Long Form and Investigative Journalism (9309.2)

Required texts

Prescribed texts:

Writing Feature Stories, by Matthew Ricketson and Caroline Graham, second ediiton, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2017. 

Recommended texts:

There is a broad range of books, journal articles and media coverage about long form journalism and investigative journalism. The university's library has a good collection of references about the field as well as a developing collection of works of long form journalism. The books listed below are all held in the library, as are the books from which excerpts are taken for the readings prescribed in the week by week timetable. Some of the references below are how to guides that offer you alternative perspectives to the prescribed and recommended texts above, while others survey the field or discuss issues arising in its practice. A number of the books listed below are anthologies that contain examples of long form journalism and narrative non-fiction, which gives you an opportunity to sample the breadth of writing in the genre.

Applegate, E. (Ed.). (1996). Literary journalism: A biographical dictionary of writers and editors. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Bak, J.S. & Reynolds, B. (2011). Literary journalism across the globe. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.

Boynton, R.S. (2005). The new new journalism: Conversations with America's best nonfiction writers on their craft. New York: Vintage Books.

Bly, N. (2014). Around the World in Seventy-Two Days and Other Writings. New York: Penguin.

Cheney, T. (1991). Writing creative nonfiction. California: Ten Speed Press.

Connery, T. (Ed.). (1992). A sourcebook of American literary journalism: Representative Writers in an Emerging Genre. New York: Greenwood.

Cords, S.S. (2009). The inside scoop: A guide to nonfiction investigative writing and exposés. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Eisenhuth, S. & McDonald, W. (Eds.). (2007). The writer's reader: Understanding journalism and non-fiction. Cambridge, Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Gaines, W. (2008). Investigative Journalism: Proven Strategies for Reporting the Story. Washington: CQ Press.

Glass, I. (Ed.). (2007). The new kings of nonfiction. New York: Riverhead Press.

Gutkind, L. (2005). In fact: The best of creative nonfiction. New York: W.W. Norton.

Gutkind, L. (2008). Keep it real: Everything you need to know about researching and writing creative non-fiction. New York: W.W. Norton.

Harrington, W. (Ed.). (1997). Intimate journalism: The art and craft of reporting everyday life.

Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Harrington, W. & Sager, M. (Eds.). (2012). Next wave: America's new generation of great literary journalists. United States: The Sager Group.

Hart, J. (2006). A writer's coach: An editor's guide to works that work. New York: Pantheon Books.

Hart, J. (2011). Storycraft: The complete guide to writing narrative nonfiction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Keeble, R.L. & Wheeler, S. (Eds.). (2007). The journalistic imagination: Literary journalists from Defoe to Capote and Carter. London: Routledge.

Keeble, R.L. & Tulloch, J. (Eds.). (2014). Global literary journalism. New York: Peter Lang.

Kerrane, K & Yagoda, B. (Eds.). (1998). The art of fact: A historical anthology of literary

journalism. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Kroeger, B. (2012). Undercover reporting: The truth about deception. Evanston, Illinois:

Northwestern University Press.

Lazar, David. (Ed.). (2008). Truth in nonfiction: Essays. Iowa: University of Iowa Press.

Perl, S. & Schwartz, M. (2006). Writing true: The art and craft of creative nonfiction. Boston: Houghton  Mifflin.

Ricketson, M. (2014). Telling true stories: Navigating the challenges of writing narrative non-fiction. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Ricketson, M. & Graham, C. (2017). Writing feature stories: How to research and write articles – from listicles to longform (2nd ed.). Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Sims, N. (2008). True stories: A century of literary journalism. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press.

Tanner, S.L. & Richardson, N. (2013). Journalism Research and Investigation in a Digital World. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Tanner, S.L., Kasinger, M., & Richardson, N. (2012). Feature writing: Telling the story (2nd ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Weinberg, S. (1992). Telling the untold story: How investigative reporters are changing the craft of biography. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.

Wheeler, S. (2009). Feature writing for journalists. New York: Routledge.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Assignment cover sheets will no longer be required.  Instead, students will be asked to confirm the following online declaration (from the old cover sheet) at the point of submission.

I certify that:

• the attached assignment is my own work and no part of this work has been written for me by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised by the lecturer/s concerned;
• material drawn from other sources has been fully acknowledged as to author/creator, source and other bibliographic details according to unit-specific requirements for referencing; and
• no part of this work has been submitted for assessment in any other unit in this or another Faculty except where authorised by the lecturer/s concerned

Special assessment requirements

5d        Special assessment requirements

Deadlines are an important professional discipline to learn. In keeping with Assessment Policy (section 9), assignments submitted late, without prior notification and without an extension granted, will incur a penalty of 5% of marks allocated for the piece of assessment for each day late, including weekends and  public holidays, up to a maximum of seven days, at which time the submitted assessment will receive zero unless there is extenuating cricumstances. If you require an extension it is important to ask for one before the due date. If a medical condition makes this impossible a doctor's or counsellor's certificate should be submitted to your tutor and the unit convenor, within three days of the illness or  incident.  Lack of personal organisation, pressure of work or computer problems are not valid reasons for requesting an extension. Please note that requests for extensions need to be granted by the unit convenor, not by your tutor. You can approach your tutor for an extension in the first instance but they will need to check with the unit convenor before granting the extension. Please note that for this unit it is not essential that you achieve a pass grade or better in each of the assessment items but given the weighting for each assessment item students will find it difficult to pass the unit without passing all three assessment items.

If you are confused about the requirements or procedure for assessment tasks, the onus is on students to clarify the issue by contacting the unit convenor. Students should also keep electronic copies of all work submitted and of all marked assignments until grades are formally awarded at the end of semester. Please note the unit convenor's student consultation times listed above at 1f. 

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.

Participation requirements

Attendance at lectures and tutorials is not compulsory but students, even in later years of university study, will find it difficult to master the necessary concepts without regular attendance. Likewise, it will be difficult for students to get the maximum benefit from tutorials if they have not done the set reading in advance. It is also inconsiderate of other students if you expect tutors to go over lecture and reading material that should have been done beforehand. 

Required IT skills

Word processing skills and the ability to use the internet are assumed.

In-unit costs

For this unit there is one prescribed textbook, which you may wish to buy from the UC Co-op.

Students are required in this unit to read a number of articles online and via e-reserve.

They range in length from one page to 20 pages but are generally around 10 pages.

You may find it easier to print these articles and read the hard copy.

This is fine, but you will need to fund the printing yourself.  

Work placement, internships or practicums

Not applicable to this unit.

Additional information

Enrolment

It is the student's responsibility to ensure they are correctly enrolled in each unit and that the units are correct for their course of study. Students should confirm their unit enrolment details via OSIS (Online Student Information System) before the end of Week 2 of semester.

• Semester 1, 2018, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (176449)
• Semester 1, 2017, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (165352)
• Term 1, 2017, On-Campus, UCI - Lingnan Institute for Further Education, Hong Kong (163384)