Journalism and Political Process (8127.4)

Availability

Unit Outlines

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• Semester 2, 2018, ON-CAMPUS, BRUCE (178616) - View
• Semester 2, 2017, ON-CAMPUS, BRUCE (165048) - View
• UC Term 1, 2017, ON-CAMPUS, LIFE (163376) - View
• Semester 2, 2016, ON-CAMPUS, BRUCE (160866) - View
• UC Term 1, 2016, ON-CAMPUS, LIFE (149543) - View
• Semester 2, 2015, ON-CAMPUS, BRUCE (139496) - View

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Syllabus

The unit investigates public understandings of politics and political processes as mediated information by exploring the role of contemporary journalism in shaping political knowledge in selected democracies, including the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and Japan. Topics include journalistic routines and values, newsroom cultures, news gathering and election campaigning, journalists and political elites, news and political parties, political movements, mediated popular culture and politics, and the role of emerging media technologies. Theories of political communication relating to the institutions and practice of journalism are explored: process approaches; diffusion of information; agenda-setting; news framing and priming; critical theory; and constructionist approaches. Students begin a study of the role of globalization by examining selected case studies of news coverage of supranational institutions.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Have acquired an understanding of the main elements of studies of journalism, news and political process; gained insight into the role of contemporary journalism in the political processes of international agencies and bodies, and in the political processes of selected nation states; and

2. Have further developed their understanding of the main theoretical approaches to political communication research; gained introductory analytical skills necessary to analyse published political communication research in books, journals and government publications.

Assessment Items

Contact Hours

3 hours per week.

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Assumed Knowledge

None

Incompatible Units

None

Equivalent Units

None