Module: JPU4002-20 What's the Story?

Level: 4

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Joanna de Vries

Module Tutor Contact Details: j.devries@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This module will help you engage your curiosity to develop a strong sense of story and the ability to generate content – a key journalistic skill. It will also help you understand what sharp, tight writing looks like and the importance of deadlines.

As a journalist you need to develop skills in spotting and questioning anomalies or patterns in data and behaviour as these might lead you to a new story or a new angle on an existing story. You need to unlock your ability to think originally about what you see every day and to understand what makes the elements of a story relevant to readers. You will become adept at quickly assimilating and distilling the context of these stories – the underlying influences such as social, economic, political, and technological change.

Fast-paced exercises and whole-group Reporting Days will help you build speed and focus in your writing and decision-making. Through working on your own original story, you will develop invaluable experience in spotting the seeds of a story, researching around it and then in more depth, and writing it up engagingly for a particular audience. You will develop the ability to look, and listen out for, potential story leads, identifying these within a wide range of sources. These sources might include trade magazines such as The Grocer, survey, data and research sources such as The National Audit Office, trade organisations, and MORI/ YouGov, court reports and annual company or charity reports, discussions during BBC Parliament live, interviews, breaking news.

You will identify a story to pursue (in agreement with your tutor) and then research, write, edit and publish it with suitable images to a collaborative platform such as a website, with attention paid to journalistic standards (e.g. ethics and image copyright) and audience.

2. Outline syllabus:

Ideas and story generation

Elements of a journalistic story

Articulating a story concept and angle

Identifying key issues, debates and trends

The importance of context and audience

Data and statistical sources

Presenting your story engagingly

Image choice and captioning

Newsgathering: Reporting Days

3. Teaching and learning activities:

This hands-on module is taught through individual inquiry and group challenges, supported by lectures, seminars, technical demonstrators and a curated package of relevant software skills from Lynda.com.

You will develop your skills in story identification through the small-group challenges. Formative tasks, individual tutorials and ongoing tutor feedback in class will assist you in your own individual inquiry and presentation of your story.

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: CW

• Description: Individual Story (1,500 words) Research Folder (3,000 words)

• % Weighting: 75%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: CW

• Description: Reflective Journal (equivalent to 1,000 words)

• % Weighting: 25%