All assessments must be submitted as single Word or PDF documents via the Turnitin link on iLearn. Email and print submissions will not be accepted as per the assessment policy.

Late Assessment Penalty 

Please note that the University and the Faculty of Arts have launched a new assessment policy effective as of 1 July 2021. This new policy particularly affects LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS.

The Faculty policy in relation to late assessment submissions is as follows:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests, etc.

To be very clear:

·         Unless you have applied for special consideration and had your application approved, for each day your assignment is late, 10 marks will be deducted. For example, if you submit your assignment 7 days late, 70 marks will be deducted, which means you will fail that assignment.

·         If your assignment is more than 7 days late (including weekends), you will get 0 marks for your assignment.

These are serious penalties that will substantially alter your final grade and even determine whether you pass or fail this unit. Please make every effort to submit your assignment by the due date.

If you find you cannot submit your assignment on time, please apply for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Make sure you read Macquarie University's policy regarding Special Consideration requests before you apply: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration’

Seminars commence in Week 2. 

Required Reading

Refer to iLearn for details about assigned readings and resources.

There is a prescribed textbook for this unit: Lynette Sheridan Burns, Understanding Journalism (Sage, 3rd edn, 2018). Print and e-books are available for purchase from Booktopia.

Other required readings are accessible via the university library/Leganto or the internet. 

Seminar Preparation

Students will be expected to be read and critique mainstream news sites. Refer to iLearn for further information.

Students will sometimes be required to complete "practice tasks"  before attending class, and encouraged to upload them to a blog for feedback in class. These are short assignments and exercises that will help you build your portfolios and skills. Instructions will be announced in class and posted to iLearn. If you miss a class please check iLearn before attending the seminar to ensure you are prepared. 

2-hour seminars commence in Week 2.

A detailed unit schedule will be available on iLearn.