Taught In English

There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

Course description:
A workshop on writing for the broadcast media that familiarizes students with the techniques of radio and TV news (broadcast style news and setting up of interviews, news reading mechanics and basic principles of recording and taping) It also focuses on the writing and production techniques needed to plan, create and produce radio and television newscasts and cultural programmes; covering the fundamentals of writing features and extensive radio and TV reports. Students are expected to become thoroughly familiar with a number of leading broadcast channels (BBC and CNN in particular) and keep abreast of social, political and cultural events and improve their writing and editing skills by completing various regular assignments.
A number of local and national channels and stations will be visited during the course.

Course objectives:
One of the main purposes of the course is to allow students to understand the difference between broadcast and newspaper writing and become familiar with the kind of story-telling and narrative writing techniques that make a piece of broadcast journalism of superior quality.
By frequently working in groups, students will acquire the necessary reflexes that accompany the daily process of news item collection and selection and will contribute to the quality of the news broadcast they will be preparing and presenting in class (four 20 minute broadcast projects will be completed by the end of the semester). The channels of reference are CNN, BBC 1 and 2 as well as BBC World Service (TV and radio).
By the end of the term students should be thoroughly acquainted with the overall tone, format, expectations and approach of these specific channels and be able to contribute the kind of piece or report that could conceivably be aired by said channels. Students will also be encouraged to produce an original show and work on it from its inception to the actual production.

Grade weighting scheme:
In-class presentations: 40%
Papers, quizzes 15%
Midterm exam 20%
Final exam (including taped recording): 25%

Used course material (handbooks, readers, readings, newspapers, magazines) and references:
Broadcast News, fourth edition by Mitchell Stephens (Thomson Wadsworth)