Course description
The BA in Journalism and a Social Science is one of the UK’s best established journalism degrees, having been taught since 1991. It provides a unique opportunity to combine a practical education in journalism with instruction in one social science discipline. It offers an excellent preparation for a career in journalism and has over 300 alumni working in the media in the UK and abroad.
The course is taught in City’s prestigious Department of Journalism and Publishing, which has over 4,000 alumni working as journalists and media professionals in the UK and internationally.
Course content
Year 1
Core modules:
* Introduction to journalism 1
* History of journalism
* European studies
* Quantitative methods for journalists
* A foreign language
Students also take one or more introductory social science modules, depending on the credit value of the module.
Year 2
Core modules:
* Introduction to journalism 2
* Print and radio production
Students also take a combination of modules from:
* structure of government
* shorthand
* a foreign language
* further social science modules
The combination of modules depends upon whether students are studying for a joint honours degree or with journalism as the major subject.
Final year
Core modules:
* Advanced practical journalism (either print or broadcast)
* Project
* Media law and ethics
Students also take a combination of modules from:
* Specialised journalism
* International news
* A foreign language
* Further social science modules
The combination of modules depends upon whether students are studying for a joint honours degree or with journalism as the major subject.
Teaching and assessment
Journalism teaching has a practical emphasis. Students will spend much of their time in small workshops learning journalistic skills – such as reporting a speech, presenting a radio news broadcast, interviewing and preparing page layouts on screen – and will produce short articles regularly. Social sciences subjects, and theory and professional/ethical issues of journalism, are taught mainly in lectures and seminars. As professional work experience is the key to getting a job in journalism, all students are expected to arrange a variety of placements during their degree, and tutors help with setting this up.
For the practical journalism subjects, assessment is split equally between coursework and examinations, and coursework assignments are submitted weekly. For the remaining courses, examinations carry more weight towards the final mark than coursework which is usually submitted termly.
Professional placement and study abroad
Students are encouraged to spend the third year either on one of the exchange programmes arranged by City to journalism schools abroad, or doing work placements or paid work in the journalism industry. To date students have studied abroad in Europe, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, at various Canadian universities (in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal), and in Hong Kong. Others have worked for TV companies, newspapers, publishing houses and websites in the UK and overseas.
