MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism UK

Key details

MA BROADCAST AND DIGITAL JOURNALISM UK

Start Year

2023

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Arts

Duration (years)

If you have an inquiring mind and are passionate about news and current affairs, this course is for you. Whether you are thinking of pursuing a career in general news journalism or you have developed an interest or specialism from your first degree, this course will give you the space to develop your skills, as you research, write or produce your own news stories.

On this course, you’ll gain the practical skills of modern journalism, particularly broadcast and online, with a particular focus on UK journalism practices, political systems and media law.

You’ll work in modern TV and radio studios, explore mobile journalism, develop online content, and record interviews and news reports. You’ll gain the knowledge to navigate the complexities of UK media law and ethics.

About

This course is designed to equip you with the core practical skills of journalism preparing you to work in the news media or related careers. It will also help you develop the ability to reflect critically on your own work and the nature and limitations of news coverage.

Some of your modules will be taught on campus, but much of your teaching will take place at our dedicated media centre in the heart of Norwich, ‘Broadcast House.’ We are based in the former studios of Radio Broadland and Heart Radio in the centre of this attractive and newsworthy city. The building was refitted by UEA in 2021 and is home to three purpose built soundproofed studios, equipped with a radio studio, a TV studio, and a podcast studio. We also have a 24-seat newsroom with Adobe Audition, Premier Pro, our newsroom production software, and a modern TV gallery.

You’ll undertake in-depth study of UK media law and regulation. as required by prospective employers in mainstream UK journalism. You’ll study the political and civic structures which govern the UK at local and national level, giving you the essential knowledge for finding and researching news stories. You’ll visit the courts and local councils and produce news stories based on what you’ve seen.

You will practice interviewing, reporting, audio and video production, and learn how to develop and structure news stories for different media. You’ll also hear from guest speakers from the world of industry and select an optional module to further your specific interests.

Our school is home to internationally recognised experts, and you will have access to their knowledge in the fields of public affairs, politics, international relations and cultural change.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

Assessment is based mostly on evaluation of your practical work: reporting, writing, interviewing and news production. There is an element of essay writing which follows academic norms, but primarily you will be expected to produce publishable works of accurate, balanced, impartial journalism which comply with ethical and legal standards as practised in industry.

You’ll develop an online portfolio of your journalism work, which will be a valuable addition to your CV. Some of your modules may include course tests, and at times you will be required to produce journalistic work under observation for assessment purposes. Media law and regulation is assessed via examination.

Structure

This course is made up of a number of core practical modules, which run throughout the year, as well as an optional module and an extended journalism project.

The journalism practice module is designed to give you the core skills of finding, researching and writing news stories for an online audience. You’ll build your own website which you will populate with stories. You will learn about Freedom of Information requests as a source of stories, data and inclusive journalism and you’ll study good ethical practice.

Your practical broadcasting module will provide you with a thorough overview of all aspects of mass-media journalism, reporting and editorial, as well as technical production elements such as audio recording and editing, camera operation, video editing, and studio practice. You will be expected to generate your own stories, and to go out into the local community to research and produce them.

You’ll take a module studying media law and regulation, you will explore the judicial system of England and Wales and a journalist’s rights and responsibilities within it. The public affairs section of the unit covers the principal elements of the UK political system and civic structures such as local councils which form the basis of many news stories.

In addition to your compulsory modules, you’ll choose one optional module, selected according to your interests and specialisms.

You’ll create a documentary project in either audio or video which is both a substantial piece of journalism and a demonstration of your broadcast production skills. The subject and format of your practice-based project will be agreed in discussion with a supervisor.

Teaching and Learning

The practical aspects of this course are taught by experienced broadcast journalists. Some modules will follow a traditional lecture/seminar format, while most practical sessions will normally follow a workshop format. Workshops may contain elements of lecture, seminar and class discussion along with practical reporting activities.

In practical sessions, you’ll learn how to use the cameras and audio recorders, and how to edit audio and video. Self-directed study time includes watching, reading and listening to the news every day as well as finding, researching and producing news stories on a weekly basis. Weekly reading of key texts will form an important part of your learning. You’ll spend the last few months of your degree working towards your final documentary project on a subject of your choice, putting into practice all the skills you have learned in Semesters 1 and 2.

The best journalistic work by students will be published on the course website.

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Assessment for Year 1

Compulsory Modules

CONTEMPORARY JOURNALISM: PRACTICE AND ETHICS

Code PPLM7011Y

Credits 40

In this module you will learn the tools to help you become a professional journalist. You will understand what gets into the news and why. You will develop practical skills and techniques in the production of different forms of journalism. You will explore modern ethical dilemmas in the field and the practical challenges facing journalism in the contemporary environment. This module will encourage you to reflect on the notion of journalistic responsibility and what it means to act ethically as a journalist. You will be introduced to data and investigative journalism journalism and create your own website which will serve as a showcase for your work.

BROADCAST JOURNALISM

Code PPLM7010Y

Credits 40

This module introduces students to modern news production processes in TV, radio and online. You will produce TV, digital and radio news reports. This module allows you to develop a wide and detailed grounding in all aspects of audio and video journalism and newsroom production techniques.

ESSENTIAL UK PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND LAW FOR JOURNALISTS

Code PPLM7012Y

Credits 40

Holding power to account is one of the key responsibilities of the journalist and to do that you need to know how civic structures work in practice. You will learn how law and regulation impact upon news gathering and publication for print and audio-visual media and learn how to apply the law to journalistic scenarios. You will study the structure and operation of British central and local government. The principal elements of the UK political process will be taught, including the electoral processes, the role of elected representatives, civil servants, politicians, political parties, finance, government and government communications techniques

EXTENDED JOURNALISM PROJECT

Code PPLM7018X

Credits 40

The Extended Journalism Project allows students opportunity to demonstrate their ability to produce (research, record edit, script and voice) a work of broadcast journalism to a professional standard. You will submit a proposal, outlining your story and how you intend to approach it. You will produce your documentary following professional legal, ethical and regulatory standards of practice. You will follow health and safety guidance and produce risk assessments for your project. You will also produce a reflective report, documenting and reflecting on your production process, its successes, and its limitations.

Optional A Modules

(20 credits)

MEDIA AUDIENCES

Code AMAM7006B

Credits 20

How do audiences engage with media texts? What approaches can we employ to understand the relationship between media and audiences? These questions are central to this module. Throughout the module you will explore a range of research traditions which seek to explain the ways audiences consume media. As well as gaining a firm grounding in different approaches in media audience research, you will engage in your own original research practice and be encouraged to reflect on its usefulness. We begin by critically exploring the main recent traditions for thinking about and researching media audiences, including approaches from mass communications, cultural studies, reception studies and the growing field of fan studies. Alongside this, you will be encouraged to reflect on the significance of the contexts which shape how audiences encounter, engage with, and respond to different kinds of media and cultural products (such as film, television, music, news, books, video games and live performances). To help grasp some of the key issues at hand, you will also read and evaluate original audience and reception research and be encouraged to assess what distinguishes good or strong from poor or weak research. As you study you’ll put your new knowledge into practice by designing and conducting some audience research of your own, while gaining experience in communicating your ideas in seminars, as well as through written work and presentations.

TELEVISION AND SOCIETY

Code AMAM7016A

Credits 20

For nearly a century television has been the dominant global cultural force. Despite newer technological innovations, such as the internet, television remains a medium consumed by billions. Its social and cultural impacts are profound, and in this module you will examine the relationships between television and society. Key to engaging with this idea is exploring the purposes to which television has been used. A highly-regulated medium, in many countries it is mandated with fulfilling social purposes, such as educating citizens or serving to bring nations together. Why has television been given these roles, when most other cultural forms haven't, and what implications does this have? You will study a wide range of television's output in order to unearth how its social purposes play out in the kinds of things it broadcasts. To do this you will explore key ideas for thinking about television's representations, such as the conventions of particular genres, or debates about realism and naturalism. You will develop skills in textual analysis, with the purpose of identifying television's social functions via its texts. The module will enable you to engage with ongoing and persistent real-world debates about the impacts of culture generally, and the purposes of television in particular. It will develop your critical and analytical skills, situating these squarely within culturally-specific debates.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Code AMAM7018A

Credits 20

This module introduces you to key skills in video production and provides them with the opportunity to take an idea from conception through to the final product, deepening their knowledge of the processes and procedures behind the camera. You will engage with questions about the cinematic expression of narrative, exploring them through practice-based coursework. Students wishing to take this module should have previous experience of video production, though the module will offer basic technical training with digital-video cameras and the Avid non-linear editing system.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN PRACTICE

Code PPLC7007B

Credits 20

Do you wish to pursue a career in international management and relations, multilingual business, or international development? Are you interested in becoming a more effective communicator in other professions such as translation, interpreting, education, and cultural mediation? In this module we will explore the issues fundamental to intercultural communication (IC) in practical contexts. You will examine the different ways of thinking about effective communication in a variety of work/organisation-based environments. During the seminars/lecture series, invited practitioners will introduce you to how IC operates in specific organisations, including government agencies or in multilingual business management. On completion of this module, you will have developed the linguistic skills, cultural competence, and critical thinking required for the production of an extended research project in intercultural communication. You will also have acquired a sense of how cultural assumptions may influence communication with others from different backgrounds, and developed a greater willingness to enter into dialogue with the values prevalent in cultures other than your own.

THE FOREIGN RELATIONS OF CHINA AND JAPAN IN THE MODERN WORLD

Code PPLI7007B

Credits 20

The module looks at the history of China and Japan from the mid-19th century to the present day. You'll cover the attempts at modernisation, conflict between the two nations, their relationships with the Asian region and the United States. You'll also investigate their contrasting attempts to develop in the postwar period. In addition, you'll assess their current policies and the issues of importance to China and Japan in the 21st century, and explore whether they can move beyond the legacy of this difficult history.

EUROPEAN UNION: POWER, POLITICS AND POLICY

Code PPLI7013B

Credits 20

What is the European Union: an international organisation, a federal political system or something else? Who rules the EU: the European Commission or its members states? What is the concrete impact of EU policies on EU citizens? Is the EU a global power? In an era of crises, will the EU survive? To address these questions and more, you will examine: the origins, development and recent history of the European Union; the dynamics of EU decision making: and critically assess the key theories, models and concepts used in the study of the EU. You will also examine the working of EU policies in key areas, such as the single market, economic and monetary union (the Euro), energy and climate change, international trade, and security and defence. You will explore the role and internal operation of the EU institutions, as well as the interaction between the EU and the member states, including what the obligations of membership imply for member countries and what these means for state sovereignty and democracy. You will look at the relationship between the EU and its neighbours (including the UK), the global south and world powers. Finally, you will debate some major challenges the EU is facing, from the Eurozone and migration crises to Brexit and to the EU's response to COVID-19. This module is suitable for students politics & public policy as well as international relations, as it covers themes that cut across both disciplines and draws from both public policies and IR theories.

GENDER AND POWER

Code PPLM7015B

Credits 20

Providing a conceptual overview of feminist research approaches, you will examine contemporary gender and power relations. You will examine both the formal and informal power structures that shape the experience of gender. Bringing together the fields of media, sociology, politics and cultural studies, the module explores the extent to which feminist theory informs gender-based activism.

PUBLIC RELATIONS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND THE MEDIA

Code PPLX7005B

Credits 20

This module enables students to develop an advanced understanding of the theory and practice of public affairs, interest intermediation, and the strategies used by interest, advocacy groups and others to influence the political process. As well as covering the main debates in the academic literature, it draws directly on the experience of practitioners and offers unique insights into this under-studied area of politics.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

All subject areas considered

Additional entry requirements

This degree is particularly suitable for applicants who have gained an area of specialist knowledge at first degree level, and who wish to combine that with broadcast journalism expertise, opening up for themselves the possibility of a career in the media, perhaps as a specialist reporter or broadcaster.

The course is not suitable for students who have previously taken a professional qualification, such as an NCTJ or a BJTC Accredited Course. Such students, wishing to take a higher degree and extend their theoretical knowledge of Journalism and the Media, are advised to apply for the MA Media Culture and Society.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 7.0 (minimum 6.0 in all components)
PTE (Pearson): 76 (minimum 64 in all components)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests.

INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk.