Subject barriers are being broken down and more use is being made of thehands-on approach to the study of journalism in DIT. Olivia Kelly reports
It's almost six years since the DIT's journalism course made the big leap from a two-year certificate to the four-year ab initio BSc in communications (journalism). In the begining, the transition was by no means smooth and the school of media suffered the accusation that it was attempting to stretch the content of a two-year course into four while throwing in some academic subjects to make up the bulk.
The degree has been under review for the last year or so and has been reinvented as the BA in journalism studies and a language, to be offered for the first time this September.
The most obvious feature of this latest incarnation is the promotion of languages as a leading element of the course, but perhaps the more significant change is the loss of communications science from the title.
"All DIT degrees are reviewed after five years. We took this opportunity to look at what was being done in journalism education abroad, in places like France and America and reflect on the changes they were making," Michael Foley, senior journalism lecturer at the DIT, says.
"One of the changes we've seen is that communications theory is becoming only part of the degree rather than being the central element."
Previously, communications theory was the core academic subject of the degree. In the new course it no longer exists as a stand-alone subject. The subject "barriers" are being broken down, Foley says, and communications will combined with a number of different subjects. New subjects include visual communications for journalists, political communications and language and communications. "This will ensure that practice and theory are closer together," Foley says.
Languages have always been part of the journalism degree and as with the communications theory they were taught as a stand-alone element. In the new course, languages will be broken into different subjects and will be taught at a deeper level, Foley says. The variety of languages on offer has also been broadened. Students previously had the choice of French or Irish now German has been added and from 2003 students will also have the option of Spanish.
A major change to the structure of the course is that all students will now spend a semester abroad in third year. Those studying Irish will spend time working in an Irish-language media organisation as well as spending time abroad. It is envisaged that graduates will have a degree level of ability in their chosen language.
"We're not expecting people to go and work for Le Monde," Foley says. "What we hope is that people could end up working in a French-speaking country as a correspondent for English-speaking media."
It's essential to the students' development they attempt to have their work published or broadcast, Foley says. "In the same way that musicians have to preform, young journalists have got to be published or be on air." In its heyday the journalism certificate in the college of commerce Rathmines, as it was in the days before the DIT, had an excellent reputation in producing journalists who had a good grounding in the practical skills of the job. The hands-on element was stifled by the weight of the academic subjects in the communications degree, and where practical work did occur it lacked structure and was largely voluntary. It is planned that a specific day will be set aside each week for the practice of journalism. This will allow the class to simulate a real journalist's working day, with visits to the courts or other events. Students will also continue producing the Liberty, a local newspaper.
"A lot of subjects areas have been refined," says Foley, and the number of contact hours students have with lecturers are also being reduced to allow for more independent learning. Other elements of the course will include writing and reporting, shorthand, sociology of news, history and issues of journalism, law, radio and television journalism, politics, business and finance.
