ALJ222 - From the Fourth Estate to Fake News
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online Trimester 3: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Thaera OBrien Trimester 3: Kristy Hess |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | ALJ304 |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week Approximately 1-hour of online learning tasks and discussions per week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Approximately 3-hours of online learning tasks and discussions per week |
Content
Explore the functions of journalism in liberal democratic societies and how it connects — or divides — communities, from the local, national and global. You will critically examine the history of the news media, and analyse how changing business models, reforms to media regulations, and news consumption and production habits are simultaneously enriching, complicating and challenging the established values, conventions and boundaries of journalistic practices. Through critical reflection on a range of pressing issues facing working journalists, you will build your professional identity in a dynamic communication landscape to better understand and serve your communities.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Synthesise and explain the social, economic, political and cultural factors that shape the production, distribution and consumption of the news media at the local, national and global levels | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO8: Global citizenship |
| ULO2 | Distinguish and critically assess different approaches to journalism and evaluate the ethical challenges that arise for journalists practicing different forms of journalism | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO3 | Critically analyse policy and regulatory debates, solutions and suggestions to support different approaches to journalism, drawing upon scholarly and practice-based research and media sources, government inquiries, submissions and/or activist initiatives | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Journalism reflection | 1200 words or equivalent | 30% | Week 4 |
| Assessment 2: Presentation | 3–5 minutes presentation plus 300 word supporting documentation | 30% | Week 8 |
| Assessment 3: Explainer | 1600 words or equivalent | 40% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.
Unit Fee Information
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