Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Core units

COMM8601 History of Journalism

This unit explores the history of journalism, from the age of the printing press to the world of new media. Journalism is a key institutional component of the democratic state; we examine its role with particular focus on American and British journalism history, in contrast to the emerging practices in the East Asian region.

COMM8604 Media Law and Ethics

The legal and ethical context in which journalism is produced and consumed is the focus of this unit. Topics include defamation law, privilege, court and parliamentary reporting, copyright and privacy.

COMM8607 News Gathering: Techniques and Timing

This is primarily a practical, 'how to' unit, in which the key topics are: gathering news; methods of story verification; the interview; evaluation of news-worthiness; writing the story; the compilation of information within a range of resource contexts; and the practical application of ethical standards of news-gathering and presentation.

COMM8603 Practicum 1: Print and Digital

The course includes two practicum units designed to train students in the practice of content production. The first of these concentrates on print and digital, focusing on the production of stories and commentary suitable for online production. Students will work in a simulated newsroom environment, with weekly deadlines for completion of publication-ready news stories and regular deadlines for the production of more extended opinion pieces.

COMM8605 Issues in Contemporary Global Journalism

Benedict Anderson famously identified the national newspaper as the communicative foundation of the 'imaginary community' that is the nation-state. Today, journalism is overwhelmingly global. Beginning with an examination of the 'nation-defining' (but internationally owned) publication, The Australian, this unit seeks to understand international journalism, and the practices it sustains, as a global phenomenon.

COMM8606 Investigative Reporting

Investigative journalism is under threat from the commercial imperatives that drive contemporary news publications, yet remains the corner stone of good journalistic practice. This unit examines the idea and practice of investigative journalism, including the research and story evaluation skills, the necessity to pitch for funding, and the importance of understanding one's audience.

COMM8602 Online Journalism

From the Wikileaks phenomenon, to the role of Facebook in the 2011 Egyption revolution, the transformative power of online organisation and communication, and it's recasting of what journalism is or should be, has been remarkable. Working in a web-based environment, students will explore the ways in which online journalism is creating a new form of 'public sphere' and equally, the dangers it may embody.

COMM8608 Practicum 2: Broadcast and Digital

The second of the two practicum units concentrates on broadcast and digital. Students work in a simulated newsroom environment, where they work towards regular deadlines for the completion of broadcast-ready radio and video pieces, from short news stories to longer features. Completed work is prepared for digital publication and broadcast via the Master of Journalism website.

Elective units

COMM8609 Advanced Writing and Broadcasting

This unit exposes students to live broadcast situations on media partner networks, affording the opportunity to publish with 'real world' newspapers. Students work to tight deadlines where they are required to react to situations as they unfold, making editorial and presentation decisions. The unit is designed to complement the work placement unit, preparing students for a career across multiple media platforms.

COMM8610 Management and Editorial

Management and editorial represent the two key, but often conflicting, imperatives of news organisations: to work as a business enterprise attuned to the interests of stakeholders, and to offer objective, impartial news coverage. This unit examines the conflict across local and international settings, as both a fascinating theoretical tension, and as the ground for the day to day practice of the newsroom and editorial decision making.

COMM8612 The Role of the Correspondent

In this unit we examine the nature of the role of the political and foreign correspondent and the challenges the correspondent faces - reporting on disaster and war, gauging the pulse of the political setting from a press gallery, and dealing ethically with participant ('insider') knowledge. Media organisations typically put their foreign correspondents through rigorous courses to prepare then for overseas service, and in this course we tap into those offerings.

COMM8611 Politics, Business and the Economy

This unit explores political institutions and the political economy more generally, including its complex interaction with the media, both in Australia and internationally. The unit provides grounding in the content of key policy areas and, more specifically, an understanding of the role which business plays in modern economies and how news is able to register this activity.

COMM8613 Practicum 3: Website Editor

Most news organisations now have a strong online presence. The Master of International Journalism course maintains a website for the publication of student news and features. This unit tasks an editorial team with the responsibility for creating that site over a semester, the goal being to ensure that the Master's site has a level of professionalism, accessibility, and relevance, similar to an industry site. Because there is a practical limit to the size of an effective team, there is a quota for this unit; however it can be taken in any semester.

COMM8620 / COMM8621 Dissertation (24 points)

The dissertation unit allows suitably qualified students to pursue a sustained research project, or creative media presentation, related to the practice of journalism.

COMM8614 Work Placement (12 points)

This work placement unit gives students the opportunity to work in a professional media context over an eight-week period (three days per week). The objectives are to give students the practical context in which to develop the skills obtained over the first two semesters of the degree, to enable them to make a direct contribution to publication within the industry, and to provide an entry-way into the profession.