Specialised Journalism  (21327)

Degree/study: Journalism 
Year: 2nd
Term: 3rd
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan / spanish
Teaching Staff: Montse Quesada

1. Presentation of the subject

The subject Specialised Journalism is an introduction to the study of the journalistic specialisations (by learning the epistemological fundamentals of the specialised journalistic information). It is also the subject that presents the main areas of journalistic specialisation, present on the general information media: Politics, Economy, Culture and Society.

The main goal of the subject is that the students become more interested in being strict when dealing with current journalistic information, so that they productions satisfy the information needs of the new audiences. It is also an objective of this subject to help the students identify with clarity which specialisation they would like best, in order to guide their later itinerary for the different journalistic specialisations (taken over the next years as optative subjects).

It is a well-known fact that in this global society, information sources are accessible by everybody. Precisely for this reason, specialised journalists must be able to offer a very accurate interpretation of the social reality. When learning this subject, therefore, a big capacity to work, reflection and a critical spirit are required in order to elaborate excellent products following the specialised journalism's methodology.

2. Competences to be attained

General (Instrumental):

- Be able to communicate properly, both speaking an writing, in the two official languages in Catalonia - Catalan and Spanish -, in front of expert and inexpert audiences

- Ability to work with the computer tools and knowledge of their essential applications to regular academic activities

General (Interpersonal):

- Ability to work in groups, participating actively in the assigned tasks, making decisions and discussing your opinions with others until you come to an agreement

- Ability to think autonomously and critically when talking about controversial subjects

- Be self-disciplent, self-demanding and rigorous when doing academic tasks, and organise your time correctly

General (Systemic):

- Develop the sense of curiosity, wanting to know what we don't know, which is an essential competence in all teaching processes and in all professional activities

- Ability to apply and adapt the acquired knowledge to new contexts and situations, with flexibility and creativity

- Ability to progress in the learning process autonomously and continuously

Specific

Specific of the degree:

- Knowledge of the informative and communicative processes, as well as of the theories that support or criticise them

- Knowledge of the English language, as it is a form of expression in the communication media's world

- Knowledge of the historical evolution of the journalistic modalities and traditions in all the media

- Knowledge of the ethics of journalism

- Knowledge of the social impact of the informative technologies

- Knowledge of the main debates and events in the media

- Knowledge of the fundamentals and methods of the scientific disciplines that can help understand the world better

- Be able to communicate properly, both speaking an writing, in the two official languages in Catalonia

- Ability to read and analyse specialised documents and texts of any relevant subject

- Ability to use the computer systems and resources, and knowledge of their interactive applications

- Ability to perform the main journalistic tasks in all thematic areas

- Ability to look for, choose and organise any source or document (written, audible or visual) useful to elaborate and process information

- Ability to retrieve, organise, analyse and process information with the purpose of being broadcasted or disseminated

- Ability to identify and analyse all informative products (of any genre, language or medium) in order to study them critically

- Ability to use data and statistics properly and in a way that is understandable by almost all the public

Specific of the subject:

- Knowledge of the main principles of the production of specialised journalistic information

- Knowledge of the techniques and methods used when dealing with "good information"

- Ability to interact with expert and specialised sources of all thematic areas

- Ability to broadcast complex information using the common language and communication media

3. Contents

General part

Lesson 1. What is "Specialised Journalism"?

1.1. The origins of specialisation. Mediatic saturation of general information

1.2. The crisis of written-press readers and fragmentation of the audience

1.3. Appearance of specialised publications. Incorporation of specialists into general editorial offices

1.4. New functions of the traditional communication media. The "good" information and the important/best media

Lesson 2. Epistemological fundamentals of the specialised journalistic information

2.1. Capability of the journalistic information to transmit scientific knowledge

2.2. Journalism and citizenship. Ethics for a responsible information

2.3. Communication difficulties between journalists and specialists

2.4. Degrees of specialisation

Lesson 3. Routines of production of specialised journalistic information

3.1. Objectives of the specialised journalistic information

3.2. "Creating" specialised journalists as a previous step

3.3. Role change in relation with the information sources

3.4. Specialised methodology VS general methodology

3.5. Journalists' aptitudes and attitudes. From the usual journalist to the specialised journalist

Lesson 4. Areas of journalistic specialisation

4.1. The division of knowledge into the four main thematic areas

4.2. Political information: international, national, regional and local

4.3. The economic information when being in an economic crisis

4.4. The cultural information and the showbusiness

4.5. The social information and the criminological field

Specific part

The big group will be split up into two seminars, depending on people's interests:

1. Identification of the area of specialisation

2. Research, in order to contextualise the current journalistic situation

3. Study of sources and of specialised speakers/transmitters

4. Specialised journalistic methodology in each thematic area

5. Journalistic formats and news programs' or docuemntaries language

4. Assessment

To assess this subject, the following elements will be taken into account:

- Have an active and receptive attitude (A)

- Participate in the debates and discussions in class (P)

- Do the tasks (in groups and individual) (T)

- Pass a multiple-choice questions exam about the contents taught in class (E)

Here is the percentage of each element in the final mark:

Type of assessment	Period of time	Type of activity	Percentage in the final mark
A	Weeks 1 to 10	Analysis and comprehension	20%
P	Weeks 5 to 10	Presentations and participation in the debates	20%
T	Weeks 5 to 10	Elaboration and presentation of specialised products	30%
E	Week 10	Exam	30%

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

BERGANZA, Mª Rosa. Periodismo especializado. Pamplona: EUINSA, 2005

ESTEVE, Francisco y FERNÁNDEZ DEL MORAL, Javier. Áreas de especialización periodística. Madrid: Fragua, 1999

ESTEVE, Francisco. Comunicación especializada. Alicante: Ediciones Tucumán, 1999

FERNÁNDEZ DEL MORAL, Javier y ESTEVE, Francisco. Fundamentos de la Información Periodística Especializada. Madrid: Síntesis, 1993

FERNÁNDEZ DEL MORAL, Javier. Periodismo especializado. Barcelona: Ariel, 2004

LLANO, Rafael. La especialización periodística. Madrid: Tecnos, 2008

QUESADA, Montserrat. Periodismo especializado. Pamplona: EUINSA, 1998

  

5.2. Complementary bibliography

BLANCO, Elena y ESTEVE, Francisco (eds.). Tendencias del Periodismo Especializado. Málaga: Universidad de Málaga, 2010

CAMACHO, Idoia (cord.). La especialización en el periodismo. Formarse para informar. Sevilla, Zamora: Comunicación Social, 2010

ESTEVE, Francisco y MONCHOLI, Miguel Ángel (eds.). Teoría y técnicas del Periodismo especializado. Madrid: Editorial Fragua, 2007

ESTEVE, Francisco (coord.). Estudios sobre Información Periodística Especializada. Valencia: Fundación Universitaria San Pablo C.E.U., 1997

  

5.3. Teaching resources

The lectures will be complemented by PowePoint slides, which will be available for the students.

6. Metodology

Learning will be organised as follows:

- Lectures: plenary sessions where the main theoretical contents of the subject will be explained.

- Self-learning: reading and comprehension exercises to learn better the contents explained in the lectures and to assess their usefulness.

- Debate sessions: seminar sessions, in order to discuss theoretical concepts considering the information that the students will have looked up and studied before class.

- Journalistic tasks: elaboration of journalistic products, strictly following the specialised methodology.

- Meetings: In order for the teacher to keep an eye on the individual tasks or the ones in groups.

- Exam: Multiple-choice questions test, in order for the students to prove their knowledge.

7. Planning of activities

 

 

Week	Activities in class	Activities at home
Week 1	April 4th: presentation of the subject and how it will work April 6th: Lesson 1	Further bibliographical research on Lesson 1 Prepare arguments for the debate
Week 2	April 11th: Lesson 2 April 13th: begin Lesson 3	Further bibliographical research on Lesson 2 Prepare arguments for the debate
Week 3	April 27th: Lesson 3	Further bibliographical research on Lesson 3 Prepare arguments for the debate
Week 4	May 2nd: Lesson 4 May 4th: debate about the general part of the subject Distribution of the students within two groups	Group 1: all Mondays, 15h to 18h. Politics and Economy Group 2: all Wednesdays, 15h to 18h. Culture and Society
Week 5	May 9th: group 1. Lesson 1 (Specific part). May 11th: group 2. Lesson 1 (Specific part).	Group 1: Prepare topics for journalistic writings Group 2: Prepare topics for journalistic writings
Week 6	May 16th: group 1. Lesson 2 (Specific part). Tasks in order to access to specific information. May 18th: group 2. Lesson 2 (Specific part). Tasks in order to access to specific information.	Group 1: Look for context information Group 2: Look for context information
Week 7	May 23rd: group 1. Lesson 3 (Specific part). Research of specialised sources. May 25th: group 2. Lesson 3 (Specific part). Research of specialised sources.	Group 1: Choose primary and secondary sources and become familiar with them Group 2: Choose primary and secondary sources and become familiar with them
Week 8	May 30th: group 1. Lesson 4 (Specific part). Defend the work project to be done. June 1st: group 2. Lesson 4 (Specific part). Defend the work project to be done.	Group 1: Analyse the information obtained Group 2: Analyse the information obtained
Week 9	June 6th: group 1. Lesson 5 (Specific part). How to write specialised texts. June 8th: group 2. Lesson 5 (Specific part). How to write specialised texts.	Group 1: Prepare the public presentation of the task Group 2: Prepare the public presentation of the task
Week 10	June 13th: group 1. Public presentation of the task. June 15th: group 2. Public presentation of the task.	Group 1: Prepare the exam (multiple-choice questions) Group 2: Prepare the exam (multiple-choice questions)