Journalism with Public Relations

This module will introduce students to the tools, techniques and skills that are used by PR practitioners. It will involve learning about blogging, writing and multimedia storytelling for the web as well as CMS and SEO, analysis and evaluation of the production of online content for PR purposes.

This module will look at the origins of PR and how it has, and continues to, evolve. You will also explore the role of the PR practitioner and the relationship between PR and journalism. There will also be an introduction to the terms commonly used in PR and various functions of PR, including devising campaigns and protecting reputation .

Understanding media  law  and ethical boundaries is essential learning for any aspiring journalist. For that reason, this module provides you with a basic understanding of the legal, regulatory and ethical frameworks to which journalists work, including visits to local courts.

This module takes you through the historical development of journalism in the UK. You will analyse this dynamic field within the wider social, political and economic frameworks of modern society, enabling you to identify the role of the industry in contemporary political and cultural life.

This module will enable you to identify the distinctive qualities of print, online and digital news journalism. You will learn how to source and produce stories for print and online platforms, providing you with fundamental editorial and technical skills such as news judgment, interviewing, writing and structuring news stories, and working to deadlines.

You will delve into various forms of digital journalism by developing your own blog and exploring the multitude of social media publishing outlets available to journalists today. By creating your own blog, you will also learn about the aesthetic values and content development of online journalistic applications.

This module will focus on PR campaigns and strategy, exploring the motivation behind campaigns as well as the impact that they can have on aspects of society. You will further develop your analytical skills by critically evaluating a series of PR campaign case studies.

This module will look more closely at the importance of reputation for individuals and organisations, and the role of PR in this. You will develop a critical awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of using different media platforms for reputation management and an understanding of the special skills involved in corporate communications and crisis management.

You will develop as a networked journalist by developing your own online platform and exploring the multitude of digital platforms available to source and output journalistic content. You will also learn techniques of immersive storytelling.

Further enhancing your skills acquired in year one, this module introduces you to more advanced techniques in editing and camerawork, live reporting and studio skills. You will develop your editorial and creative skills in producing TV feature packages by working in our state of the art studios.

Lifestyle Journalism is an increasingly popular area of journalism, whether for newspaper supplements, magazines, lifestyle programmes or podcasts. Students taking this optional module will learn how to research and write stories about all aspects of lifestyle and how to bring them to life with eye-catching text, graphics and images.

The main purpose of this module is to develop your understanding of the ways in which technological, social, political and cultural changes have impacted journalism. You will learn to analyse journalism practice and the contemporary trends emerging within the profession whilst improving your research skills and your ability to critically evaluate your own practice.

You will learn how to write different types of features for newspapers and magazines in various markets. By the end of this module, you will have gained practical skills in the art of feature writing as well as enhanced your ability to formulate and pitch story ideas to commissioning editors.

The exciting field of sports journalism encompasses everything from football matches and rugby games to global Olympic events. In this elective module, you will learn essentials skills for writing clear and concise sports copy, interviewing players and officials, and producing match reports for print and online sports publications.

Focusing on the law surrounding court reporting, this module will build upon your learning from the Law and Ethics module in year one. You will analyse court procedures used in the development of UK law and explore the effect of court reporting restrictions on the news gathering process.

This module explores the relationship between the media and politics in liberal democracies. You will focus on the nature of political media and reporting, the media's influence on politics, and how political actors use the media. You will also study the rise of the internet and new media technologies and what this means for democracy.

This module provides an overview of journalistic methodologies as applied to the fields of music and the music industry. You will examine and construct a variety of forms of journalistic output as related to music as well as develop a critical understanding of the interrelationship between market, industry and culture.

This module will raise your awareness of UK government systems, providing you with an overview of national, regional and local government and the relationship of each with the news media. You will learn how to report council meetings, parliamentary committees and understand the relationship between journalists and local and central government.

This module will provide you with an overview of how the media views and reports on the world of celebrity. You will learn the professional skills of celebrity journalism as well as develop a critical understanding of the challenges and constraints facing celebrity journalists today, including ethical dilemmas such as media bias, cheque book journalism and issues around privacy.

This module will explore podcasts as a form of journalistic storytelling. You will learn how to pitch, research, structure and produce podcasts for target audiences.

This module aims to provide you with a broad history of war reporting from the Boer War to the present day. This will enable you to assess the role of technological developments in war reporting and the social, cultural and political trends affecting war reporters today.

Choose to study a world language in a friendly, supportive environment. Delivered over two semesters, with additional resources available via Blackboard, you will receive around 50 hours of supported learning to help you progress and consolidate your listening, reading, speaking and writing core skills. Available languages include Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Journalism is always changing. This module tracks emerging trends in journalism and particularly the ways in which technological developments can be harnessed by journalists to create content and engage audiences. You will analyse and experiment with cutting-edge tools and techniques of journalistic storytelling to develop the practical skills involved in using new technologies and formats for creating journalistic content.

The core aim of this module is to provide you with professional PR experience by working on bespoke PR projects in-house, for external clients, which will sharpen your professional skills and further prepare yourself for the demands of working in a modern digitalised environment. The module also incorporates a work placement opportunity.

The core aim of this module is to provide you with professional journalism experience in our multimedia newsrooms. By working alongside professional journalists during multi-platform newsdays, you will sharpen your professional skills and further prepare yourself for the demands of working in a modern digitalised newsroom.

You will produce an in-depth piece of online, print, radio or TV journalism with professional tutorial supervision or undertake a dissertation in a journalism-related area with academic support.

You will produce an in-depth project relating to your chosen area of PR, with professional tutorial supervision, or undertake a dissertation in a PR-related area, with academic support.  

You will gain an in depth understanding of photojournalism by critically evaluating this specialised craft from technical, practical, aesthetic, ethical, legal, sociological and psychological perspectives. You will have the opportunity to enhance your expertise as a photojournalist by developing your own portfolio and engaging in a range of briefs.

You will examine how journalists approach the reporting of political issues, gaining a broad understanding of techniques and practices used in regional, national and international contexts. You will also analyse the use of social media in political reporting as well as consider relevant ethical dilemmas around editorial control, spin and the lobby system.

This module will develop your understanding of the entire process of creating a magazine publication in print and/or online. You will learn how to originate, write, assess and develop ideas and have the necessary organisational and practical skills to see them through to completion.

The purpose of this module is to provide you with a critical awareness of the ways in which influential interests and power can shape the nature of communication media policy. You will explore a range of policies as well as the main actors and institutions who devise and influence media policy creation.

Take this module to develop your sport journalism skills, particularly in a live environment for both broadcast and digital platforms. Industry guests will also help to expand your understanding of the role of journalists within sport, of issues such as racism and gender, and of the audience for sport across delivery platforms.

This module examines the historical context of investigative journalism and the challenges faced by news organisations and by investigative journalists when publishing their work. It studies the specialist methods used by investigative journalists including secret recording and analysis of documentary evidence and the legal and ethical issues involved.

Choose to study a world language in a friendly, supportive environment. Delivered over two semesters, with additional resources available via Blackboard, you will receive around 50 hours of supported learning to help you progress and consolidate your listening, reading, speaking and writing core skills. Available languages include Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.