News and Politics
CMM18
Overview
Level of study: What does Undergraduate Level 1 mean?
Undergraduate Level 1
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Web Supplemented
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
No
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
FEE-HELP FEE-HELP
Domestic student fee:
$750.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$975.00 (AUD)
Description
Challenge yourself by reading news and current affairs in a critical fashion. You will combine the development of practical news writing skills with a study of politics and the media. The unit provides an overview of news writing skills, newsgathering practises, Australian political institutions, the Constitution and citizenship, pressure groups, lobbying and elections. You are expected to be aware of current affairs on a daily basis. This unit is a great way to build your journalistic writing as well as your understanding of the interaction of political issues and institutions with the media. You will develop skills used in journalism and public relations.
Assessment
- Assignment 1 — News story (Media story) (35%)
- Assignment 2 — News story (Political story) (35%)
- Non-Invigilated Exam — Online exam (20%)
- Online Discussion (10%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- write in a journalistic style
- navigate your way through Australian political institutions
- appreciate the emerging global politics
- understand how the mass media relates to political institutions
- discuss key issues in current affairs
- appreciate your own biases and consider them rationally.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Newsgathering and news writing |
| 2 | Introduction to news and politics |
| 3 | News values -- what is news? |
| 4 | The essentials of news writing |
| 5 | Conducting interviews |
| 6 | Finding a good story |
| 7 | The news media industry |
| 8 | Media ownership |
| 9 | Media policy and journalism |
| 10 | Key institutions |
| 11 | Global media |
| 12 | Politics and the media |
| 13 | Cabinet, parliament and parties |
| 14 | The states and local government |
| 15 | Pressure groups and lobbyists |
| 16 | Elections and number crunching |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Print based materials
- Book of Readings
- Study Guide
- Welcome Letter
Online materials
- Resources and Links
Textbook information for this unit is currently being updated and will be available soon. Please check back regularly for updates. Alternatively, visit the Unibooks website and enter the unit details to search for available textbooks.
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Communication, Griffith University
- Certificate of Journalism, Griffith University
- Certificate of Media Communications, Griffith University
- Certificate of Public Relations, Griffith University
- Bachelor of Arts (Internet Communications), Curtin University
This unit is part of a major, minor, stream or specialisation in the following courses:
This unit is an approved elective in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts (Community Development), Murdoch University
- Certificate of Arts, Griffith University
- Diploma of Arts, Griffith University
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
