Admission and Unit Information - Bachelor of Communication (Journalism)

Approaches to Communication offers a wide range overview of major theories and models in communication and embraces a series of selected case studies of the emergence, impact and social shaping of different communication and media technologies through history and into the future.

This unit introduces students to forms and theories of writing as processes of communication. Students will work with processes of writing in creative, stylistic and rhetorical contexts. Students will be introduced to theories and practices of creativity, rhetorical analysis and human communication. Areas studied include writing as a communication technology, fiction writing, rhetorical and analytic approaches to writing, writing as affect and expression.

This unit will provide an introduction to film and media theories, practices and industries in Australia and internationally. It will develop critical skills in assessing a variety of moving images, modes of production and audience responses. It will explore ways in which changing media landscapes are impacting screen media.

In this unit students gain a grounding in the key areas of advertising and the steps in the advertising process, viz. research, strategy, creative (copywriting & art direction), production, account service, media planning and marketing communication. Students are also introduced to the issues surrounding advertising and its role in society.

This unit introduces students to processes of design. It examines how knowledges may be formed through visual design processes and how visual design reveals knowledges. It also introduces students to basic visual literacies, current design applications and production processes.

This unit aims to introduce the underlying rationale of the modern research process in professional communication settings including electronic database searches, critically reviewing research literature, data collection and analysis, writing the research report, and research ethics.

This unit introduces the student to the theory and research that serves as the foundation of the practice of public relations. The unit surveys the history of the discipline, the theories on which the discipline is based, and current models of practice. The unit focuses on understanding how to research and analyse the opinions of organisational publics in order to develop mutually beneficial relationships with those publics. The contemporary practice of public relations requires an understanding of a broad range of social science theory and research and the ability to incorporate that knowledge in the solution of public relations problems.

The unit introduces students to the field of journalism, the concept of news, the role of the journalist and the professional skills of news gathering and news writing. The unit also considers the legal and ethical obstacles and obligations faced by journalists.

This unit gives students a thorough understanding of the legal framework in which the communication industries operate and the ethical context of decision-making in the media professions. It covers the basics of contempt and defamation law; copyright; advertising; promotions and public relations; the legal framework for electronic communication using the internet and email; issues in the regulation and control of print, broadcast and electronic media and the professional codes of ethics that apply in all fields of communication practice.

This unit will introduce students to news gathering, research, story construction and news writing for delivery over a variety of platforms, from print-based to online and broadcast. It will give students foundation skills which they can then apply in the subsequent electronic and print feature units.

This subject takes students beyond event and reactionary reporting towards an understanding of the proactive process of exploration, interpretation and exposure in journalism. Students learn how to find, filter and file information in a dynamic and constantly changing environment. Given a lot more time to explore issues, students learn to add value to information while keeping the story current, to deadline and in the public sphere, while negotiating with the media industry to get their stories out into the public sphere.

This unit further develops knowledge, skills and abilities achieved and learned in Introduction to Journalism. Magazine Journalism focuses on the professional practice of writing for magazines through an understanding of varied audiences for such a vibrant media industry in Australia. Students pitch ideas to magazine editors and work towards being published in the process of understanding how freelancing works in the Australian magazines industry.

The convergences and diversifications in the communications media industries of the past two decades have completely altered the environment within which they operate for producers and consumers alike. Issues about digitalisation, convergence, globalisation, the network society and communications media governance require a complete reconceptualisation of the media in order to be able to understand the impact of these changes upon professional practices and consumer habits. This unit will introduce students to international perspectives on issues in the new media contexts, and an appreciation of some of the social and cultural implications.

Investigative Journalism is regarded as the pinnacle of journalism. It is reserved to best and brightest, who have proven themselves in other areas of journalism. It is done by inquisitive journalists and by those who have solid research skills and intellectual abilities. Investigative journalism provokes and enables change on society, by unearthing wrong doing and thus altering the agendas of both the citizenry and the policy makers. Rather than reacting to the breaking news of the day, investigative journlists set a wider agenda. The work of investigative journalists is validated when citizens respond by demanding change from their leaders.

Students studying this unit examine the function of photojournalism in the process of newsgathering and production and examine the relationship between images and text and their communicative potential. The unit involves a variety of approaches to photojournalism using monochrome and colour photography and location lighting for social documentary for ultimate use in a range of published forms.

Media images are not transparent windows on the world, or direct forms of communication, but are “framed” presentations that mirror social values and cultural attitudes. Media do not present reality directly but re-present aspects of “the real” in communicating about us and our world/s. This unit will examine how media do not just inform us, but persuade us, how they influence, educate and entertain us. It will develop skills in analysing and critiquing how the media can make us think, feel, react.

Television Journalism is designed to introduce students to the basics of reporting for television news and information programs. It covers news gathering for television, basic camerawork and editing, writing to pictures, interviewing, narrating and story construction as well as analysis of the social role of television news and information programs.

This unit introduces students to radio journalism, providing both a practical and an analytical understanding of the medium. Students will learn news gathering, writing, interviewing, and production skills plus the use of social media in reporting for and delivering radio.

Researching Media Audiences (RMA) interrogates the changing nature of, and altered perspectives on, audiences and publics. Set in the context of emerging technologies of the self, the unit traverses media theory from the Frankfurt School to high-structuralist and postmodern approaches such as the ‘uses and gratification model’ and ‘ethnographic research’. Through an examination of mass audience, community, and markets, the unit also examines categories of public / audience consciousness and media typologies. There is reflection on news values and Australia’s regulatory framework for media is reviewed. As part of a broader consideration of active (rather than reactive) audiences, RMA investigates the formation and behaviour of ‘fandoms’ and the unit also reviews means and mechanisms for audience valuation.

Television Journalism is designed to introduce students to the basics of reporting for television news and information programs. It covers news gathering for television, basic camerawork and editing, writing to pictures, interviewing, narrating and story construction as well as analysis of the social role of television news and information programs.

This unit introduces students to radio journalism, providing both a practical and an analytical understanding of the medium. Students will learn news gathering, writing, interviewing, and production skills plus the use of social media in reporting for and delivering radio.

This unit introduces students to the concept surrounding the editorial team process and the culture of the newsroom across all news media. It explores the social and organisational context of news production in commercial, public or community news organisations. It draws upon theory from communication, sociology, psychology, and management to provide a broad understanding of the principles and practices of effective and creative news teams. It critically analyses the structures, processes and techniques of news gathering to enable quality team outcomes. The unit encourages collaborative working relationships and develops students' own practice in a team.

This unit provides students with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they are developing during their studies to tasks within a workplace (the host organisation). The unit is likely to involve substantial contact with the public through workplace placements and, for this reason, it is deemed a professional placement. The unit is restricted to students in their third year of study (or part time equivalent).