Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description This module establishes an understanding of how and why news media represent different social groups and demographics as they do. By initially focusing on three core areas - gender, race and social class - students learn principles around social construction of the news, stereotyping, and (mis)representation before weaving together these components to explore other groups and the patterns of news coverage associated with their presence or marginalisation in news content. The module, where appropriate, will draw on other media formats such as literature, television or film but it is primarily focused on news reporting/journalism and the normative expectations around accuracy and fairness. During the semester, students will also consider how and why the news looks the way it does, exploring some of what we know about diversity within newsrooms and how journalists’ own backgrounds may affect news judgment and what is covered or ignored, and how certain issues or individuals are portrayed. In the final weeks, the module applies the concepts covered in the first half of the course to real-world examples, doing a class-based media-monitoring and content analysis of Irish news coverage. The aim is to record and document some of the patterns in Irish news media over 24 hours across print, broadcast and online news/sport, producing a valuable document which can be shared publicly and archived, and used to compare with future years’ findings. The students’ final research papers will also involve them choosing a particular societal group and exploring how they are covered in the news. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Explain representation as a concept and why it is an important component of media and journalism studies, as well as explain the socially constructed nature of news 2. Understand some of the implications of accurate and misrepresentation among the key overarching groups affected by media portrayals of gender, race and social class 3. Explore how minority or marginalised social groups are represented in news reporting 4. Develop introductory skills to media monitoring and participate in the production of a class-wide project analysing 24 hours of news 5. Gain an understanding of the role that journalists have in producing or challenging media portrayals and how their background may affect perceptions of news values and news judgment 6. Combine critical thinking skills with the use of news archives to analyse the news representations of a group of their choice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Schedule of topics Week 1: Introduction & why representation matters Week 2: Gender in the news Week 3: Race in the news Week 4: Social class in the news Week 5: Ethnic, religious and migrant minorities Week 6: Representations of disability and illness Week 7: Reading Week - no class Week 8: Accessing news archives and assignment guidelines Week 9-10: Practical class project - preparation and media-monitoring work in class* Week 11: Journalism routines and influence of journalists’ backgrounds on content Week 12: Recap and results/presentations on class project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles: None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||