You will be assigned to a discussion group in your tutorial in week 2. Each group will be responsible for leading a discussion about key ideas in the lecture and readings in the week prior.  You should choose one or two news events from the past week to illustrate or challenge the theories and concepts.

The first goal of your brief presentation is to communicate your comprehension of the week’s main concepts and ideas and show that you can apply these ideas to contemporary news media. The second is to generate a lively intellectual discussion, one that furthers our understanding of ideas we are studying and the world in which we live. Ideas regarding how to go about doing this will be discussed in the tutorials in week two.

Submission:

At least 12 hours before the class, discussion leaders are asked to post any news stories that they are going to discuss to the tutorial's blog on iLearn (Look for link: Discussion Leaders Post your Links here"  to access blog) so other students can familiarize themselves with the case studies.

 After the presentation, please post any presentation materials (eg. Pdf of prezis or powerpoint slides, presentation plan, notes, etc.) to the same blog.    

Assessment Criteria:

To do well on this assignment you will need to:

•        identify, discuss and demonstrate a deep understanding of the central argument(s) of the readings and lecture.

•        identify, discuss and demonstrate that you have a broad understanding of contemporary affairs and the news media

•        show that you can apply abstract concepts and ideas to concrete examples drawn from current news media

•        identify questions and problems that require critical analysis

•        work collaboratively

•        demonstrate that you can communicate ideas orally and engage in constructive debate and discourse

N.B.  You may write an individual blog post about this work but you may not submit it for the assessment.

Students are expected to keep a weekly news analysis blog on the iLearn site. Your entry is your preparation for the tutorial and should be posted before you attend class.

After class you should post a brief reflection on the discussion (a few concise sentences will do). Ideally this should be done within 24 hours of class. 

In your post you should identify one or two main concepts from the lecture and readings that interests you and choose a news event from the previous week to illustrate and/or challenge these theories. Your post is expected to be informal and brief. This is a space for scholary exploration.

Length and format:

Concise is better than verbose. Posts may be anywhere between 300 and 500 words or you may submit an audio or video post of no more than 3 minutes. (You must discuss this option with your tutor.)

These are informal posts but remember that your audience is your tutor. 

You should attribute ideas and also be sure to link to any media you are discussing.

If you do any additional research, be sure to reference it.

Submission

Your tutor will assess one entry from either week three or four. (Please note: By the end of the semester you will be expected to have completed at least six entries and at least two of these should be from the first half of the unit.) You will choose the entry and submit the text via the turnitin link.

n.b. You may not submit an entry for assessment from the week that you present and lead the discussion (but this can count towards meeting your minimum requirements.)

Assessment will be based upon:

How well the post demonstrates that you can identify and summarise key concepts in the readings

Your application of these ideas to current media events

Your ability to articulate questions and identify good case studies

Your ability to reflect on the discussion and identify problems that require more thought and research

You should use your feedback on this assessment to guide your work on Blog Assessment part 2.

Students are expected to keep a weekly news analysis blog on the iLearn site. Your entry is your preparation for the tutorial and should be posted before you attend class. After class you should post a brief reflection on the discussion (a few concise sentences will do). Ideally this should be done within 24 hours of class. All students are expected to have completed a minimum of six posts (you may do more) and at least two of the posts should be from weeks three through six.  

In your post you should identify one or two main concepts from the lecture and readings that interests you and choose a news event from the previous week to illustrate and/or challenge these theories. Your post is expected to be informal and brief.

Length and format:

Concise is better than verbose. Posts may be anywhere between 300 and 500 words or you may submit an audio or video post of no more than 3 minutes. (You must discuss this option with your tutor.)

These are informal posts but remember that your audience is your tutor. 

You should attribute ideas and also be sure to link to any media you are discussing.

If you do any additional research, be sure to reference it.

Submission

Your tutor will assess two entries from week's five through 13. You will choose the two entries and show that you have met the weekly requirements via turnitin. You should also provide a link to your blog. 

n.b. You may not submit an entry for assessment from the week that you present and lead the discussion (but it may be one of your six or more entries.)

Assessment will be based upon:

How well the posts demonstrates that you can identify and summarise key concepts in the readings

Your application ideas to current media events

Your ability to articulate questions and identify good case studies

Your ability to reflect on the discussion and identify problems that require more thought and research

Your engagement with the course material and reflection on the tutorial discussions.

How to prepare for tutorials

Read and review the required readings for the previous week

Review your lecture notes

Read the news stories that the presenters have posted to your class blog

Prepare some questions and comments

During the tutorials

You are expected to listen to the presenters and participate in the discussions and any exercises in a meaningful way. Tutorials are a place to experiment with, question and test ideas and to benefit from listening to and responding to the ideas and questions of others.  Robust debate is encouraged but please be polite and respectful.

Please note: As tutorial attendance is compulsory, no grades will be given for attendance. 

You will write 1800-2000 word individual research project on a question related to the key ideas and concepts that we are studying in this unit. You will  be expected to devise your own research question however, suggested topics and approaches will discussed the lecture and tutorials.

Essays should be submitted via Turnitin

The essay should demonstrate:

·      A strong understanding of key ideas in journalism and media research.

·      The ability to critically assess and contextualise the work in this field.

·      The ability to develop a unique and original argument.

·      Clarity and precision of expression.

·      Originality of thinking and approach.

·      The ability to create a concise and sophisticated argument within the word limit.