Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Professional English for Journalism 2
Teaching staff
By appointment.
Introduction
The competences obtained in this course will allow students to be acquainted with main discussions and meta-debates sorrounding journalistic practice worldwide. Students will also get familiarized with the conditions under which journalists in different countries work. An overview of main news media groups, tech firms and news consumption patterns around the globe will be given, and students will also learn to discuss the normative implications and effects of these media groups’ and firms’ strategies and decisions. Finally, they will become familiar with the main research institutions concerned with the study of journalism worldwide. The course is conceived as a hands-on, highly interactive seminar, in which students will have to read, write and present on relevant topics through the semester.
Pre-course requirements
There are no pre-course requirements.
Objectives
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To familiarize students with different issues in modern media that directly affect journalists
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To enable them to competently engage in public and private conversations with journalists and subjects of journalistic interest around the globe.
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The ultimate goal is for them to be able to confidently report and cover news and work for a news organization anywhere in the world.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 CG - Capacity for self-evaluation and professional order
- 02 CG - The ability to learn and act an autonomously and responsibly
- 03 CG - The ability to work in a group
- 15 CE - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 17 CE - The ability to produce spoken and written texts for journalistic projects
- 55 CE - The ability to skillfully handle English terminology related to the journalistic profession
Learning outcomes of the subject
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- Reading and understanding literature in the field of journalism in English.
- Knowing and using the terminology and linguistic structures of the English language relevant to the media.
- Understanding the main ideas at conferences or lectures in English.
- Staging presentations using oral and/or written English.
- Analyzing and synthesizing oral and/or written information.
- Demonstrating teamwork skills.
- Developing interpersonal skills in a foreign language.
Syllabus
- Introduction and course overview. Basic concepts in the study of journalism and news production
- Global media & media systems in comparative perspective
- Is journalism an Anglo-american invention? A historical perspective of journalistic traditions in “the West”
- News consumption patterns around the globe
- Professional journalism, journalistic values and practices worldwide
- Research centers for the study of journalism, journalism labs and philantropic organizations for promoting high-quality news. What they do and how
- Main debates on modern media I. From uninformed to disinformed: Studying online and offline misinformation
- Main debates on modern media II. Combating disinformation online: Analyzing cross-national fact-checking & media literacy interventions
- Main debates on modern media III. Red and Blue Media: on echo chambers and filter bubbles
- Newsrooms’ structures and media convergence
- The foreign media correspondent
- Journalism in the digital age: Online news and the chase for clicks
- Reinventing journalism in contentious times
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.8 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 0.6 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 0.6 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2.0 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The course amounts 4 ECTS credits and is on-site.
Students will have to give a presentation on a topic relevant to the course which will amount 40% of their grade (sessions labeled “Reinventing journalism in contentious times”).
Active participation amounts 20% of the final grade.
The final exam (an essay) equals 40% of the final grade.
For those retaking the course a second and following times, the exam will amount the 100% of the grade.
Overall, students will have to hand in 3 deliverables:
-Outline of the presentation (2p max),
-Slides of the presentation,
-Written essay (4p max).
4 weeks before your presentation a list of references will be uploaded on Moodle for each of you to use for preparing said presentations. Presentations will be broken down and embedded in 3 overarching themes: Reinventing journalism under an economic crisis, under a political crisis, and under a health crisis. In the presentations you will have to reflect on the contextual and organizational aspects outlined in the previous sessions. 2 weeks ahead of your presentation you will have to hand in the outline of your presentation and 1 week before you will discuss it with the instructor.
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Workload |
Percentage (%) |
|
Active participation |
20 |
|
Presentation |
40 |
|
Final essay |
40 |
|
Total |
100 |