JRN2002 Radio Journalism

JRN	2002	74560	1, 2008	ONC	Radio Journalism	1.00	Toowoomba
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOART
Academic org:	FOA003
Student contribution band:	1
ASCED code:	100703

Staffing
Requisites
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Other requirements
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Dianne Jones
Moderator: Aidan Burke

REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: JRN1000 and JRN2000

SYNOPSIS

This course provides students with a hands-on introduction to reporting, writing, recording and presenting broadcast news for traditional and new (Web-based) media, in a working newsroom with "real life" deadlines. It stresses current affairs knowledge. Students will learn to operate electronic recording and editing equipment, think independently, refine their news sense, operate within the community as journalists, and make ethical editorial decisions. Students will also develop a critical understanding of the role and function of radio and online journalism, including the theoretical debates concerning the news media's role and key functions. Topics covered include radio and Web radio news in context, new media production and broadcast news writing style, interview techniques, voice production, and editorial decision-making.

OBJECTIVES

On successful completion of this course the student should:

1.: demonstrate an understanding of the major news events of the previous weeks, in particular how these events were handled by broadcast and online media;
2.: have an understanding of the major theoretical debates concerning the news media, including the role of broadcast and online media in fostering public awareness of social issues and problems;
3.: demonstrate an ability to meet tight news deadlines;
4.: be able to isolate major news stories and to justify their possible inclusion in the front section of a radio news bulletin;
5.: be able to write radio news stories based on his/her experience gained from exercises completed in classes, his/her own research material and interviews;
6.: be able to interview and produce stories with recorded material for different media.

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Current affairs	10.00
2.	New media and radio news production	10.00
3.	Broadcast news writing style	20.00
4.	Interview techniques	10.00
5.	Reporting skills	15.00
6.	Constructing a news story	10.00
7.	Voice production	5.00
8.	Editorial decision-making and newsroom operations	10.00
9.	Radio and Web radio news - ethical frameworks and theoretical contexts	10.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

The Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus. 2 blank CDs; 1 USB

Alysen, B 2005, The electronic reporter, 2nd edn, UNSW Press, Sydney.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessments	28.00
Directed Study	30.00
Tutorials or Workshops	38.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description		Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
2,000 WORD ESSAY		100.00	30.00	23 Apr 2008	(see note 1)
NEWSBREAK		100.00	70.00	08 May 2008	(see note 2)

NOTES

1.: Students will be advised in week one's class of their assignment requirements and due dates. Students must complete and submit all items of assessment in order to be considered for a passing grade in this course. The use of another person's work as the student's own, without appropriate acknowledgment in the essay according to USQ's academic conventions, is plagiarism. Where such a breach of ethical conduct occurs, the assignment may receive a mark of zero. This assignment is aligned with Objectives 1, 2 & 4.
2.: Students will be advised in week one's class of their assignment requirements and due dates. Each of the five Newsbreak assessments, worth a total of 70 per cent of the course's marks, will be completed in class and under deadline conditions. Students must complete and submit one Newsbreak story per class (for a total of five) in order to be considered for a passing grade in this course. Students who fail to attend a Newsbreak class will receive a mark of zero for their story. Students who present a valid medical certificate for a missed Newsbreak class will be required to complete and submit their Newsbreak story at a date and time to be determined in consultation with the lecturer. In order to successfully complete this assessment item, students must maintain an up-to-date knowledge of news events and current affairs. This assignment is aligned with Objectives 1, 3, 4, 5 & 6.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. For this course, normal class attendance consists of one 4-hour tutorial per week.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
Penalties for late submission of required work:
If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment. (Newsbreak - See important information in Note 2 in Assessment Details.)
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no exam for this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

ASSESSMENT NOTES

(a) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must lodge the assignment at the USQ. (b) All Faculty of Arts assignments must be lodged in the Faculty Assessment Centre on the Ground Floor of Q Block no later than 12 noon on the due date. (c) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a Show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience. (d). Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner. (e) In accordance with University's Assignment Extension Policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner of a course may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances such as documented ill-health. (f) Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in the course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of the course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete-Makeup). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study. (g) Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or sit for an examination at the scheduled time, may apply to defer an assessment in the course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The journalism course maintains high standards of spelling, punctuation, syntax and style. Faults in any of these could render a project or proposal unacceptable.
If assignments in the course require the use of surveys, interviews, etc., students should be aware of the University and Faculty of Arts ethical requirements/guidelines. (The course syllabus distributed to students in the first week of teaching provides this information.)
Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.
Students will require access to email and must have internet access to USQConnect for this course.

This version produced 28 Aug 2009.