Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Introduction to Journalism
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish
Teaching staff
To get individual attention you need to arrange time via email.
nroca@uic.es
Introduction
Probably, our era is the first in the history in which people receive more information and has more data. This information is organized into stories and narratives that contain speeches, views, judgments and criticisms regarding the reality around us. The making of these stories, texts and images have the power to shape the vision about a specific event or fact.
How to analyze these stories and how to build them is essential to the communicator. The selection, organization, structure and presentation of this information allows the succeed aimed with a story. This success has to do with changes in society, with understandings of the historical facts and with the very nature of human beings. Information processes are not cold data exchange or isolated messages, but an interaction of texts, stories and speeches.
In this subject, students will learn to take a critical attitude towards the stories and speeches and select the items to build their own. They will learn the tools that allow them to structure and give substance to a story.
Likewise, in this subject emphasis will be placed on the need to carry out documentation processes, information management and verification of information in journalistic work. To do this, the student will acquire knowledge about the use of tools, systems, sources and procedures necessary to carry out correct journalistic documentation.
Pre-course requirements
No pre-course requirements are needed to enrol in this subject.
Objectives
- Develop an information culture.
- Extensively and deeply understand the information phenomenon.
- Countering generalised inconsistencies resulting from applying mathematical or any type of computerised information processing theory.
- Enable students to acquire information skills and habits, so they know, understand and use information as a tool to achieve personal goals, increasing their knowledge and personal potential.
- Improve the use of information as a resource, learn to manage it wisely, obtain performance, transforming it into knowledge and store it in form of intelligence.
- Understand how to absorb more background, use, communicate and appreciate information.
- Acquire ideas and methods to improve the processes of information that students must lead or may participate in.
- Improve the quality of information that students produce.
- Generate and maintain differential knowledge.
- Learn to design, transfer, and produce knowledge.
- Provide students with the knowledge and skills that enable them to interact with the consumer, so that the latter is capable of generating knowledge and decision making.
- Design of knowledge information systems - centric user. Creating information that is more easily understood.
- Learn to tune in and transact with the user, both to increase the knowledge of oneself and the people with whom on should interact professionally.
- Improve the intelligent use of information.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 10 CG - Knowledge and mastery of bibliographic repertoires
- 11 CG - Knowledge and mastery of different research resources
- 16 CE - The ability to make judgments and well-argued critical assessments
- 18 CE - Ability to detect newsworthy events
- 22 CE - The ability to critically analyze Spanish, European and World journalism.
- 36 CE - Knowledge and mastery of the distinction between opinion and information / colloquial and cultured registers
- 37 CE - Knowledge and mastery of different techniques to contrast information
Learning outcomes of the subject
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They will understand the context surrounding a discourse (speaker, receiver, objective, pragmatics...).
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They will understand the basic elements of the construction of stories and they will be able to adopt a critical viewpoint in relation to the data and arguments they involve.
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They will learn to process information to generate their own knowledge and useful content for consumers.
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They will acquire the necessary expressive skills to inform and convince the audience through their words.
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They will argue in an intelligible and convincing manner.
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They will be able to search for, select and incorporate information into a journalistic documentation process.
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They will be able to observe reality based on journalistic criteria.
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They will know the main theoretical concepts that underlie informational tasks.
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They will know the main types of information sources and information systems that are useful in journalism.
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They will understand the present based on full knowledge and know how to detect new trends.
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They will undertake an in-depth analysis of culture and contemporary thought and its impact on personal and collective dynamics. They must have knowledge of history to understand today’s situation in the media.
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They must facilitate relationships between people, groups of people, institutions and organisations, etc.
Syllabus
SECTION 1. WHAT IS JOURNALISM?
- Testing a definition
- A historical perspective
- The construction of the present
- The functions of Journalism
- Legal framework and code of ethics
SECTION 2. WHAT IS NEWS?
- Facts and news
- Newsworthy criteria
- Selection and ranking of topics
- Journalistic routines
SECTION 3. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
- Typology of sources
- Attribution of sources
SECTION 4. JOURNALISM DOCUMENTATION
- Investigative journalism
Case study 1: The role of the press in the death of the Princess of Wales, Lady Di. Case study 2: WikiLeaks
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0,6 |
| Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. | 0,4 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 1.0 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 0,8 |
| Lab. Working groups that combine theory and practice. The aim of these is not to undertake already known techniques, but instead to make progress that is both theoretical and technical. These Lab sessions will culminate in the creation of a professional or semi-professional product. | 0,7 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2.5 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
First call:
- 50 % Final Exam
- 50 % Work
Bibliography and resources
LITERATURE
Anderson, C. W., Bell, E., & Shirky, C. (2012). Post-industrial Journalism: Adapting to the Present: a Report. Columbia Journalism School.
Castells, M. (2009) Comunicación y poder. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
Gomis, L. (1991). Teoría del periodismo. Cómo se forma el presente. Barcelona: Paidós.
Jenkins, H. (2008). Cultura de la convergencia. Paidós.
Jiménez, D. (2018) El director. Madrid: Libros del K.O.
Kovach, B., & Rosentiel, T. (2012). Los elementos del periodismo. Madrid: Santillana.
Lakoff, G. (2017). No pienses en un elefante. Lenguaje y debate político. Península.
Lippmann, W. (2003). La opinión pública. Madrid: Cuadernos de Langre.
Martínez-Albertos, J. L. (1989). El lenguaje periodístico. Madrid: Paraninfo
Salmon, C. (2008). Storytelling. La máquina de fabricar historias y formatear las mentes. Península: Barcelona.
Wolton, D. (2010). Informar no es comunicar. Contra la ideología tecnológica. Gedisa: Barcelona.
Bamberg, M. G. W., & Andrews, M. (2004) Considering Counter-narratives: Narrating, resisting, making sense. John Benjamins B. V.: Amsterdam.
Guallar, J.; Leiva-Aguilera, J. (2013) El content curator. Guía básica para el nuevo profesional de internet.Barcelona: UOC.
Mortimer, J. A., & van Doren, C. (1996) Cómo leer un libro. Debate: Madrid.
Neumann, E.N. (2010). La espiral del silencio. Paidós Comunicación.