Journalism: Conflict and Society

This subject is not offered in 2013.

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Admission to the postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours in media and communications; or the Master of Global Media Communication. Students wishing to enrol in this subject must consult with the subject coordinator.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject examines the diverse roles that journalism plays in communicating conflicts in different national and international contexts. It focuses mainly upon the news media, both broadcasting and the press, though occasionally other forms of journalism and media such as TV current affairs and selected documentary programs as well as online news and the Internet will also be examined. The subject aims to engage with a wide range of scholarly studies of different mediatised conflicts, their informing theoretical frameworks and methodologies. Case studies of media reporting will include, for example, demonstrations, riots and civil unrest, war (from the Crimea to Iraq and beyond), international terrorism and the events of September 11 2001, deviance, crime and criminal justice, 'race', racism and ethnicity, political scandals, and the environment and 'risk society'. Through this case study approach, the subject opens up a sophisticated theoretical understanding of production processes, professional practices, political contingencies and media performance and how these impact on the representation of major public issues and concerns. Students will also be invited to engage in detailed analysis of current mediatised conflicts as they arise throughout the course and reflect on their own findings and research strategies. On completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate critical understanding of the forms and dynamics of conflict reporting, appreciate the role of theory and methodology in academic media analysis, and have deepened their understanding of the role/s performed by journalism in conflicted societies both past and present.

Students who complete this subject will:

• be able to demonstrate understanding of key studies and major theoretical frameworks deployed in the analysis of journalism and representations of war and diverse conflict situations;
• be able to identify how changing frameworks of analysis prompt different questions and forms of analysis deployed in the study of journalism, conflict and society; and
• be able to deploy frameworks and methods of analysis in their own studies of mediatized conflict and reflect on the adequacy of these for improved understanding of media performance.

A written media report of 2500 words 50% (due after the mid-semester break), and a written essay of 2500 words 50% (due in the examination period). Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% (or 10 out of 12) classes in order to qualify to have their written work assessed. Any student who fails to meet this hurdle without valid reason will not be eligible to pass the subject. All required written work must be submitted in order to pass the subject. Essays submitted after the due date without an extension will be penalised 2% per day. Essays submitted after two weeks of the assessment due date without a formally approved application for special consideration or an extension will only be marked on a pass/fail basis if accepted.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:

• demonstrate competence in advanced library searches and information retrieval;
• demonstrate proficiency in the application of selected methods of media analysis;
• demonstrate conformity to academic protocols of presentation and research procedures; and
• critically analyse journalism's representation of current conflicts.