Data Journalism (11088.1)
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | ||
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Arts And Design |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| School Of Arts And Communications | Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit | Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905) |
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Gather, verify, and synthesise information from multiple sources to produce original stories as part of an editorial process;
2. Apply visual storytelling capabilities to produce 'data' journalism;
3. Evaluate the quality and providence of information, and analyse it to produce meaningful data;
4. Critically examine the ethical and legal issues facing data journalists; and
5. Develop an appreciation of using software to assist in basic statistics for journalism.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
Skills development
Data journalism skills are becoming increasingly important in the world of digital journalism. In this unit you will learn how to find, analyse, verify, visualise and publish data to tell engaging stories. Students will discover how to assemble and segment datasets, and identify stories within them to generate original high quality news journalism. You will continue to develop your written journalism skills and learn how to create effective data visualisations to embed in your stories.
Prerequisites
11084 Journalism Now and Next OR 11092 Game On: Sports Journalism Foundations OR 3 credit points at Level 1.Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|
Required texts
See Canvas for required readings.
Submission of assessment items
Special assessment requirements
You will need to make a valid attempt of all assessments to pass this unit.
Academic integrity
Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.
To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.
Use of Text-Matching Software
The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.
Expectations regarding journalistic standards
In all of your journalism assignments you are to assume your reporting is for online publication. Therefore, you are expected to aim to produce work of publishable standard, behave professionally, and observe relevant law and ethical standards. You are to:
- Observe the principles enshrined in the MEAA Code of Ethics (https://www.meaa.org/meaa-media/code-of-ethics/);
- Inform interviewees that the work is for publication (via NowUC.com.au, Junctionjournalism.com, or UCFM). Please speak to your tutor if this causes any difficulties;
- Avoid interviewing anyone who presents a conflict of interest, such as family, friends, or colleagues, without permission of your tutor - if allowed, then you must disclose the conflict;
- Produce your own original content (whether it be audio, video, images, text, or social media);
- You must observe copyright law and ‘fair dealing’ provisions related to news reporting, or use copyright free creative commons music, sound fx, and images with proper attribution IF you have been permitted to use content created by other people;
- Avoid plagiarism (https://www.canberra.edu.au/current-students/study-skills);
- Observe defamation, trespass, and other relevant laws (please refer to Journalism Now and Next first-year materials for this).
- Meet your submission deadline, unless an extension has been approved.
If you have questions about an assignment, please do not rely on rumour. Use your journalism skills and go to the source – your tutor or unit convenor – and check the facts for yourself.
Participation requirements
None
Required IT skills
You are expected to be proficient in common PC-based practices and have some familiarity with the Office suite of programs (or similar).
Work placement, internships or practicums
None.
