Learning objectives
Students should be able to identify the different genres of journalism and distinguish good writing from bad. They should acquire the transferable skills of linguistic concision, precision and persuasion, as well as editing and commissioning ideas. They will acquire the structural and narrative nous to recognise what makes a story and what doesn’t. The sophistication and subtleties of their English usage should improve and verbal abilities acquired should be informative both for textual criticism and creative output. The resultant verbal dexterity will be applicable not only to journalism, but all future fields which require confidence at the microphone and keyboard: corporate communications, media relations, spokes-personing etc.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The course aims to hone writing and story-telling skills in both Italian and English with reference given particularly to the print / written media. There will be analysis and discussion of the main different genres of print journalism – news, reportage, first person, investigative, editorial, long-read, true crime, satirical and product review. The radical alterations in journalistic practises in the last two decades will be assessed and debated: digitilisation, social media, reporting extremisms, journalism in an era of post-truth politics, environmental and diversity agendas. A full understanding of the industry will be afforded by investigation of the financial aspects of contemporary journalism: advertising & finances, remuneration & income streams, democratised publishing platforms etc.
Full programme
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Bibliography
First Person:
https://www.firstthings.com/article/2021/06/the-cross-and-the-machine
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/29/in-the-bird-cage
Extremism & post-truth politics:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/02/why-we-are-addicted-to-conspiracy-theories
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/mar/18/all-hail-the-clown-king-how-boris-johnson-made-it-by-playing-the-fool
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/21/were-all-living-in-berlusconis-italy-world-now-trump-boris/
Long-Read:
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/john-allen-chau-life-death-north-sentinel/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/09/twenty-years-gone-911-bobby-mcilvaine/619490/
Creative Ideas:
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/enzo-mari-ikea-design/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/italy-museum-of-abandonment
True Crime:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/08/-sp-the-murder-that-has-obsessed-italy
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/magazine/giulio-regeni-italian-graduate-student-tortured-murdered-egypt.html?smid=tw-share
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/31/an-unsolved-at-italys-most-notorious-tower-block
Feminism & Inclusion:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/09/13/who-lost-the-sex-wars
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/01/how-to-raise-a-boy-my-mission-to-bring-up-a-son-fit-for-the-21st-century
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/09/arhoolie-us-record-label-chris-strachwitz-blues-zydeco
Profile:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/26/the-right-way-to-remember-rachel-carson
Teaching methods
Each lesson begins with a quick scrutiny of the day’s news agenda, both locally, nationally and globally. The majority of the sessions will rely on close-readings and textual analysis of recently-published, English-language articles and essays (to be read prior to lessons) followed by group discussion and debate. There will be in-class writing exercises (in Italian). Informal peer-review and friendly feedback will be offered on written work done during lessons and at home.
Assessment methods and criteria
The end-of-course assessment will be calculated through a combination of: the results of submitted course-work (50%); and a written examination in Italian to produce a c. 1000 word newspaper article (25%) and a c. 500 word critique of a text (25%).
Other information
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