Change in Journalism

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Total expected time commitment is 170 hours across the semester, including class time.

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

None

None

Students who have previously completed 100-420 Journalism: Practice and Theory, or MECM40007 Journalism Studies, are not permitted to enrol in this subject.

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 seeks, through research and investigation, to encourage students to reflect on how journalism has developed and changed over time, in order to gain a critically informed perspective on its present and possible futures. Students will reflect on the question of what drives journalism history, and different perspectives that have been provided on this question, in work that has focused on the contribution of sociopolitical, economic and technological change to shaping and transforming journalism. This is addressed through engagement with key areas of research and debate surrounding journalism history, as well as a consideration of different traditions and histories of journalism in different social and political cultures. Such work provides a resource for critically informed consideration of how history has shaped the present landscape of journalism and challenges facing the field. It also supports informed engagement with the problem of how such challenges might be addressed, and journalism's possible future(s).

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

• be able to demonstrate an informed understanding of relevant research that has investigated journalism history;
• be able to demonstrate an understanding of different arguments and positions regarding the forces that shape journalism, and how these inform different perspectives on its past, present and future;
• demonstrate a capacity to draw on existing arguments and evidence to develop their own critical arguments and make informed contributions to debates regarding processes of change in journalism.

A seminar presentation and short 1000 word submission 20% (due during the semester); a 2000 word essay selected from a list of provided essay titles, reflecting on a particular debate relating to journalism history 40% (due mid-semester); a final 2000 word essay reflecting on the relationship between journalism's past, present and possible futures 40% (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:

• possess the capacity to critically reflect on the relations between social structures and practices;
• possess the capacity to conduct research and apply knowledge to develop informed critical arguments;
• possess the capacity to articulate knowledge and understanding in oral and written communication; and
• possess the capacity to design, conduct and report original research.