Journalism stream a new feature of Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Curtin Malaysia

Miri – 13 June 2018 – The Curtin Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication offered at Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) has been enhanced considerably with the addition of a Journalism Stream to the existing Corporate Screen Production, Marketing and Public Relations streams. This is ideal for students keen to pursue careers in the print, broadcast and online media.

The 3-year course is identical to the one offered at Curtin University’s main campus in Perth, which is very practical and technology-centred, giving students ample exposure to industry practices and opportunities to work with industry-standard equipment and produce real work for print, film and television.

With the availability of up to four streams, students can develop skills and knowledge in two or more related fields of study at the intersection of media, business, design and new communications technologies. They can take a combination of Corporate Screen Production and either Journalism, Public Relations or Marketing; or Journalism and Public Relations or Marketing.

The new journalism stream covers journalism theory and practice through print, broadcast and online media, including the legal and ethical conditions under which journalism is practiced.

Tharshni Kumarasamy, Head of Programme at Curtin Malaysia’s Faculty of Humanities, said when taken in combination with the other elements of the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, the journalism stream provides students with the ability to communicate effectively, the opportunity to publish on a variety of media platforms including online, radio and television, and an understanding of how contemporary news media operate.

In their first year, students will be introduced to print journalism, gaining practical reporting skills, studying the context in which journalists research and report in the public interest, and discussing the concepts relevant to ethical and reflective journalism practice.

They will learn to interpret a situation or event and to clearly, concisely and accurately tell a story in the hard news form, and also learn to think and write critically about journalism practice and journalism’s role in society.

Following in the second year will be an introduction to broadcast journalism where students will examine the nature, history and function of broadcast journalism by analysing and evaluating the public, community and commercial sectors. They will dissect and evaluate all aspects of broadcast journalism and develop their multi-platform journalistic skillset by producing recorded radio stories and a smart-phone essay.

Another aspect of journalism they will learn is media law. This equips them to identify and apply laws governing publication that concern media professionals. This will be crucial when seeking and preparing material for publication to avoid legal liability while exploiting the limits of freedom of speech.

In addition, they will learn about media ethics and explore key theories and concepts in ethical reasoning and develop skills in critical thinking on issues of professional ethics in journalism and the media.

In their third and final year, students will undertake study in news writing and reporting, as well as radio news.

They will develop news gathering, writing and research skills and an awareness of different styles and genres within print and online journalism, as well as learn how to generate ideas, undertake research, conduct interviews and write in news style to tight deadlines.

They will then learn to work in a radio newsroom environment performing a range of tasks in the development of complex radio news stories. This will include practical training in digital recording, editing and production using industry standard equipment, ensuring they are able to react to the demands of the modern news environment.

Enrolment for Curtin Malaysia’s July/August (Semester 2) intake is now open and potential students can enquire about the course by logging into bit.ly/2iPcTOL. Details can also be found at courses.curtin.edu.my.

Journalism stream opens up new opportunities for Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication students.