57138 Journalism and Society

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

Handbook description

This subject is concerned with the ways in which the philosophical basis, role and activities of journalism have developed in relation to social context. It takes a comparative approach to historical and contemporary forms of journalism in western liberal democracies, post-colonial multi-party states and single-party states, and relates professional and community practice in journalism to developments in the political, economic and coercive fields. Among other themes it will consider internationalisation of news flows, development journalism, policy initiatives such as NWICO (the New World Information and Communication Order), free speech and censorship, and public/private sector media. It emphasises the specificity of historical and geographic factors within larger structural developments, and takes a comparative and critical approach to the use and evaluation of social theory.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the completion of this subject, students should be able to:

compare and evaluate the contribution of different approaches to journalism
demonstrate an understanding of theoretical debates in the conceptualisation and evaluation of journalism
critically analyse the way professional principles such as 'public right to know', 'freedom of expression' and 'access to information' relate to historically and geographically specific social contexts
relate the scholarly issues and debates to the professional perspectives of practitioners in these fields.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject contributes to the development of graduates who:

Have a knowledge and critical understanding of journalism in its social context
Have a knowledge of the historical and geographical factors in the development of different approaches to journalism
Have a critical understanding of issues of nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, disability and class and the way these are linked to issues in the practice of journalism
Have an understanding of the role of the media in local, regional, national and global contexts
Have an understanding of the relationship between media theory and practice
Have an understanding of and commitment to ethical journalism professional practice.

Teaching and learning strategies

The focus of teaching and learning will be students' engagement with complex ideas, extending their ability to critique ideas and to formulate their own viewpoints, positions and constructs, and then apply these ideas and formulations to their own research and scholarship. Learning activities will centre on lectures, workshops, readings, discussion (face-to-face and online), and independent and group study. There is an emphasis on mutual engagement by students in each other's learning in this subject, in both face-to-face and online environments.

Content

Historical and geographical perspectives on debates about the origins and roles of journalism, and their underpinning values, assumptions, traditions, epistemologies, theoretical and professional contexts, arenas of convergence and contest (Objectives a, b, c)
Comparative analysis of the impact of technological developments and media globalisation in different national and social contexts (Objectives b, c, d)
The debates in social theory about the relationships between political, economic, legal/coercive and cultural factors in the production of media representations of social events and processes, particularly with respect to debates about technology, globalisation, socio-economic development and national culture (Objectives a, b, c, d)
Contemporary research and scholarship in Australian and international journalism studies (Objectives a, b, c, d).

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Participation in online discussion group (individual task)

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Value	30% (including 10% peer assessment)
Due	To be advised
Task	Cumulative contribution of at least 2,000 words per student, in at least four distinct postings. 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 UTS Online each student will make a written contribution on a regular basis to their group's discussion of the readings and lectures. In these contributions students 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.
Assessment criteria	Students' work will be assessed for the quality of its: scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) rigour, adequacy and insight in empirical accounts ability to apply theoretical critique 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: Research and presentation of issues in current journalism practice (individual or group)

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Value	30% (including 10% peer assessment)
Due	To be advised
Task	Tutorial presentation and written tutorial paper of 1,000 words per student. This task involves an oral and written presentation to the tutorial group of a current issue in journalism practice in terms that relate to the lecture topics and readings. The presentation should identify and analyse the relevant theoretical issues as they apply to the practice issue being presented. 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 with links to relevant websites should be posted in the appropriate UTS Online 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 UTS Online) and hardcopy.
Assessment criteria	Students will be assessed in terms of: scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) acuity and insight in the empirical account ability to apply theoretical analysis to empirical phenomena clarity and strength of the argument presented presentation of written work (references, bibliography, literary style).

Assessment item 3: 2,500-3,000 word research essay (individual)

Objectives	a, b, c, d
Value	40%
Due	Week 14
Task	Students are expected to demonstrate their capacity to synthesise the material studied during the semester and to apply it as appropriate to a research project by formulating a research question, carrying out research that can address the question adequately and presenting the research and analysis in written form using the conventions of academic presentation. The research and essay should be about the impact of an historically and geographically specific social context on either a piece of journalism practice by themselves or some other person or a specific aspect of generic journalism practice. The research question (plus statement of theoretical framework, empirical focus and indicative bibliography) for the essay is to be approved by the tutor after negotiation and discussion in class and online and the essay is to be completed and submitted by week 14.. The essay should include the following elements: a discussion contextualising the theoretical perspective adopted within the range of perspectives discussed this semester (approx. 700 words) an account of the empirical research conducted (approx. 1,000 words) an analysis of the research in the light of one or more of the theoretical perspectives discussed during the course (approx. 1,000 words)
Assessment criteria	Students will be assessed in terms of: scholarship (knowledge of the relevant academic literature) acuity and insight in the empirical account ability to apply theoretical analysis to empirical phenomena clarity and strength of the argument presented presentation of written work (references, bibliography, literary style).

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to attend and participate in classes and online activities. Work during the semester will be based on the lectures, readings and resources set out in the subject outline. Students are expected to be familiar with the readings and lecture material, and to contribute actively in class by sharing their understandings of the ideas under discussion and by raising questions about the issues covered. Students who have a reason for extended absence from class (e.g. illness) may be required to complete a supplementary assignment to ensure they achieve the subject objectives. Penalties may apply for late submission of work. All assessment tasks, including peer assessment of other students' work in Tasks 1 and 2, must be completed and submitted as required and a satisfactory level overall must be achieved to pass the subject. Tutors will provide written comments on each written assignment to assist students.

Indicative references

Anderson, B. 1998: The spectre of comparison: nationalism, southeast Asia and the world, London, Verso

Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, 2003: Race for the Headlines: racism and media discourse, ADB, Sydney NSW

Bacon, W., and Nash, C. 2003: How Australian media covers humanitarian issues, Australian Journalism Review, 25(2).

Bacon, W., and Nash, C. 2003: Stories in distress: Three case studies in Australian media coverage of humanitarian crises, Australian Journalism Review, 26(1).

Beder, S. 2000: Global Spin: the Corporate Assault on Environmentalism, Scribe, Melbourne

Benson, R. and Neveu, E. 2004: Bourdieu and the Journalistic Field, Polity

Carey, J. 1989: Communication as Culture, New York and London: Routledge,

Castells, M., 1996, 1997, 1998: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Volumes 1,2 and 3, Blackwell

Cunningham, S. and Sinclair, J (eds) 2000: Floating Lives: the Media and Asian Diasporas, University of Queensland Press

Curran, J. and Park, Myung-Jin (eds.), 2000: De-Westernising Media Studies, Routledge London

Dahlgren, P. and Sparks, C. (eds) 1991: Communication and citizenship : journalism and the public sphere in the new media age, Routledge, London

Donald, S. et al. (eds), 2002: Media in China: Consumption Content and Crisis, Routledge Curzon London

Galtung, J. and Vincent, R.C. (1992) Toward a New World Information and Communication Order?, Hampton Press, Cresskill, New Jersey.

Gillespie, M., 1995: Television, Ethnicity and Cultural Change, Routledge, London

Habermas, J. 1989, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Polity Press, Cambridge

Harvey, D., 1996: Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference, Blackwell

Innis, H, 1951/91: The Bias of Communication, Toronto: University of Toronto Press

Keane, J. 1991, The Media and Democracy, Polity, London

Lull, J. 1995: Media, Communication Culture - A Global Approach Polity Press, Cambridge

Manning, P. 2003: Dog Whistle Politics: reporting Arabic and Muslim people in Sydney newspapers, Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, University of Technology, Sydney

Servaes, J. 2000 'Reflections on the Differences in Asian and European Values and Communication Modes', Asian Journal of Communication 10(2): 31–52

Servaes J. 2002, Communication for Development. One World, Multiple Cultures, Hampton Press, Cresskil

Sparks, C and Reading, A. 1998: Communism, capitalism and the mass media

Sage, London

Wanning Sun, 2002: Leaving China: Media Migration and Transnational Imagination, Rowman and Littlefield, Boulder, CO,

Wong, K. (2001) Media and Culture in Singapore: A Theory of Controlled Commodification. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press

Yao, S. (1994) 'The Predicament of Modernity: Mass Media and the Making of the West in Southeast Asia', Asian Journal of Communication 4(1): 33–51.