Foundations of Journalism: Logic, Evidence and Research

Foundations of Journalism: Logic, Evidence and Research

My grade for this syllabys is «2». Because, in my opinion, this course should be at least longer, more than 15 weeks — not only in one year. That's the basis, this course should really show the students how to think in different way, and use logic in their articles and researches. That's why I think, that it could be good to add to this course some lectures and some books about pure logic as a subject, to train student's mind — not only a bit derivative books like «Math Tools for Journalists». So, this course is very important for journalists, but it should be, as it seems to me, a little bit different.

Foundations of Journalism: Writing

Difficult to give a grade for this syllabus, and probably it will be most likely «1» than «2». Of course I'm not a teacher or even proffesor, to see the situatin clear, but as soon as you asked us to pretend we are experts and know everything, I will continue. I think this course should be separated in two ones. One course — only about grammar, about student's native language, and in this course students should learn own language more deeply, than in this syllabus. I think that journalist should be a perfect linguist, because language is the main tool journalist work with. And the second course should consist of another part of this syllabus — part about writing exactly. If it's possible, student's should try to work in any mass-media, becuse this experience will be completely different from this «artificial», not real writing in the classroom. In the classroom, I think, students sould mostly discuss some good and bad articles of other journalists, and teacher should explain it — as it was said in syllabys. But my main point is that students must have more real practice in writing in mass-media, because journalism in real life is totally different from how it was taught in university, so students shoud as soon as possible learn both sides of thier profession.

Foundations of Journalism: National and International Institutions

Grade is «2», and as for previous syllabuses, I think subjects should be separated. In week descriptions it was written about economics, geography and about international institutions. I reslly like the system of this syllabus and related books, but I think that separate courses should exist for economy, political and economical geography, and for civil and international law. Espesially about parts of civil law about journalism and mass communication, and some examples of real cases journalists were involved in.

Foundations of Journalism: General Knowledge

Grade «3» - very important syllabus, though it shold be separated in student's own country history and international history. Knowledge about history is very important for journalists, especially for social and political journalism, because the basis of criticism should be based on history.

Reporting and Writing/Tier 1: Basic news and features

Grade «3». Field work as journalists with some lectures — that's really important. I'd like to say only that it could be good to invite some famous journalists to guide student's work and comment them, and also analysis of country's newspapers shouldn't be forgotten.

Reporting and Writing/Tier 2: In-depth Journalism

Grade «3». Everything is great, but two notices: this course should be taught before the bachelors degree, but already at the second year, because that's something students should understand at the beginning of their studies. And there was a good idea of showing films, related to journalism, as «1. Film showing: “All the President’s Men”». I would like to add very, from my point of view, clever and conceptual film about journalism in USA during McCarthyism era, called «Good night, and good luck». And I guess this course should be longer, because there are too many thing to talk about even in general.

Title of Tier 3 courses should read: Reporting and Writing/Tier 3: Specialized Journalism (Economics and Business)

Grade «1». I really think this course shold be separated to course of general economic studeis (I mentioned this subject before, that it sould be separated also from course «Foundations of Journalism: National and International Institutions») and another part of this course, about writing on economical problems, should be merged with «Reporting and Writing/Tier 2: In-depth Journalism», or/and it can be separated as a special, not compulsory course for students, who will be really interested in this economical area. 30 hours only for economical journalism is too much, as I think. Maybe it's a global tendency, to put economical journalism on the first place, but I cannot agree with that. Economy is just one of the subjects journalist should know how to write about, not the most inportant one. And many people goes to study journalism only because they want money, espesially in economical field, and this seems to me like a discreditation of our profession, so we should prevent it. Sorry for this pathetic narrative, but it seems to me a real problem. It's OK to study economy in journalism studies, it's even important, but not to make «economical journalism» the most important course.

Reporting and Writing/Tier 3: Specialized Journalism (Arts and Culture)

Grade «1». As the previous one, it should be partly separated to «Reporting and Writing/Tier 2: In-depth Journalism», in basics, and more deep part of writing about Arts should be established as a individual course for interested studens. In week description was also mentiones history of journalism — I think that this part can be merged with «Foundations of Journalism: General Knowledge».

Reporting and Writing/Tier 3: Specialized Journalism (International and Development)

Grade «3». I really like this syllabus, it doesn't repeat other courses, and some other syllbuses do, and the subject is really important for the journalist, to make student's know the global journalist's and mass media's community, and how it works. Also the differences between mass-media of particular countries should be analyzed.

Reporting and Writing/Tier 3: Specialized Journalism (Politics and Government)

Really interesting and important syllabus, but I'm not sure about grade, «2» or «3». Should it exist like a separate course, or should it be splitted into smaller ones. Probably information on political parties can be included into course about civil law, I mentioned in the beginning, or as made as a separate course. Problem is that most of week lectures are just about journalism in general and it's role it the society, so this part can simply go to general «Reporting and Writing/Tier 1: Basic news and features».

Reporting and Writing/Tier 3: Specialized Journalism (Science and Health)

Grade «0». I very carefully red all week descriptions, and didn't find anything, that normal journalist, at least as a human, may not know. Lecture about reproductive organs? About climate change and global warming? For me it's a waste of time. Spending 30 weeks for things, most people already know, because all those problems are really widely discussing among all the people. And I don't think that 15 of this weeks should describe some special style of articles on science problems. Just to remember that everything should be adopted to the level of readers and some other not that difficult stuff — it's for 1 or two lectures, but not for 15 weeks. So, in my opinion, this syllabus is unnecessary.

Broadcast Reporting and Writing (Radio and Television)

Grade «3». Very important course. Difference between text-writing in papers, radio and TV is really big, and I think every journalist should know how to do it. And it's very useful to learn how to deal vith new recording technologies. It's all about convergence journalism, I'm so fond of.

Online/multimedia Journalism

Grade «3». I couldn't give any other grade to this syllabus becuse of 2 reasons. Firstly, that's my specialisation — journalism on the Internet. Second — the syllabus made very good, and I think most important aspects of internet-journalist's job are covered. I think that soon mass media will move to the Internet, not just like make web sites of print media, but creating exactly internet news-portals, so that knowledge will be useful for everybody, how to deal with this new part of mass media.

Media Law

Grade «3». Before I mentioned that this course should exist separately from the «Foundations of Journalism: National and International Institutions», so it exist and it's extremely impotant for all the journalists. Journalist should know the law, espesially about their own profession, to know how to deal with difficult situations about privacy etc. Journalist must not make any mistakes in this cases, because consequences could be very serious.

Journalism Ethics

Grade «1». It was said in the description «Journalism ethics need not be simply another theoretical discipline. It can be as challenging, creative and experimental as any other practical class». I cannot agree with that. If it should be, it sould be only theoretical, theaching ethics as a discipline by itself, to make people try to think about what s good and what is bad in general. I even think, journalists ethics is based only on knowing law and own person's conscience.

Media and Society

Grade «1». The syllabus is OK, interestnig topics, but too general and wide. Everything has already been explained in «Foundations of Journalism: Logic, Evidence and Research» and «Foundations of Journalism: General Knowledge», so no need for another course about same general ideas.

Overall assessment

If to say about those syllabuses in general, average mark is probably «1,7». Why.

Good point is there are a lot of interesting books, related to all the sources, so no problems with the sources of information. Nice planning of student's group work, it's wonderful it it will work as written. But i think in many syllabuses are some very often repeated things, which appeared maybe of the UNESCO position. For example, things like «The role of media in the democratization process» exists almost in every syllabus. But cannot say about it anything except the role is important. And even no need to telk about it, because journalists should understand that basic things by themselves. And after all they will go to work and wil understand how much of true democracy still left in real life in mass media (maybe in Europe situation is good, as it's said, but I haven't worked in europaen mass media, so i cannot decide. In my country (Russia), it's very funny and sad, when after lectures about democracy and freedom of speech, I went to main russian news agency ITAR-TASS, and faced sad censorship reality, as most of my friends). So need to talk about that extremely popular theoretical things with such pomposity. It's not possible to teach anyone to be a good journalist in terms of ethics or democraty. SO some cources are not necessary, and some can be merged with others. But as I said, syllabuses of really important cources are very well-done.

And one addition in the end. I don't know, is it stupid or clever, but most important subject at my faculty of journalism in Moscow in literature. Every term we read about 50 books of fiction literature, as russian as international, from ancient Greek literature till nowadays. And I really like it, probably that's what really can make a good journalist — reading and understanding wonderful texts, improving not only own style writing, but even understanding of all the things about ethics and freedom and even more, than from strange courses like «Journalism Ethics». That's just my opinion, so I will be really glad, if you could write me shortly what do you thing about that system, might it be good to include at least some literature reading as a cources and lectures into journalist's edication system?