BA (Hons) Journalism with English Literature
- UCAS code: P5QJ
- Mode of study: Full time
- Duration: 3 years
- Entry requirements 2013: 240-300 points from 3 A levels or equivalent, to include 100 points from A level English.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 8299
Email: humanities.admissions@port.ac.uk
Department: School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies
Course overview
This combined honours degree brings together the practice of journalism with the study of English literature, allowing you to combine your interest in finding out and writing about the real world with the study of literary texts. Journalism is an exciting, fast-changing world where you not only need the ability to find and tell a story, but an array of technical skills to communicate that tale to the public. At Portsmouth we are committed to helping you gain the skills to progress in your career.
Over the course of your degree you will learn the basic skills of journalism, study shorthand as an integral part of your journalistic skills, and learn the theory underlying the practice of journalism. We intend that our graduates are not just proficient but also reflective practitioners of journalism with significant knowledge of another subject.
This is a combination offering fantastic choices to those who love literature and want to learn the basics of journalism. You can study Magical Realism and The Gothic as you learn elements of Editorial Design, and write news and feature stories as you are introduced to the Literature of War and Revolution.
Portsmouth graduates have a good record of finding employment and the focus on our journalism course is on making you employable as a journalist. We would therefore expect to you to pursue a career in journalism, where you will be ideally equipped with the skills to work on magazines and newspapers, but you shouldn’t rule out alternatives, such as public relations, where journalistic skills are also at a premium.
Many of the skills you will acquire on this course are also useful in other areas - the ability to interview people, record and analyse what is said, and present (or re-present) complex information in a form where it can be easily understood are just some of the transferable skills this course offers which can enhance your employability.
Other skills include written and oral communication, IT, group working, organisation and the exercising of independent initiative. All open up a wide range of careers.
The University of Portsmouth is seeking magazine industry accreditation for this course in 2013.
The university is also an approved exam centre for the National Council for the Training of Journalists, a body traditionally associated with the newspaper industry.
Students will have the opportunity to sit a number of NCTJ examinations but applicants are advised that if they wish to complete all the NCTJ core examinations they should apply to the single honours journalism course.
Placements
You can complete a 10-day journalism-based work placement as part of a Placement and Digital Portfolio module in the third year of this course. During placement, you gain relevant work experience, learn more about the professional application of journalism and produce material for your portfolio which may also be used for NCTJ professional qualifications. Past students have gained work placements on a variety of weekly, evening and national newspapers, national magazines, radio and television stations and web publications.
This course also allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies. The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.
Course content
What you will study
Year 1
- Law for journalists
- Theories and techniques in journalism
- Introduction to studying journalism
- Copywriting and web editing
- Literary history 1
- Literary theory
Year 2
- An introduction to editorial design
- Visual journalism
- Literary history 2
- Feature writing
- One option from:
- American literature
- 18th century and romantic literature
- Early modern drama
- Nation and travel
- Victorian literature and culture
- One option from:
- Sports journalism
- Ethical issues in modern journalism
- Learning from experience
Year 3
- EITHER Dissertation
OR Journalism special exercise - Writing and producing magazines
- One option from:
- Placements and digital portfolio
- Press and public relations
- 2 options from:
- Early modern literature and the Bible
- Magical realism
- Enlightenment
- Postmodern historical fiction
- Tracing borders
- 20th century avant-garde fiction
- War and fascism
- Friendship, community and identity in 17th century poetry
- Charles Dickens
- Consuming fictions
- Holocaust literatures
- European literary decadence
- US masculinities
Teaching and assessment
Each year you will study units worth a total of 120 credits (60 credits per semester) and will need to acquire 360 credits to achieve an honours degree.
You will have lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, projects, practical workshop sessions in the newsroom and group-based activities. You will be expected to participate fully in group discussions and group projects.
We use a range of assessment methods, including essays, close textual analysis, in-class tests, seminar presentations, reflective journals and a dissertation. For the journalism strand you will produce a range of journalistic writing and layouts for assessment and be required to sit in-class tests. You can also opt to take NCTJ pre-entry examinations. The final classification of the degree award is determined by your overall performance in units in both your second and third years.
Student participation
Regular formal and informal feedback is sought from all students on their experience of the degree. You will be able to elect representatives to the Student-Staff Consultative Committee, which feeds into the Board of Studies, the committee that helps administer and monitor your degree course.
Career prospects
Portsmouth graduates have a good record of finding employment and the focus on our journalism course is on making you employable as a journalist. We would therefore expect to you to pursue a career in journalism, where you will be ideally equipped with the skills to work on magazines and newspapers, but you shouldn't rule out alternatives, such as public relations, where journalistic skills are also at a premium.
Many of the skills you will acquire on this course are also useful in other areas - the ability to interview people, record and analyse what is said, and present (or re-present) complex information in a form where it can be easily understood are just some of the transferable skills this course offers which can enhance your employability.
Other skills include written and oral communication, IT, group working, organisation and the exercising of independent initiative. All open up a wide range of careers.