BA (Hons) Media, Journalism and Publishing

This module is your introduction to the core writing skills needed to work in a variety of media environments such as:

• Online and social media
• Magazines and newspapers
• TV and radio

You will explore the skill-sets needed to seek out and tell stories across platforms for different brands and target audiences. You will start to develop the vital skills needed as a journalist; from ideation and interview skills to planning, creating and shaping copy for multiple platforms, and how social media and smartphones can be utilised for reporting. You will explore and examine the following aspects:

• researching and developing new ideas
• finding the story and making creativity work
• using statistics, archives, press releases and agency sources
• developing long form and short pieces of written work
• exploring bias
• specialist journalism
• sub-editing, house style and pitching.

This module is aligned with the programme’s NCTJ accreditation

Delve into the intricate world of the book publishing industry, and gain key insights into its multifaceted structure and the forces shaping its trajectory. You’ll uncover the nuances of various industry sectors and players, and grasp the profound impact on both industry professionals and the products they create.

You’ll elevate your analytical prowess through a deep exploration of the book publishing industry. Through exercises, you’ll apply theoretical frameworks to real-world commercial scenarios, gaining practical insights.

You’ll also attain a keen understanding of the industry's dynamic nature and the transformative trends shaping its course. Finally, you’ll hone your research skills, enabling you to navigate and contribute effectively within the evolving landscape of book publishing.

You'll understand the intricate interplay of text and visuals in a two-dimensional space. You’ll cover core skills needed to curate your own content, seamlessly transitioning between digital and print formats, while maintaining a polished and captivating visual narrative.

By the end of this module you’ll gain a deep understanding of typography's power. Developing your eye for typographic style and composition, which is critical for crafting compelling layouts across digital and print platforms. Also, you’ll elevate your design prowess by meticulously arranging type and imagery, ensuring an impactful visual experience.

Delve deep into the art of crafting impactful, authentic, and captivating narratives through video. You’ll cover practical skills and analytical acumen needed to master the art of visual storytelling. From planning to recording, production, and distribution, you'll learn how to create compelling video news packages and features for online platforms and social media, all while considering audience targeting and optimization strategies.

You’ll develop expertise in tailoring news reports to online audiences, thriving within the fast-paced world of digital journalism. Through critical analysis, you’ll explore the intersection of technology, society, and content creation, gaining insights into the broader media landscape. By mastering the art of video journalism for digital audiences, you'll emerge as a skilled content creator ready to thrive in the ever-evolving digital storytelling landscape.

Undertake a comprehensive exploration of research methodologies, data interpretation, and the effective application in diverse sectors. You'll unravel the intricacies of research construction in publishing, media, and journalism, gaining insights into various approaches, methodologies, and resources.

By the end of this module, you’ll develop a versatile understanding of research methods that are applicable across publishing, journalism, and media domains. You’ll learn to critically evaluate different research methodologies and choose the most suitable ones for your own research. Also, you’ll uncover the process of proposing, planning, and executing media-related research projects, all while harnessing data analysis to guide your strategies.

Explore the practical realities of media industries, to equip yourself with the tools and insights to analyse real-world media enterprises and develop effective marketing plans. You’ll develop a profound grasp of intellectual property's significance in the media landscape, and learn to nurture, safeguard, and leverage it.

You'll apply marketing theories and tools to real-world scenarios, enhancing your strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, you’ll gain financial literacy and an understanding of financial reports' significance, so you understand the financial dynamics that underpin successful media ventures. Through the analysis of actual media business cases, you'll learn to make solid informed decisions in complex industry scenarios.

Explore Oxford's historical and modern role as a literary and media hub. With more authors per square mile than anywhere else in the world, and the location of many media companies and professionals, Oxford has a unique creative cluster that warrants review and analysis.

Build your unrivalled media network through Oxford Brookes' circle of dynamic and diverse media professionals, and explore critical issues and key themes encompassing the global media world as it is today.

By the end of this module, you'll have a firm understanding of Oxford's unparalleled literary history, and how you can apply this knowledge to building your own creative connections.

Look into the transformative journey of print media, from its emergence during the eighteenth-century novel era to the interwar paperback revolution of the twentieth century. Also explore the multi-dimensional impact of print media, encompassing books, magazines, newspapers, and ephemera, as agents of both societal conformity and radical change.

You’ll acquire comprehensive knowledge of the socio-legal structures that shaped print media's production, circulation, and consumption in historical contexts. You’ll engage in critical analysis of print media artefacts spanning these eras, decoding their origins, production techniques, target audiences, and potential influence. You'll also take a critical approach to studying print media history, refining your vocabulary and terminology to be able to articulate insightful analyses.

You’ll immerse yourself in the world of international publishing with a unique cross-university collaboration involving other students from Amsterdam and Stuttgart. You’ll be part of a hands-on project that transcends borders, fostering expertise in global teamwork and intercultural collaboration.

You’ll harness your creativity and leadership by helping to shape an international publishing project from inception to execution. This module’s collaborative approach will help you build your teamwork skills and you’ll develop a solid grasp of copyright laws and intellectual property regulations, including key components in the modern publishing landscape.

Progress you learning from your previous modules to cover the entire spectrum of sports reporting - addressing the demands of today's newsrooms that operate across various publishing platforms. You’ll explore ethical dilemmas in sports journalism, to equip yourself to navigate complex issues.

You’ll develop your reporting skills in sports politics, public affairs, and events - spanning from grassroots to professional levels. You'll gain insight into the intersection of sports with broader societal issues such as identity politics, gender debates, and human rights concerns. While enhancing your editing, publishing, and multimedia storytelling abilities, and crafting content suitable for mutliple audiences.

From contemporary fashion text to editorial storytelling and commercial communications, you'll gain applicable understanding of creating targeted content for fashion audiences and media platforms. Through your analysis of fashion criticism and communication, you'll develop the skills to produce professional-standard content, tailored to specific readerships, markets, and brands. You'll learn to craft compelling fashion features, trend reports, reviews, and more, while considering the broader impact of fashion on societies, sustainability, and innovation.

You'll build a critical understanding of fashion criticism and communication for commercial publishers and brands. You'll also develop the expertise to edit, proofread, and publish content to professional standards, ensuring suitability for publication.

You can spend your third year on a work placement. This is a great opportunity to enhance your CV; preparing you for future employment. You will gain commercial and practical experience and often students are offered graduate positions by their placement employer.

During the placement year itself students are supported by an assigned Placement Tutor who remains in regular contact with the student and their line manager. WAVES also supports students in identifying volunteering or internship opportunities. Voluntary work associated with local community events, for example, provide additional opportunity for the development of students’ employability skills.

Recently, students have enjoyed inspiring and intellectually challenging positions at Disney, Harley Davidson, BMW, Dyson, Sharky and George, GlaxoSmithKline, Nestlé and PayPal. Learn more about how Oxford Brookes Business School supports students secure a work placement.

The aim of this module is to develop your professional profile and professional confidence of through experiential learning opportunities and engagement with external organisations by undergoing work placements, internships and industry experiences. It aims to enable you to manage their own learning and self-direction through identifying opportunities that align to their disciplinary ambitions, situating your practice in a professional context. It offers a range of options including an Enterprise Residency where you can operate as a freelancer and develop ideas for a start-up business with the full support of Brookes Enterprise Support.

The Major Project or Dissertation is the pinnacle of your BA journey in Media, Publishing, and Journalism. It's your opportunity to explore a subject, issue, or theme significant to your specialisation. Through original research and practical application, you'll create a defining piece of work that showcases your ability to synthesise information, apply theories, critically evaluate, and present coherent arguments.

In the dynamic fields of media, publishing, and journalism, research methods span a wide spectrum, from historical and literary analysis to social science inquiry and business investigations. This module covers the breadth of research approaches, including conducting interviews, surveys, project planning, and data analysis. That will help you progress and refine your skills to a professional level.

You will learn the ins and outs of creative entrepreneurship in the context of the social media age. Whether you plan to start your own business, work for a creative agency, or build a personal brand as an influencer, this module will help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the creative industries. You will explore industry trends, expectations, and best practices, and learn how to create innovative content that will stand out in the crowded digital landscape.

By the end of this module, you will be able to formulate a personal 'market positioning' strategy, establish appropriate branding objectives, and build an effective online presence that showcases your skills and portfolio. You will also gain hands-on experience with content creation and curation while developing a dynamic and authentic personal brand that reflects your unique voice and style.

Immerse yourself in the art of developing scripted content for the screen within today's evolving market conditions. You'll delve into the details behind commercial platforms and audience data, explore emerging genres, and consider industry strategies for attracting producers and choosing locations. Your creative practice will be nurtured within a commercial, industry-focused context. You'll be asking questions like: 'How can creative ideas be developed within the demands of a clearly defined market opportunity within the growing streaming sector? What genre, platform, and audience should IP be designed for, and how do we do that?

By the end of this module, you'll have developed a commercial product with all the hallmark elements of audience, platform, production, and financial justification, perfect for significantly enhancing your professional portfolio.

Explore the consumer publishing environment, covering cultural context, product development, and various roles within the trade publishing organisation. You'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the book commissioning and acquisitions process and you'll actively participate in a simulated real-life context, pitching original material to an existing publisher.

You'll be able to critically evaluate the consumer book commissioning and acquisitions process, identifying appropriate target audiences for books in this sector. You'll have the ability to conceptualise, plan, and schedule content for the consumer market, and create an outward-facing portfolio piece showcasing your skills. Also, you'll develop strong communication skills that are applicable to the publishing industry.

You will explore the intersection of journalism and technology, gaining insights into the impact of digital media on the industry. You will learn essential skills to navigate the digital landscape, including creating engaging content for various platforms, utilising data analytics to shape editorial strategies, and critically analysing the evolving media landscape. Through hands-on practice and theoretical exploration, you will develop expertise in digital storytelling, audience engagement, and content creation.

By studying this module, you will acquire practical knowledge in producing digital articles, social media posts, and other digital content, enabling you to adapt to the changing demands of the digital age. The module's focus on digital journalism and data analytics will enhance your employability and equip you with the skills necessary to thrive in the evolving media industry, where digital expertise is increasingly valued.

You'll explore the changing nature of authorship and writing. By starting with Roland Barthes' declaration about the 'death of the author' and Foucault's question 'what is an author?'

You'll examine the role of the professional writer in the 18th century to the citizen journalist of the 21st century. You'll delve into the idea of the author being in constant flux.

This will lead you to ask questions like:

• 'Do we still 'need' authors?'
• 'Who are the authors now?'

Understand how popular culture weaves its influence into every facet of society. Drawing from Strinati and Wagg's insights, explore the profound impact of popular media culture on modern life, including its role in shaping identities, perceptions of time and place, and even personal definitions of existence.

You’ll build the ability to evaluate and appraise the multifaceted role of popular culture in shaping society. Also, you’ll develop the skill to critically assess issues arising from popular culture's interaction with media and its profound influence on the world around us.

Look at the controversial narratives woven within media ecosystems, encompassing newspapers, current affairs magazines, social media, and broadcast news. Trace the historical trajectory of propaganda from the tumultuous twentieth-century wars, such as the First and Second World Wars, to its contemporary manifestations in the digital age. You’ll also explore how media and propaganda have been harnessed to shape public opinion, rally support, and challenge power structures.

By the end of this module, you’ll build the ability to critically analyse the dual nature of social media and broadcast news as both agents of control and catalysts for social change. Alongside that, you’ll acquire the tools to assess historical and contemporary instances of propaganda in media, to then build a nuanced vocabulary to articulate your findings and insight.

You will engage with the cultural and industry debates surrounding children’s publishing. You will learn to critically evaluate the children’s book commissioning and acquisitions process and identify appropriate audiences and products for books in this sector. Also you will develop your skills to research and evaluate the production and design of children’s publishing. By collaborating on this module you will enhance your communication skills and progress your ability to work effectively as part of a team.

You will have gained an in-depth understanding of the components and impact of the children’s publishing environment and its current shape and business practices. Your critical thinking and analytical skills you've develop throughout the module will be useful in a range of careers, including publishing, education, and media.

You'll learn the practical skills required to develop and deliver interactive publishing products in the digital realm. Studying this module you'll cover the fundamentals of creating responsive content for screen delivery, focusing on effective communication and digital asset management. You'll explore the construction of digital products, examine the state of digital publishing, and gain hands-on experience in creating enhanced eBooks and app prototypes for different platforms.

On completion of this module, you will be equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital media industry. You will be proficient in software tools and digital asset management, to create engaging and visually compelling digital content.

Through lectures, workshops, and simulated newsroom settings, this practical module wil help to hone your skills as a magazine journalist, preparing you for the challenges of real-world editorial environments. You’ll explore diverse formats including narrative features, interviews, opinion pieces, videos, and more, catering to the ever-evolving preferences of dedicated and casual readers.

This hands-on module will give you a deep understanding of the role of a competent journalist and a prospective magazine industry professional. From crafting engaging multiplatform content to understanding the strategies of pitching and commissioning within broader publishing frameworks, you'll gain insight into both the creative and business aspects of magazine journalism.