Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ELP1206

 
TITLE English Rhetoric and Writing Skills for Media and Communications Students

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Centre for English Language Proficiency

 
DESCRIPTION The study-unit provides an introductory overview to English writing skills for journalism. It equips students with the knowledge and skills to analyse different written texts used in print and online media. By developing their ability to compare different text types, the unit enables students to identify the most important strategies that journalists employ when putting together news stories and other texts. By studying the use of linguistic devices in a range of journalistic genres, students become aware of how journalists can use language in an effective way within the context of genre, audience and subject matter.

Study-Unit Aims:

The study-unit aims to:
- introduce students to the function of linguistic strategies and devices in media text types in English;
- expose students to language in a wide variety of media genres;
- allow students to develop their understanding of the way English may be used in different contexts and for different purposes;
- guide students in understanding the relevance of using a variety of linguistic strategies and devices in their own writing.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- identify and describe linguistic devices in a variety of media texts;
- describe the journalistic effectiveness of linguistic strategies employed in the texts.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Describe the use of different styles of English used in various media text types;
- Identify and describe the effectiveness of linguistic devices in a range of media genres;
- Compare and contrast different media text types in terms of specific writing criteria.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Kuehn, S. A., & Lingwall, A. (2018). The basics of media writing: A strategic approach. Sage.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES This study-unit is offered to students of the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences only.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation (15 Minutes) SEM2 No 30%
Examination (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 70%

 
LECTURER/S Daniel Xerri

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit