In this task, students are required to demonstrate their capacity to synthesise the material studied in the unit by conducting research on a key topic that impacts a specific genre of journalism,...

In this task, students are required to demonstrate their capacity to synthesise the material studied in the unit by conducting research on a key topic that impacts a specific genre of journalism, while critically engaging with relevant theme/s or theory of journalism. The essay must present an argument in response to the question, and develop that argument with information gathered from a variety of scholarly sources. You may draw upon Australian or international examples of journalism, or a case study, to support your response.

Word count:1,500 words

Instructions:For this task, students must choose one topic from a list of set questions and write a critically-engaged essay in response. The set questions will be uploaded to Moodle early in term 2.When choosing your question, it is important that you do not choose the same topic covered in Task 3: Photographic Analysis.

In Task 4, students will be expected to demonstrate their capacity to synthesise the material studied in the unit. Your essay will canvass a key topic that impacts a specific genre of journalism (covered in Weeks 5-12)while critically engaging with relevant theme/s or theory of journalism (introduced in Weeks 1-4 and expanded on during the semester). The essay must present an argument, or purpose statement, about your chosen topic of research, and develop that argument with information gathered from a variety of scholarly sources, with the addition of journalistic examples (or a case study) where pertinent.

For further assistance, the Monash Library's resources for 'writing an essay' are rich and detailed:this tutorialcan take you through the steps and provide a useful guide.

In this unit, all written work needs to be submittedby the due date into thetworelevant dropboxes on Moodle: one submission dropbox, and one TurnItIn dropbox.

Grades and feedback for the essay will be available on Moodle approx. three weeks after submission.

Please note: The essay's bibliography must include a minimum of 12 sources, weighted towards academic sources.

Criteria for Marking:See below for the marking rubric. It is vital that you refer closely to the rubric when research and writing your research essay, and before submitting. Please note that the identification of clear research aims and the development of an appropriate research design to address those aims are also assessed. Students will also be assessed for the use of appropriate source materials including primary and secondary sources. Proficiency in selecting and locating relevant journalism and their appropriateness to the research objectives will be considered. Finally, the ability to apply the theoretical argument to empirical phenomena is essential.

Pre-submission reminders:

1. Include your chosen question at the top of your essay.


2. You don't need to include the marking criteria in your submission, but be sure to consider these criteria when working on your essay.


3. Please ensure that your Turnitin submission does not include identifying material, such as your name or student number.


4. Citations and reference lists should be developed using an in-text referencing method. We recommend Harvard referencing, but we don't mind another in-text citation style as long as you're consistent.


5. Please include page numbers for book references and you can use in-text links for articles.


6. You are permitted 10% latitude over or under the word limit.


7. Please ensure you use 12-point font and double spacing is appreciated.


8. Submissions should be in Word document format.