Module: Cultural Journalism

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Cultural Journalism
Module Code	CM160 (ITS) / JRR1006 (Banner)
Faculty	Humanities & Social Sciences	School	Communications
Module Co-ordinator	Saumava Mitra
Module Teachers	Declan Fahy
NFQ level	6	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

Coursework Only

Description

Cultural journalism introduces students to foundational concepts involved in cultural analysis. The module prepares students to apply these ideas in the production of original cultural journalism, especially the reporting of arts, culture, and entertainment. The 5-credit module takes an expansive view of culture, examining the production, reception, and content of cultural products, including books, films, television, documentaries, and albums. It also examines the cultural roles of the industries that produce these cultural products and the roles of journalists in reporting about culture. It also examines how cultural journalism can examine cultural trends, social debates, and lifestyle issues. The module takes a historical perspective on cultural journalism, encouraging students to analyse culture in its historical context – seeing cultural products as part of an ongoing conversation that a society has with itself. A key concept in the module is representation, which can be basically defined as how the world is presented in the media. The module will focus on concepts such as high culture, popular culture, localisation, globalisation, and the representation of class, gender, race, and sexuality. The module will also examine how cultural change drives political and social change. The learning in this module comprises lectures, discussions, critical analysis of selected texts, and the production of original cultural journalism.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the key concepts that underpin the analysis of culture
2. Recognise that cultural products are produced by cultural industries
3. Analyse critically cultural products
4. Analyse the representations of class, race, gender, and sexuality
5. Demonstrate their understanding in the production of original reviews and criticism.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	22	No Description
Assignment Completion	40	No Description
Independent Study	63	No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introduction to Cultural Criticism

Representation as Core Concept

The Basics of Reviewing: Criteria and Contexts

Reviewing and Reporting Film

Reviewing and Reporting Television

Reviewing and Reporting Music

Reporting the Business of Culture

Reporting Technology and Culture

Reporting Sub-Cultures

Cultural Journalism, Democracy, and Civic Culture

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Assignment	Assignment 1: Review. Each student must write a 450-word review of a recently-released film.	20%	n/a
Assignment	Assignment 2: Review in Context Each student must write an 800-word review of a film, book, documentary, game, or album. The subject of the review must have been released in the past year. The subject must be different from the subject of the first review assignment. As well as containing the elements of a review, as covered in the first assignment, the review in context must situate and evaluate the cultural production in his historical, social, cultural, and artistic contexts.	30%	n/a
Written Exam	Assignment 3: Critical Essay Critical Essay. Each student must write a 1,2000-word critical essay on one of five topics that will be circulated later this semester.	50%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Don McLeese: 2011, The New York Times Reader: Arts & Culture, CQ Press, Washington, D.C,
Ann Hornaday: 2017, Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies, Basic Books, New York,
Peter Biskind: 2018, The Sky is Falling: The Unexpected Politics of Hollywood's Superheroes and Zombies, Penguin Books, New York,

Other Resources

None