JRN2003 Feature Writing

Contents

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

STAFFING

REQUISITES

SYNOPSIS

This course will concentrate on preparation of larger journalistic articles for newspapers and magazines. Students will research and write different kinds of features, learning advanced interviewing and writing techniques.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. plan, research and write a newspaper feature story; (All assessment items refer)
2. analyse feature journalism; (All assessment items refer)
3. plan, research and write a magazine article and a photo caption. (All assessment items refer)

TOPICS

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).

Calculator

Granato, L 2001, Newspaper feature writing, Rev. Edn., University of NSW Press, Sydney.
(Rev. edn)

Lockwoo0d, K (ed) 2005, Style, 3rd edn, News Limited, 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.

Study Desk - Additional Resources.

Conley, D & Lamble, S 2005, The daily miracle: an introduction to journalism, 3rd edn, Oxford UP, Melbourne.

Evans, H 1997, Pictures on a page: photo-journalism, graphics and picture editing, Pimlico, London.

Harcup, Tony 2004, Journalism: Principles and Practice, Sage, London.

Harcup, Tony 2004, Journalism: Principles and Practice, Sage, London.

Harris, CR 2001, Visual journalism: a guide for new media professionals, Allyn & Bacon, Boston.
(Journalism - data processing - reporters and reporting - photojournalism - newspaper layout and typography)

Ricketson, M 2004, Writing feature stories, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
(Feature Writing)

Sedorkin, G 2002, Interviewing: a guide for journalists and writers, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
(Interviewing in journalism - technique - mass media - television)

Weaver, B 2003, Catch the wave: how to find good information on the internet - fast, 2nd edn, RMIT Press, Melbourne.
(Available online: http://www,informit.com.au/library)

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Each proposed story must be suitable for publication in the specified medium.

2.

This feature must be of a publishable standard in every respect.

3.

This feature must be of a publishable standard in every respect.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. 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 1 hour lecture and one 2 hour tutorial per week.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no exam for this course.
7. 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.
8. 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 or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. The journalism course maintains high standards of spelling, grammar, syntax and style. Faults in any of these areas could render a project or proposal unacceptable.
2. Assignments requiring the use of interviews, surveys, Internet databases etc must meet University and industry ethical requirements and the examiner must be satisfied these requirements have been met.

This version produced 16 Jul 2008.