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Course Syllabus

Bachelor 2020/2021

How to Write Short News Items in English

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Type: Elective course (Journalism)
Area of studies: Journalism
Delivered by: Institute of Media
Where: Faculty of Creative Industries
When: 2 year, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Instructors: Oleg Dmitriev
Language: English
ECTS credits: 3
Contact hours: 40

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The objective of this course is to give students an opportunity to get acquainted with the foundations of writing multimedia texts in English. Special attention will be paid to various types of texts — lead-in, captions, titles, briefs, short TV items (voiceovers), reports, teases for TV and Internet, etc. The students of the course will also have a chanсe to get acquainted with the way the texts are manifested in various multimedia outlets all over the world. During the course the students will also meet jounalists who use Enlish in their everyday work. That will enlarge their scope of knowledge about the profession of the journalist. At the end of the course the students will present final work in the from of a website page or a television report.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Formation of multimedia writing skills in English.
  • Learning the writing and editorial values for international media outlets.
  • Building multimedia skills of textual and visual storytelling.
  • Practicing the elements of a visual storytelling and adjusting them to the new media strategies.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Ability to understand and analyse journalistic text in English.
  • Ability to produce the journalistic texts in English.
  • Ability to follow the editorial guidelines.
  • Ability to adapt text for the platforms and means of media communication (texts for TV and radio).
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Introduction.
    Multimedia as a conversational phenomenon. Elements of multimedia Conversational media and their role. Principles of conversation. Principles of multimedia perception. Manifestation of various conversational principles in the form of a website. Text, voice, natural sound, eye-witnesses, author as a visual narrator. Visual principles of multimedia. Media convergence as multinational phenomenon.
  • Standards of English language writing at the various international media outlets.
    Television and online 24/7 media outlets. Their role in the development of multimedia strategies. Editorial standards. Ethic elements that influence the structure of the message (impartiality, reference to sources, precision, scope of knowledge, Linguistic and editorial values and their transformation in various cultures. Role of the media in the coverage of important events. Media texts and their transfromations in the breaking news coverage. Ethical principles of the texts in multimedia.
  • Writing short news items for web and television.
    Presenting topline and 5 Ws for the message. The importance of the topline. Structure of the short news item. Layout of 5Ws across the message. Facts, figures and proper names in the short news item. Writing for the eyes and writing for the ears – key differences and peculiarities. Specials of the business and sports writing.
  • Writing intros and headlines for the television.
    Associations, quotes and realities. Technology of creation. Standards for intros and teases at various multimedia platforms. Associations and quotations as a tool for the intro writing. Cliches in the editorial writing and how to avoid them. Varieties of the headlines based on the editorial values.
  • Writing packages for television and multimedia.
    Role of the packages in multimedia. Strategies for the development of the package. Topline of the package. Focus of the package. Elements of the package. Topic angle, facts and figures. Technique for package visualization. Role of elements blending in the package. Production and post-production of the package. Checking facts and figures. Reviewing the packages.
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Attendance
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #1
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #2
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #3
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #4
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #5
  • non-blocking Work during seminars #6
  • non-blocking Final written exam
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.2 * Attendance + 0.2 * Final written exam + 0.1 * Work during seminars #1 + 0.1 * Work during seminars #2 + 0.1 * Work during seminars #3 + 0.1 * Work during seminars #4 + 0.1 * Work during seminars #5 + 0.1 * Work during seminars #6
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Boyer, D. (2013). The Life Informatic : Newsmaking in the Digital Era. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=671369
  • Veglis, A., & Siapera, E. (2012). The Handbook of Global Online Journalism. Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=465413

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Boczkowski, P. J. (2010). News at Work : Imitation in an Age of Information Abundance. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=336762
  • Cook, V. J. (2004). The English Writing System. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=327739