Master of International Journalism

This unit will explore the practice and theoretical underpinnings of data journalism, whereby news content is organized around structured pieces of data, as opposed to conventionally structured news stories. Students will learn how to access key public databases, extract stories from them, and make the data available in visualisations that facilitate citizens’ own inquiries and investigations. Students will be acquainted with the history and current practice of data journalism, including key international examples.

This subject builds on basic journalistic interview and research skills to introduce the discipline and advanced research techniques of investigative journalism. Students will learn how to access and analyse public records, how to use Freedom of Information legislation, and how to use social media to crowdsource information and be introduced to data journalism. They will be introduced to the multiple ethical and legal issues involved in use of confidential sources and unauthorised disclosures, and how this relates to core journalistic ethical principles. Students will undertake an investigation as part of the subject.

This subject examines diverse understandings of audiences and introduces research approaches to investigating audience practices and patterns of consumption in a changing media landscape. It provides a detailed understanding of the different ways in which questions of media impact and audience power have been theorised, conceptualised and examined across the history of media research. Students will be encouraged to deepen their understanding of contemporary audience research methodologies from both administrative and critical points of views and to develop critical evaluation skills deployed in relation to these. Approaches examined will include early media effects studies rooted in the behavioural paradigm, and sociological studies of public beliefs and opinion formation, as well as political economy of globalisation and its (re)construction of audiences and approaches inspired by cultural studies that explore audiences as culturally situated and as active sense makers. Students will consider different audiences, media and genres across the course and engage in focused study of selected audiences and processes of reception.

This subject seeks, through research and investigation, to encourage students to reflect on how journalism has developed and changed over time, in order to gain a critically informed perspective on its present and possible futures. Students will reflect on the question of what drives journalism history, and different perspectives that have been provided on this question, in work that has focused on the contribution of sociopolitical, economic and technological change to shaping and transforming journalism. This is addressed through engagement with key areas of research and debate surrounding journalism history, as well as a consideration of different traditions and histories of journalism in different social and political cultures. Such work provides a resource for critically informed consideration of how history has shaped the present landscape of journalism and challenges facing the field. It also supports informed engagement with the problem of how such challenges might be addressed, and journalism's possible future(s).

Global Crisis Reporting examines studies and approaches to global communications and the reporting of crises, including disasters and humanitarian relief. The course examines the extent to which, how and why forms of coverage have changed in recent years, and considers how these changes have impacted on the way in which "crises" are constructed, mediated and communicated. It considers the possible impacts of such changes on national and international public opinion and political leaders, as well as on those immediately involved. Amongst the themes addressed are: the rise of digital technologies of news production and distribution and their impact on the nature of crisis reporting, arguments for and against a "journalism of attachment", the communication strategies of humanitarian organisations and the degree to which coverage of human suffering raises questions about the moral responsibility of news-makers. The subject also examines issues regarding the political impacts of contemporary crisis reporting, the nature and direction of communication flows, the rise of emergent practices of crisis communications and media activism and the degree to which transformations in the field may, or may not, serve to positively address the relations underpinning global crises.

This subject provides an overview of the major factors affecting the local and global production, marketing and distribution of books, magazines and electronic publications. It considers the impact of political, social and economic conditions, technological changes, and changing industry practices. Students will gain a critical understanding of professional practices and current issues in various sectors of the industry in the context of global developments.

This subject teaches the writing and editing skills needed in the technical writing profession. The emphasis is on preparing instructional materials (also known as user documentation), both for printed and online delivery. Students will learn how to plan a documentation project, how to tailor writing for various audiences (local and international), how to write effective procedures, how to build subject-specific thesauri, and how to index and design documents.

This subject introduces students to advanced aspects of editing for digital media. It focuses on the methods, systems, trends and technological developments taking place in digital media industries, and presents a portfolio of key skills and knowledge required in contemporary editing and content management. Taking the publishing industry as its professional context, it focuses on software for digital authoring, editing, content management and content marketing; the principles of workflow in the digital office; digital publishing and ebook production processes and systems; and the creation of video for the internet. Students will gain a practical understanding of a range of applications and systems that are industry standards, and develop deeper literacy around digital media and e-communication.

This subject teaches students practical skills in creating documents using the industry-standard software, Adobe Indesign through practical workshops that take the student from beginner to intermediate skill levels. It also introduces students to the concepts and practice of print production and design, and outlines the underlying principles of publishing design and page layout, the characteristics of good typesetting, the interrelationship of images, space, colour and text and the importance of design briefs. Through reference to the history of printing, this subject will extend students’ understanding of the impact of changing technologies on typography, graphic design and production processes, enabling them to develop a critical awareness of trends in the field. A brief insight to some of the specific design and publishing challenges of ePublishing is also provided.

Please note: Students should subscribe to Adobe Indesign via Adobe Creative Cloud for the duration of the subject in order to be able to complete assignments out of class time.

This subject provides an overview of magazine writing, editing and publishing, with special emphasis on the skills needed to successfully produce magazines today. We examine how magazine editors conceive of audiences, and how they create print and digital magazines that serve the needs and desires of those audiences. Students will study how editors turn ideas into stories,  and work with the magazine production team to give a story its final form. Students will learn how writers pitch ideas to editors, and to research and write magazine feature stories. We study the commercial aspects of magazine publishing – advertising, sales, marketing and promotion – and investigate innovative magazine business models in a time of great change and disruption in publishing. We examine how a magazine develops from concept to finished product, including launch proposal, project planning, scheduling and budgeting. Our focus is not solely on print, but on the magazine as a form that continues to evolve in response to social and technological change.

This subject addresses ethical issues and legal constraints involved in publishing for print and digital media. It will review existing ethical codes and the mechanisms established to police them, as well as offering an overview of how publishing practices are shaped by legislative provisions relating to such matters as intellectual property, privacy, defamation and respect for cultural differences. On successfully completing this subject, students will have gained an understanding of a wide range of ethical and legal considerations.

As the print publishing market in all its forms adapts to the impact of new technologies, this subject examines the resulting seismic changes, the impact of digital technologies on the publishing supply chain and the shifting strategic contribution of marketing to the publishing process. We study the changing structure of the market, including analysis of the changing role of wholesales, bricks and mortar retailers (both specialist and non-specialist) and online providers on the supply side, and examine demographic, cultural and social factors influencing the structure of demand. We explore factors affecting the competitive environment, including the impact of digital technologies on the print supply chain and the interaction between old and new media. We use case studies to highlight the issues of market segmentation, branding and product placement. Assessment tasks focus on researching specific market segments and developing practical, costed, commercially-astute marketing strategies.

This seminar will focus on human rights and its critics from a historical and comparative perspective. We will explore the factors that have given rise to radically different conception of rights and justice (i.e. political, economic, cultural, religious, ideological) and look at their implementation and the obstacles at the local, national, and international levels. What is the relationship and relevance of the international human rights movement to local notions of rights? What impact is this having on local gender relations and the relationships of women to their states and communities? Are human rights NGOs weakening or strengthening the nation-states in Southeast Asia. are they sites of resistance or complicity? The seminar introduces students to different conceptions of rights, and social justice, including feminist critiques of rights discourse and of 'development', ethnographic studies on the relationship between attitudes towards bodily integrity and human rights, the debates about poverty, economic development and access to adequate health care as human rights. We shall draw upon a wide range of sources from theoretical works, philosophical and anthropological critiques of rights discourse, and NGO documents. On completion of the subject students should have a broad historical, comparative and critical perspective on the debates about rights and justice in Southeast Asia.

Mass violence inflicted by states and groups have a prolonged effect on communities and nations. This subject considers the forms of trauma people experience as a response to these forms of violence and explores how this trauma propels calls for apologies, truth commissions, retribution and torture. The subject employs psychoanalytic theory and practice to consider what it means to be traumatised and what it means to seek remedies from law, and uses examples of cross-cultural lawful practice to interrogate ideas of violence and trauma. Legal practices, apologies and demands for reconciliation will be discussed as methods of responding to the rage, pain and mourning that trauma demands. The course will be divided into 4 sections dealing with – trauma and violence, torture, testimony and reconciliation. In these sections we will look at events in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Australia and Nazi Germany, where legal mechanisms, apologies and vengeance have been utilised as responses to events such as genocide, terrorist acts, hostile occupation, and war. Note – some of the content of this course may be distressing.

This subject forms an introduction to the main theories of development and considers key issues in development such as globalisation, development aid, and development in the new post-Cold War context. This subject seeks to foster skills in critical thinking, communication and group work. Students should become adept at synthesising complex theories and ideas and be able to engage in and critically assess a range of contemporary debates in development.

Over the course of the last thirty years, an 'associational revolution' has swept the world, as more and more civil society organizations have taken over tasks formerly assigned to states, formed cross-boder advocacy campaigns to hold both states and corporations accountable for labor, environmental, and human rights violations, and formulated alternative development policies that run counter to the paradigms espoused by the World Bank and other multilateral lending organizations. While some argue that this associational revolution promises more particpatory, expedient, and decentralized forms of transnational governance, others contend that it reflects little more than the ongoing privatization of the public sphere at the hands of transnational capital. In this course, we evaluate these and alternative perspectives by exploring transformations in the structure of the global political-economy over the past thirty years; looking closely at the roles played by a variety of NGOs and CBOs as part of more multi-layered regimes of 'global governance'; analyzing the shifts in state structures that have made these regimes possible; and teasing apart the ongoing tensions between various factions of what some have called, an emerging 'global civil society'. Case studies will be drawn from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

Fieldwork is demanding and poses unique risks to the security and safety of the researcher and research participants. Fieldwork also relies on the researcher’s ability to clearly understand their research design and methods and access, collect and manage data in the field. This eight-day intensive subject prepares students for undertaking detailed fieldwork for extended periods overseas in less secure and/or complex environments. Students will develop a working knowledge of what is required to develop an integrated Research Plan, Ethics Application and Fieldwork Risk Management Plan as required for postgraduate research theses.

The subject consists of four days of classroom-based lectures and four days in a scenario/simulation learning environment. Designed to deliver theoretical and practical skills, the subject is taught by a combination of academics and professional security consultants. It covers applied research philosophy, methodologies, field skills and techniques to prepare  students for undertaking detailed fieldwork research with vulnerable research  participants and/or for extended periods in less secure, complex and/or hostile  environments.

The subject builds upon the introductory level of knowledge students learned in undergraduate and honours level research methods subjects, and focuses on applied research methods.

Learning applied research methods and field-craft skills will enhance student’s ability to make original contributions to knowledge. The subject equips students with a working appreciation for the major methodological, ethical and logistical challenges they are likely to confront during fieldwork. The subject is structured to be of relevance to students in social science and humanities based disciplines, and to provide skills relevant for careers in International Development, NGOs and Government agencies.

The following elements are covered in the practical training:

• Security Context
• Field Preparedness and Evacuation
• Residence Assessment Exercise
• Basics of Negotiation
• Coping with Insecure Environments: Stress Awareness
• Field Communication Equipment and Communication Protocol
• First Aid: Essentials for life support (EAR/CPR, major bleeding control & evacuation/repatriation)
• Image and Acceptance
• Vehicle Check Points/Road Blocks
• Field Security (Crowds and Mobs, Hostage Survival, Vehicle Check Points/Road Blocks, Sexual Assault, Weapons Awareness)

The practical component enables students to apply their new knowledge regarding equipment, organisation, physical and mental states, risk management and contingency planning. (i.e. what to do on arrival in-country, how to fine-tune plans, flexible organisation, importance of travelling light for mobility).

Practical skills taught through experiential scenarios include but are not limited to:

• Patterns of behaviour and predictability
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder self-assessment procedure
• How to not be a target (e.g. how and why a researcher is seen)
• What to do regarding the presence of small arms (i.e. what indicators to understand regarding their use and when under fire or in the vicinity of fire how to take cover)
• How to avoid and/or cope with threats of physical violence and physical violence

Questions of trust, effective communication, and judging credibility, are integral to the assessment of knowledge claims both within science and in the context of public debate. Questions about trust and legitimate communication consequently arise every day in a range of professional contexts, for example in scientific research and the dissemination of scientific knowledge, in journalism and media, public relations, and in police, accounting and development work, etc. But what makes one trustworthy? How do we pick out who the experts are? This course will interest students in a wide range of careers.

Questions to be covered:

Trust

• What is trust? What makes one trustworthy?
• Is there a decline in trust, in the media, in politicians, or in scientists for example?
• Do we need to trust our sources of information, and do they need to trust us?
• How do we manage conflicts that arise in relationships of trust?

Communication

• What indicators do people rely on when communicating with others?
• How do communication patterns vary from context to context, such as face-to-face, in broader media, and in ethically and politically contested public spaces?
• What makes someone a credible source of information?
• What role does the conveyance of quality information play in contested social debates, and what role should it play?
• Are public debates about communicating information or voicing substantive differences?

Expertise

• What makes someone an expert?
• What role do ‘experts’ play in public debate?
• Should we defer to experts?
• What if even the experts disagree?
• Can lay people contribute expertise?

This subject looks at the impact of a rising China in the globalised world. It examines contemporary China's relations with various powers, regions and global institutions, particularly in the context of its phenomenal rise in the last four decades. The subject also explores key issues related to China's rise: state-society relations, economic development, participation in regional and global institutions, disputes and conflict resolution etc.

What sort of a phenomenon is political Islam, or Islamism?  How is it manifest and what political or intellectual forces have contributed to its growth? This subject places political Islam within the context of an increasingly globalised world, and considers the role of Islamism within Muslim-majority societies and in Muslim communities living in Western countries. 

Political Islam is seen by some as a backlash against the economic, political and cultural dominance of the West, and as a response to Western conceptions of modernity. This unit surveys a number of key organisations and states in the Middle East, drawing on case studies to explore fundamental questions such as the relationship between Islam and concepts such as democracy and nationalism. It will explore both electoral Islamism and Islamic fundamentalism, and will provide students with a detailed framework for understanding the role of Islamism in the contemporary Islamic world.

Social enterprises are businesses that exist with the specific purpose of solving social and/or environmental problems through trade. These enterprises merge the best features of business and the non-profit sector to create innovative solutions that address both social and market gaps. Within these enterprises, success is thus measured in social and/or environmental terms, in addition to financial sustainability.

This multidisciplinary subject has been developed in partnership with Unbound, a Melbourne-based social enterprise leading innovative education programs on social change through entrepreneurship across the Asia-Pacific region. The subject equips students with a critical understanding of social entrepreneurship, and provides them with a practical opportunity to develop their own start-up social enterprise. Groups will be formed according to personal interest and students will work in small project teams to conceptualise, develop and pitch a viable social enterprise initiative. Students are also expected to test their idea in the marketplace in real time, for example, liaise with external organisations to receive feedback on your product/service and/or develop a minimal viable product that can be showcased.

To support the development of ideas, the subject draws from case studies, field trips and guests speakers from the Victorian start-up ecosystem that share their personal experiences and advice as successful social entrepreneurs. Students will also have the opportunity to receive direct support on their idea during a feedback salon with academics, business leaders and social enterprise practitioners.

Upon completing this subject, students will develop a critical understanding of the nature of social enterprise in contemporary society and the practical requirements for developing sustainable social enterprise projects. The subject also uniquely provides students with the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world solutions in real time.

This subject provides an examination of some important issues in Asia-Pacific international politics in the light of relevant theorizing, interpretations and debates. The topics for study will normally include the China-US-Japan triangle, the Taiwan and Korean conflicts, the international context of conflicts relating to Indonesia and the Southwest Pacific, Australian engagement in the Asia-Pacific, and new and emerging issues in the Asia-Pacific.

This subject introduces and analyses critical concepts and terms central to debates over climate change, including risk and uncertainty, adaptation and mitigation, burden sharing, and problems and issues relating to regimes, strategies and policy instruments for addressing global warming. The subject considers the rise of climate change as a policy problem. It reviews and analyses the history of climate change policy as it has evolved nationally and internationally. It examines the interactions between national and regional climate policy, including in Australia, the United States, the European Union and China. It analyses debates and concerns that have led to the evolution of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and more recent arrangements. Students will consider a range of policy instruments, including carbon taxes and emissions trading, and technologies that have been proposed or deployed to address this issue. This subject enables students to understand the evolution of a critical global environmental issue. It offers insights into technical, political, ethical and ecological issues that have framed climate change policy, particularly since 1992, and enables students to think critically about and participate in developing policy in this domain.

This subject provides an introduction to critical concepts and issues related to environmental policy development and implementation, with specific reference to national and international policy domains. Students are introduced to relevant concepts, theoretical issues and practical tools for policy makers. They consider case studies relating to climate change, ozone depletion, water, land degradation, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. These case studies include Australian, developing country and international dimensions and considerations. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers for a range of environment problems and solutions available to them.

This subject examines various ways of knowing the environment. Students develop an understanding of the unprecedented transformation in the environment, the sciences, and in politics around environment and knowledge across the twentieth century. As part of their assessment students will study the knowledge practices of a particular environmental organisation becoming sensitised to historical, political and cultural influences on environmental knowledge.

The subject focuses on the decisions, usually made by governments, which determine the present and future objectives underlying a country’s health services and programs. The following topics will be covered:

• policy definitions and instruments;
• ideas, ideologies and interests that influence priorities in policy decision making;
• the significance of effectiveness, efficiency and equity as objectives of health policy;
• legal, political, managerial, sociological and economic perspectives in understanding policy formation; and
• the emerging role of scientific evidence in policy formation.

Processes relating to the development and implementation of health policy including health policy analysis and monitoring and evaluation. Both Australia and developing country contexts will be studied.

The demand for business-focused HR means that HR practitioners need the ability to work in partnership with stakeholders from diverse areas of the business. This capacity is essential to improving the implementation of HR strategies, initiatives and plans, to build business support for HR and to ensure that HR is integrated with other business activities and functions. This subject focuses on developing business partnership competencies for HR people and will cover consulting and influencing skills, relationship-building, organisational politics, group processes and project management.

This subject focuses on the link between HRM and business strategies and operations. The subject examines fundamental tools in strategic human resource management including the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of HR activities. A focus will be on the fit between HR and business strategy, and the congruence among HR activities. The subject will critically analyse strategic HRM theories and practices and their applications to organisational realities. The changing nature of the HRM function and its impact on HR professionals will also be considered.

This subject examines individual and collective human behaviour in and around issues of organisational change. The subject will cover a broad theoretical basis that assists in understanding how change at the employee, group and strategic levels affects individuals. Both the planned approach and emergent approach to change management will be considered. Topics to be covered include: drivers of change, the role of internal and external change agents, tools for successful change management, and the implementation and consequences of specific change initiatives.

This subject examines the practices of public relations management. Topics include an introduction to public relations, the evolution of public relations, public relations theory, ethical issues in public relations, public relations strategies and tactics, the various stakeholders/publics that organisations interact with and the issues that they face with their major stakeholder relationships, crisis management, and also an examination of the difference between marketing public relations (MPR) and corporate public relations. Marketing public relations (MPR) is a key focus in the class.

This subject provides an introduction to the basic concepts, principles and activities of marketing and how to manage an organisation's marketing effort. Some of the principal topics include value-based marketing, market research, selecting target markets, product and brand management, marketing communications (advertising and promotions, as well as personal selling), management of distribution channels, pricing decisions and marketing ethics. Students are also introduced to the nature of buyer behaviour, including decision-making patterns, purchase behaviours, and customer satisfaction.