94083 - ENGLISH FOR JOURNALISM

Learning outcomes

The course introduces students to English for journalism. By the end of the course students are able to: understand the main ideas and structure of different types of texts in the field of media production and journalism, acquiring nuanced reading vocabulary; use the language effectively to produce clear and incisive journalistic texts and media content; expand their ability and accuracy in communicating effectively in English on topics related to current-affairs, politics, economics, social issues, and other journalistic subjects.

Course contents

The course will focus on the analysis of political discourse in the media. Students will work in three interwoven areas:

Critical reading of journalistic discourse: persuasion techniques, information bias, framing and misinformation in a multimodal context.

Writing skills: the structure of written English, titles and leads. The course will provide an overview of relevant grammar with reference to examples from the media; students, however, are expected to have a good command of English and work on their own to fill in possible gaps in their knowledge of grammar structures.

Communication skills:

• Ability to contact and interact with sources in English
• Capacity of reading specialised journalism texts in English
  
• Deliver speeches under simulated time / pressure constraints
• Discuss current affairs and professional matters in English
• General public speaking and presentation skills

During the course students will develop their own project work and write articles to be published in the Compass blog (https://compassunibo.wordpress.com/).

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory bibliography

• Durant, A. and Lambrou, M. (2009). Language and Media. Routledge (all chapters in section A; chapters B1, B2, B5, B7)
• Foley, M. and Hall, D. (2012). MyGrammarLab Intermediate. Pearson
• Simpson P., Mayr A. & Statham S. (2018) (2nd ed.) Language and Power. A Resource book for students, London: Routledge (section A)
• Hicks, W. (2013). English for Journalists. Routledge
• Williams, P. (2018). Advanced writing skills. English Lessons Brighton

Additional teaching material will be uploaded on the Virtual Learning platform.

Complementary bibliography

• Gandon, M. (2013). English for International Journalists. Routledge
• Hall, S., Evans, J., & Nixon, S. (Eds.). (2013). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: SAGE Publications, Ltd. (Chapters 1 and 4).
• Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading Images. The Grammar of Visual Design. New York and London: Routledge. (Introduction; chapters 1, 2, 4 and 6)
• Machin, D. and Mayr, A, (2012). How to Do Critical Discourse Analysis: A Multimodal Introduction, SAGE Publications Ltd

Teaching methods

The course will adopt a very interactive approach: students are expected to participate actively in the discussion of case studies, manage their own projects in groups and give presentations.

Students are also expected to work individually (compulsory reading, exercises and study) to prepare for the final assessment.

Assessment methods

Attendance is compulsory for at least 70% of teaching hours. The characteristics of the course lead to a continuous assessment model, based on active participation in group discussions, project work and article production.

At the end of the course students are expected to give a presentation on their project work and hand in an article. The presentation and the article are worth 50% of the final grade each.

Teaching tools

Classes will develop around Power Point presentations, audio-visual material and handouts.

Office hours

See the website of Valeria Reggi