three students. Twenty-four hours before the presentation the equivalent of a one A4 page summary (per student) with links to relevant websites should be posted in the appropriate UTSOnline folder on the subject website. One week after the oral presentation each presenting student must hand in a written version of their presentation (or their part of the group presentation) in both electronic form (in UTSOnline) and hardcopy.
Assessment criteria	Your work will be assessed for the quality of its scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) acuity and insight in the empirical account ability to apply theoretical analysis to empirical phenomena effective use of written sources clarity and strength of the argument presented presentation of written work (references, bibliography, literary style)

Assessment item 3: 2500-3000 word final essay

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Due	Sunday, 8 June
Value	50% of final mark
Task	Students are expected to demonstrate their capacity to synthesise the material studied during the semester, to apply it as appropriate to a research project, carry out the research and present it in written form using the conventions of academic presentation. The research and essay should be on one of the following topics: an analysis of a piece of professional practice by yourself or some other person working in the arts/media/cultural industries a case study of a specific artistic/cultural/media profession with respect to the impact of social, economic and/or technological changes. The research question for the essay is to be approved by your tutor after negotiation and discussion in class and online (commencing in Week 3). The final topic is to be confirmed online, with an indicative list of references, by Week 7, and the essay is to be submitted by Friday 9 June. The project should include the following elements: a discussion contextualising the theoretical perspective you have adopted within in the range of perspectives discussed this semester (approx. 700 words) an empirical account (approx. 1000 words) an analysis of the situation in the light of one or more of the theoretical perspectives discussed during the course (approx. 1000 words)
Assessment criteria	Your work will be assessed for the quality of its scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) acuity and insight in the empirical account ability to apply theoretical analysis to empirical phenomena effective use of written sources clarity and strength of the argument presented presentation of written work (references, bibliography, literary style)

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.

Indicative references

Readings are available as eReadings, accessed through the UTS Library Catalogue web page at http://orac.lib.uts.edu.au/

References and resources for additional topics which may be relevant to chosen research topics will be supplied on UTS On Line and E readings.

The following books contain a range of useful articles for various sections of the course:

Manuel Castells, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Blackwell, 1996, 1997, 1998 (Three volumes)

Coady, M. and Bloch, S., (eds) 1996: Codes of Ethics and the Professions, Melbourne Uni. Press

Cunningham, S. and Turner, G. (eds), 2002: The Media and Communications in Australia, Allen and Unwin.

Curran, J., Morley, D. and Walkerdine, V. (eds), 1996: Cultural Studies and Communication, Edward Arnold

Curran, J. and Gurevitch, M. (eds.), 2000: Mass Media and Society, 3rd edition, Edward Arnold.

Freidson, Eliot, 1994: Professionalism reborn: theory, prophecy and policy, Polity

Harvey, David, 1990: The Condition of Postmodernity, Blackwell

Thompson, J. B., 1990: Ideology and Modern Society - Critical Social Theory in the Era of Mass Communication, Polity

You should also seek out other material from the mass media, and from the following journals:

Media International Australia

Media, Culture and Society (UK)

Australian Journal of Communication

Journalism: Theory and Practice

Journalism Studies

Cultural Studies (US)

International Journal of Communication

European Journal of Communications

Critical Studies in Mass Communication (US)

Communications Law Bulletin