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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

No Banner module data is available

Module Title
Module Code (ITS)
Faculty School
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Dawn Wheatley
Semester 2: Dawn Wheatley
Autumn: Dawn Wheatley
Module TeachersDawn Wheatley
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
None
Description

The module is focused on opportunities available to journalism graduates by introducing them to the business of the news industry with specific attention on entrepreneurship, freelancing and professional skills to help them succeed in a competitive landscape. The module responds to the changes in the media environment, in particular, disruption to traditional employment practices and the reality of more transitory career paths, coupled with the role of social media in professional journalists’ public profiles. Module content will focus on the future of journalism and will encourage entrepreneurial creativity and business understanding not just in innovative start-up environments but also inside legacy media organisations. Students will also be encouraged to reflect on their professional identities and how they present themselves to potential employers, especially in online contexts.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the business and economics of the news industry;
2. Conceive and develop a group business proposition and present a formal pitch
3. Reflect on importance of professional identities for journalists seeking work opportunities
4. Understand the role of social media in promoting a journalistic brand
5. Understand contemporary work opportunities and freelance journalism roles



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture22No Description
Assignment Completion33No Description
Independent Study70No 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

Business elements of journalism

Business of the news entrepreneurship

Start-up culture

Freelancing

Future of journalism

Entrepreneurial creativity

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment% Examination Weight%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Group assignmentConceive business idea, present to panel of judges, and submit business plan60%n/a
PresentationPresent on an existing start-up in the journalism industry25%n/a
Professional PracticeSubmit professional biography and CV15%n/a
Indicative Reading List

  • Briggs, Mark: 2012, Entrepreneurial Journalism: How to Build What’s Next for News, Sage/CQ Press., Los Angeles,
  • Reis, Eric.: 2011, The Lean Start-up. How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses., Penguin,
Other Resources

None
A list of core and supplementary reading material - much of it from online sources - will be provided in the module syllabus.

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