The CORRECT texts for this
unit are:
MediaWriting : Print, Broadcast, and Public Relations
Author: Whitaker, W. Richard; Ramsey, Janet E; Smith, Ronald, D.
Edition: 4th Re
ISBN: 9780415888035
English for Journalists: Twentieth Anniversary Edition
Author: Hicks, Wynford
Edition: 4th Re
ISBN: 9780415661720
Overview
This introductory unit will develop student writing skills and apply those skills to the formats expected in the media industry. Students will learn how to differentiate media genres through audience and channel, and select appropriate techniques to produce professional documents suitable for publication or broadcast in traditional and online media. This unit introduces media writing skills, which contribute to the skills required in professional communication practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2019
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Evaluation Feedback 2018
Students commented on the availability of the unit coordinator to provide support and guidance.
It is recommended to maintain the same approach to lesson structure and accessibility, specifically around assessment.
Feedback from Student Evaluation Feedback 2018
Students commented on the practicality of the unit and how it enhanced their writing skills, as well the relevance of the supplementary materials.
It is recommended to maintain the core content of the unit and continued inclusion of relevant supplementary materials, including testimony from industry professionals.
Feedback from Student Evaluation Feedback 2018
Student questioned the relevance and necessity of the textbook.
It is recommended to reinforce throughout the unit which text is mandatory and which is supplementary.
- Write effectively across a range of media writing genres.
- Synthesise information and articulate it succinctly and accurately in formats appropriate to media writing.
- Use technology effectively to support writing tasks.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 45% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 45% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
N/A
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.bertoli@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 15 Jul 2019Module/Topic
Introduction to Media Writing
This week we introduce you to the course and introductory principles of media writing including research, planning and communication. You will also discuss the importance of evaluating your writing and the KISS Principle.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 1
Hicks, Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 22 Jul 2019Module/Topic
Identifying News
Lesson Two expands on the idea of 'news' and 'newsworthiness' as a media writing principle. You will discuss the dominant news values, 5Ws and H and how to incorporate these principles into a strong lead paragraph when crafting a news story.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 2 pp. 19 - 22
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 29 Jul 2019Module/Topic
The Basic News Story
News writing is a form of writing like no other. In this week's lesson, you will explore the practicalities of crafting a basic news story including the ABC principle, essential information and introducing talent.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 6 pp. 113 - 138
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 05 Aug 2019Module/Topic
Voice, Attribution and Acknowledgement
Media writing differs to academic writing in a number of ways including atrributing information. In week four we expand further on using credible sources through successful interviewing techniques, introducing talent and incorporating voice into your writing.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 8 pp. 161 - 186
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 12 Aug 2019Module/Topic
Writing for Social Media
Lesson Five focusses on effectively engaging with different social media platforms and the difference between writing for social and traditional media.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 13 pp. 281 - 296
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 19 Aug 2019Module/Topic
Vacation Week
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 26 Aug 2019Module/Topic
The Art of Curation
This lesson introduces you to the difference between creating content and collaborating or collecting content in the modern media landscape.
Chapter
Details in the Study Guide Lesson - located on the unit website.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 - Modern Media Analysis
Due: Week 6 Friday (30 Aug 2019) 17:00 pm AEST
Modern Media Analysis Due: Week 6 Friday (30 Aug 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 7
Begin Date: 02 Sep 2019Module/Topic
Writing for Speech and Vision
During the first half of this unit, you have worked on the basics of newswriting and social media. From here we move into more specific sub-genres of media writing including 'writing for the eye' and 'writing for the ear'.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 11 pp. 335 - 346
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 09 Sep 2019Module/Topic
Media Releases
Lesson Eight explores how media writing and journalism skills can be transferred to the public relations sphere including crafting a media release, supplementary information and fact sheets.
Chapter
Details in the Study Guide Lesson - located on the unit website.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 16 Sep 2019Module/Topic
Newsletters and Brochures
While media has become more fragmented, the popularity of auxiliary news items - newsletters and brochures - has remained constant. This week you will explore the principles of prodcucing influential auxiliary news items and the benefits of 'one stop shop' media content.
Chapter
Whitaker, Ramsey and Smith, Chapter 15 pp. 319 - 334
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 23 Sep 2019Module/Topic
Supplementing the Story
This week's short lesson introduces you to supplementary materials to consider when writing your story, specifically writing headlines, captions and breakout information.
Chapter
Details in the Study Guide Lesson - located on the unit website.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 - Modern News Reporting
Due: Week 10 Monday (23 Sep 2019)
9:00 am AEST
Modern News Reporting Due: Week 10 Monday (23 Sept 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 11
Begin Date: 30 Sep 2019Module/Topic
Reviewing Your Work
The old saying that 'good writing is due to effective editing' certainly rings true in journalism and media writing. Week 11 focusses on the different stages of reviewing your work.
Chapter
Details in the Study Guide Lesson - located on the unit website.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 07 Oct 2019Module/Topic
Review Week
This week we review the key concepts from the term.
Chapter
Details in the Study Guide Lesson - located on the unit website.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 14 Oct 2019Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3 - Reflection
Due: Review/Exam Week Monday (14 Oct 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Reflection Due: Review/Exam Week Monday (14 Oct 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 21 Oct 2019Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
In
this assessment, you will select and analyse a long-form convergent
media article from a credible, online media source. The media article
must be at least 500 to 1,000 words long. Attach screen shots of the
article as an appendix.
Present your assessment as a 1,500 word written response under the following sub-headings:
Journalistic principles
Convergence
Design and layout
A reference list is also to be included.
Journalistic principles include:
· The 5Ws and H
· News values (including whether the article is hard news or soft news)
· Angle
· Sources
Convergence includes:
· Audio/video/image content
· The inclusion of social media and how it is relevant
· Links to other relevant information (excluding advertising) including websites, previous stories, background information
Design and layout includes:
· Placement of article within the news site
· Accessibility and navigability of multimedia elements
· Audience engagement (attention-grabbing headline, visual appeal, shareability)
Your
response must identify and analyse the above elements with clear links
to the unit content. The response must also include academic
referencing.
Week 6 Friday (30 Aug 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Online
Week 8 Friday (13 Sept 2019)
Assessments will be returned within two weeks of submission.
Marking criteria will include:
· Quality of article selection;
· Appropriate identification of journalistic principles, convergence and design / layout;
· Link to unit content;
· Quality of academic writing;
· Quality of referencing.
A marking rubric is available on the Moodle site.
- Write effectively across a range of media writing genres.
- Synthesise information and articulate it succinctly and accurately in formats appropriate to media writing.
- Use technology effectively to support writing tasks.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Written Assessment
You will write and create content for a modern news media site using a free blog site (if you already have a wordpress blog from previous units, you may use it).
This assessment comprises three phases.
Phase One: Attendance at an event
For
this assessment, you will attend an event in your local area. This can
be any event but it must occur prior to the end of Week Nine. Events may
include music festivals, sporting matches, community open days and
political announcements.
Set up an Instagram account (as required in your weekly forum activities). NOTE: You will not be permitted to use your existing Instagram account as staff will need quick access to unit specific posts without having to scroll through existing posts when marking the assessment.
Attend
and record activities of the event via Instagram. Create a hashtag for
your event (if one doesn’t already exist). Throughout the event, post interesting facts, quotes, photos and videos via your Instagram account.
You must record a minimum of 15 posts.
Also include #profcomm and #CQUni in your posts.
You
will also take at least five newsworthy photos and shoot a 30-60 second
video which will be used in Phase Two of this assessment. The
photos and video can be shot and edited on your phone. The video can be
a short wrap of the event, interviews with relevant
talent/organisers/attendees, or a combination.
The photos need to incorporate different aspects of the event.
You are encouraged to be as creative as possible.
Phase Two: Writing a news article
Write
a 400-word news story about your event. This must be written using the
inverted pyramid, and have a strong lead paragraph/s that are based on
the 5Ws and H. You will need to include some quotes from attendees or
organisers. You may use sources and quotes from your tweets. (Ensure
your sources are credible - two sources minimum). You
will include at least FIVE newsworthy photographs featuring different
aspects of the event (with appropriate captions including names where
relevant) to accompany your story.
Create a free blog. Design the blog page in the style of an online news site and upload the article, images and the video. (NOTE: You may need to use a video sharing platform like YouTube to embed the video content).
Phase Three: Submission
You are welcome to provide constructive feedback on other students’ blog sites. It has been our experience that those who are willing to share and receive feedback generally receive a higher grade.
Submit
a word version of your story, images (including captions) and Instagram posts (screen shots) through Moodle. Include a cover page with your details and
links to your blog page, Instagram account and video sharing platform if
necessary. (Ensure all platforms are set to 'public' so teaching staff
can access them).
Before you submit, check that your article:
· Is newsworthy
· Has a strong introductory lead based on the 5W's and H
· Concludes appropriately; and,
· Uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Ensure your blog page is in the style of an online news site and that all links are active.
Week 10 Monday (23 Sept 2019) 5:00 pm AEST
Online
Week 12 Monday (7 Oct 2019)
Assessments will be returned within two weeks of submission.
Marking criteria will include:
· Newsworthiness of article
· Overall effectiveness of storytelling as appropriate to the genre (news)
· Newsworthiness of images and video
· Design and layout of blog site
· Attention to requirements of the task
A marking rubric is available on Moodle.
- Write effectively across a range of media writing genres.
- Synthesise information and articulate it succinctly and accurately in formats appropriate to media writing.
- Use technology effectively to support writing tasks.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Written Assessment
For this assessment, you will write a 2,000 word reflection and justification of the modern news gathering process, undertaken as part of Assessment Two. You will justify how you addressed journalistic principles, convergence and design / layout when crafting your blog site and writing your news article. Your reflection will explain where improvements could have been made with reference to the unit content. You may include references to other credible news sites to justify your arguments. Discuss the quality and effectiveness of your images and video content, and where – if at all – you feel enhancements could be made. You may choose to demonstrate how you would approach the same story with a different angle, and include an alternative lead paragraph/s. This assessment is designed to develop your ability to self-reflect and constantly improve your craft, which is essential for even the most experienced media professionals.
Review/Exam Week Monday (14 Oct 2019) 9:00 am AEST
Online
Exam Week Monday (21 Oct 2019)
Assessments will be returned within two weeks of submission.
Marking criteria will include:
- Quality of self-assessment
- Standard of writing
- Adherence to requirements of the task
- Link to unit content
- Referencing
A marking rubric is available on Moodle.
- Write effectively across a range of media writing genres.
- Synthesise information and articulate it succinctly and accurately in formats appropriate to media writing.
- Use technology effectively to support writing tasks.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
