PLEASE NOTE: The Institute will be closing at 5:00pm (GMT) on Thursday 23 December 2021 and re-opening on 9.00am (GMT) Tuesday 4 January 2022. During this time our academic and professional services teams will be unavailable. If you book onto an online course that begins on 3 January 2022 after the 23 December, you will receive your Welcome Email on 3 January, the course start date. This email will include your username, password, and instructions on how to access the Virtual Learning Environment.
Aims of the course
- To gain knowledge of fundamental concepts in science journalism and special considerations when reporting on development
- To develop an understanding of the range of stories where science and development overlap, important debates/questions to ask, and current trends
- To introduce basic skills and practical tips for reporting from the office or the field
Course content overview
Week 0 - Preparing to study this course
Purpose/Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Become familiar with navigating around the VLE and from VLE to links and back
•Tested their ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sorted out any problems with the help of the eLearning Helpdesk
•Learnt how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
•Used forums to introduce themselves to other students
•Contributed to a discussion forum to introduce themselves to other students and discuss why they are interested in the course, what they hope to get out their studies and also to respond to News item sent out on behalf of tutor
Week 1 - Science journalism fundamentals: Role in society and basic features; production system; current trends; balance and other critical views on practice
Purpose
To convey how science journalism functions in society and contributes to knowledge production
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Understood the role of science journalism in society and knowledge production, including how it differs from communication
•Explored various science journalism formats, topics and trends
•Understood how publishers, PR, communications officers and scientists interact
•Reflected on criticisms, conflicts, politics and ethics in when practising science journalism
Week 2 - Reporting on development: Differences and overlaps between the fields; spectrum of stories; journalism vs communication; whose voice counts and other critical views on practice.
Purpose
To consider where science and development overlap, and the differences in context when reporting on development
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Understood how science and development differ and overlap as epistemologies and industries
•Explored how science features in development reporting and vice versa, through a variety of stories and outlets
•Considered how journalism differs from communication and storytelling in development
•Reflected on criticisms, conflicts, politics and ethics in reporting on development
Week 3 - Case studies: Examples of published stories and/or practitioner experiences to illustrate different approaches and global perspectives
Purpose
To explore various factors that influence how development stories are told
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Analysed current stories in science and development
•Reflected on how the same story can be reported with different angles and framing
•Understood the value of local input from the global South and on-the-ground reporting
•Reflected on the experiences of a journalist, editor or other professional in the field
Week 4 - Practice in the office: Finding and developing ideas; pitching; production; working with editors, sources and others
Purpose
To introduce basic principles and practical skills to develop, produce and publish stories
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Understood how to find, develop and pitch story ideas on science and development
•Understood the basic principles of production in different story formats
•Considered the basics of reporting including working with scientists, practitioners and policymakers
•Reflected on the working relationship with editors, digital producers, colleagues, publishers
Week 5 - Practice in the field: When and how to go to the field; preparation and logistics; local relationships and context; reporting as an outsider
Purpose
To provide guidance on practicalities and special considerations when planning to report from the field
Learning outcomes
By studying this week the students should have:
•Reflected on circumstances where getting a story from the ground is necessary and possible
•Understood basic logistics for field reporting
•Considered relationship dynamics and context in resource-poor regions
•Reflected on the pros and cons of reporting as an outsider
Week 6 - What Next?
Purpose
•Assessment of student learning
•Assessment of student satisfaction
•Encouragement of further study
Target audience
- Science journalists interested in international development as a specialisation or potential career path
- Professionals involved in science or development projects who need good grounding in the overlap between these fields.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week: 3-9 January 2022
Teaching Weeks: 10 January-13 February 2022
Feedback Week: 14-20 February 2022
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say:
" loved the way she highlighted throughout the course the power dynamics that exist in development contexts. As a researcher from the Global South, this is remarkable."
