Course description
Course overview
This course is aimed at the many students who have decided to make a career in journalism. It provides practical education and proficiency in print, broadcast and web journalism. You will also study all the other subjects which are essential to a successful career, including shorthand, media law and government, and be able to choose between other courses including international news and web creation and design.
BA in Journalism is taught in City’s prestigious department of journalism and publishing, which has over 4,000 alumni working as journalists and media professionals in the UK and internationally. The first graduates of the BA Journalism course will begin their full-time careers in summer 2009, and we anticipate that they will maintain the department’s impressive graduate employment record.
Course content
Year 1
In Year one, you will be introduced to the basic principles of journalism, and have an opportunity to spend some time on a minor subject, from sociology, economics or psychology. You will study two core modules:
* Introduction to journalism
* History of journalism
Then up to six optional modules:
* Introduction to Journalism 1
* History of Journalism
* European Studies
* Quantitative Methods for Journalists
* A foreign language
* Introductory social science courses
Year 2
All students take the following courses:
* Introduction to journalism 2
* Print and radio production
* Shorthand
* Structure of government
Then two elective modules from:
* History of journalism 2
* A foreign language
* British magazines
* Web creation and design
Final year
All students take the following courses:
* Advanced practical journalism print
* Advanced practical journalism broadcast
* Media law and ethics
* Journalism project (print, broadcast, or web)
Then two elective modules from:
* International news
* Specialism
* History of journalism project
* Journalism and society project
Teaching and assessment
Journalism teaching has a practical emphasis. Students will spend much of their time in small workshops learning journalistic skills – such as reporting a speech, presenting a radio news broadcast, interviewing and preparing page layouts on screen – and will produce short news and feature stories regularly. As professional work experience is the key to getting a job in journalism, all students are expected to arrange a variety of placements during their degree and tutors help with setting this up.
Assessment is split equally between coursework and examinations, and coursework assignments are submitted weekly. Coursework is usually worth 60 per cent of the overall module, and the examination worth 40 per cent, although this varies across modules.
Professional placement and study abroad
Students are encouraged to spend their third year out, either on one of the exchange programmes arranged by City to journalism schools abroad, or to spend the year doing work placements or paid work in the industry. There are at present exchange programmes with journalism schools in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Denmark, The Netherlands and Spain. Students who undertake the year out, thus completing a four year degree, find it extremely useful.
