Practicum

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

This subject is designed to further develop the skills and extend the experience of those students already in gainful employment in a publishing or communications environment. With the support of the subject co-ordinator and the mentorship of a senior staff member in their place of employment, they will investigate their company’s business in order to understand its position within the broader industry, reporting back formally at periodic workshop sessions. As well as taking part in their ongoing day-to-day work, students will undertake a research project of concrete and practical benefit to their organisation. The research topic will be negotiated between the student, the organisation’s management or employee’s mentor, and the subject co-ordinator. Students will develop skills in conducting effective and timely research, analysis and report-writing, and will also gaining deeper insight into a particular model of contemporary publishing and communications practice. They will exercise the skills in writing, editing, print and web production they have developed through their university studies and apply them directly to their current professional environment.

• have had an opportunity for reflection and analysis on the culture, conditions and practices of the workplace;
• have developed a capacity to critically evaluate their experience and to share their findings through written and oral reports; and
• have an extended ability to apply research concepts, frameworks and techniques in a practical setting.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• written and oral communication skills through contribution to workshop discussions and participation in workplace-based discussions and reporting sessions;
• a capacity for effective teamwork through group discussions and collaboration with the workplace mentor and other staff;
• skills in research, including the use of online sources and oral/interview materials as well as published documents;
• skills in time management and planning through managing workloads for recommended reading, workshop presentations and assessment requirements; and
• a capacity for critical analysis through engagement with and critique of a range of publishing strategies.