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ALJ222 - From the Fourth Estate to Fake News

Year	2025 unit information
Enrolment modes:	Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online Trimester 3: Burwood (Melbourne), Online
Credit point(s):	1
EFTSL value:	0.125
Unit Chair:	Trimester 1: Nicholas Payne Trimester 3: Matthew Ricketson
Prerequisite:	Nil
Corequisite:	Nil
Incompatible with:	ALJ304
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:	1 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per week
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:	Approximately 3-hours of online learning tasks and discussions per week
Typical study commitment:	Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Content

Explore the functions of journalism in liberal democratic societies and how it connects — or divides — communities, from the local, national and global. You will critically examine the history of the news media, and analyse how changing business models, reforms to media regulations, and news consumption and production habits are simultaneously enriching, complicating and challenging the established values, conventions and boundaries of journalistic practices. Through critical reflection on a range of pressing issues facing working journalists, you will build your professional identity in a dynamic communication landscape to better understand and serve your communities.

Learning outcomes

ULO	These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:	Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)
ULO1	Synthesise and explain the social, economic, political and cultural factors that shape the production, distribution and consumption of the news media at the local, national and global levels	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO8: Global citizenship
ULO2	Distinguish and critically assess different approaches to journalism and evaluate the ethical challenges that arise for journalists practicing different forms of journalism	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking
ULO3	Critically analyse policy and regulatory debates, solutions and suggestions to support different approaches to journalism, drawing upon scholarly and practice-based research and media sources, government inquiries, submissions and/or activist initiatives	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving

ULO

These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)

ULO1

Synthesise and explain the social, economic, political and cultural factors that shape the production, distribution and consumption of the news media at the local, national and global levels

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO8: Global citizenship

ULO2

Distinguish and critically assess different approaches to journalism and evaluate the ethical challenges that arise for journalists practicing different forms of journalism

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO3

Critically analyse policy and regulatory debates, solutions and suggestions to support different approaches to journalism, drawing upon scholarly and practice-based research and media sources, government inquiries, submissions and/or activist initiatives

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

GLO4: Critical thinking

GLO5: Problem solving

Assessment

Assessment Description	Student output	Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit)	Indicative due week
Assessment 1: Journalism reflection	1200 words or equivalent	30%	Week 4
Assessment 2: Presentation	3–5 minutes presentation plus 300 word supporting documentation	30%	Week 8
Assessment 3: Explainer	1600 words or equivalent	40%	Week 11

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.

Unit Fee Information

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Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

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