MED2049 News Production and Design - TU985 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Journalism.

This module develops learners’ practical journalism skills, introducing them to print and online production, including the professional norms and practice of sub-editing across platforms, understanding and executing both the technical skills and editorial/design knowledge required to produce material that is ready for audiences in various media. Particular attention is given to production for diverse audiences, including principles of Universal Design for people with disabilities, and producing copy and visual material for audiences with varying language and literacy levels.


Module Delivery

This module is delivered in Semester 1, Year 2 of TU985 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Journalism at the TU Dublin School of Media.

Learning and Teaching Methods ‍

Learning modes include weekly lectures, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations of the various topics covered in the course. This module primarily employs project-based learning to foster active participation, encouraging students to learn by doing and reflect on their learning. Group discussions are facilitated with practical laboratory practice.

This module is delivered through lectures, workshops, class discussions, Studio projects, team-based learning, guest lecturers, group discussions, peer-based critiques, and studio visits.

Delivery will align with best practices and use student-centred, active, communicative, and problem-based methodologies. The lecturer will act as a facilitator in the classroom, ensuring students actively contribute through pair work, group work and peer learning activities. Students will receive regular feedback on their progress per the concept of ‘feedback to feedforward’. More specifically, the feedback will inform students what they need to do to improve their professional design knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The lecturer will advise them on how to amend their class materials to meet students’ needs. Lectures, discussions, readings (especially of current publications) workshops, hands-on practice and real-time exercises, with active feedback in class and by email.

Assessment

This module is assessed through the delivery of a written academic paper in which students will discuss key literature on the topic and derive conclusions and arguments based on specific questions or themes.

Upon successful completion of this module, the learner will be able to:

1. Discern and apply diverse approaches to producing copy under tight deadlines in various styles and lengths.

2. Demonstrate industry-appropriate knowledge and competence in sub-editing and newspaper, magazine and online production, including headlines, layout and other display elements, for news and features material.

3. Practice different approaches to writing, editing and production depending on publication, platform, genre and audience, with consideration of Universal Design principles that reflect the need to serve audiences of diverse abilities, language and literacy levels.

4. Use publishing applications to lay out newspaper, web and magazine pages, incorporating images and fitting copy.

5. Appraise and apply basic concepts for using images in print and online production.

6. Appraise and employ diverse typographical and design elements as an aspect of the communication of editorial content.

7. Devise editorial content for audiences that vary in terms of education, class, language skills, with an understanding of the importance of news dissemination across those categories.

Learning Hours: Lecture 24 / Self-Directed 76

ECTS Credits:  5.

Reading List

Carroll, B. (2019), Writing and Editing for Digital Media, Routledge, [ISBN: 9780367245092].

Leicester-Hardy, B. (2022), Introduction to Digital Media Design, Bloomsbury Publishing, [ISBN: 9781350104945].

Klanten Et al., (2018), Newspaper Design, Die Gestalten Verlag-DGV, p.0, [ISBN: 3899555368].

Lind, R.A. (2019), Race/Gender/Class/Media, [ISBN: 9781003193708].

The Associated Press. (2024), The Associated Press Stylebook, Basic Books, [ISBN: 154160511X].