James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2001

JN3010:04

Entertainment Journalism

Townsville, Cairns

Prerequisites: JN2002

13 lectures, 20 tutorials. First semester.

Staff: Mr N Uko (Cairns campus).

Students will be introduced in a series of structured exercises to the increasingly significant and popular field of entertainment journalism. Students will commence with book reviews and will extend this during the semester to include other areas, such as arts, film and live concert reviews. Simultaneously, students will develop skills in writing soft-news, personality interviewing and profiling, and column writing. Topics such as ethics, exploitation, sensationalism, infotainment, bias and commercialism will be canvassed.

Learning Objectives:

  1. develop skills applicable to entertainment journalism;
  2. demonstrate an appreciation of the ethical and moral issues involved in the field of entertainment journalism.

Assessment by regular assignment and an end-of-semester portfolio.