ProfilesofJournalismEducation:whatstudents arebeingofferedinAustralia

DebraAdamsandDr.LeeDuffield
FacultyofCreativeIndustries QueenslandUniversityofTechnology

RefereedpaperpresentedtotheJournalismEducationConference, GriffithUniversity,29November2December2005

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

ABSTRACT ThepaperexaminesdetailsofundergraduateJournalismcoursesintwentyfive Australianuniversities,usingtheirpublishedcoursedescriptions.Itanalysesunit contentsinacollectivecasestudyofthecourses.Coursestructuringisdescribed, recordingtheincidenceoflongstanding,commonelements,likeintroductory journalismornewswritingsubjects,ethics,orlawforjournalists;andprominent newelements,likeadvancedonlinepractice.Coursecomponentsarecategorised, followingAdam(2001),asprofessionalpractice,theoreticalcontextsubjects,orunits inthejournalismstrandfromcognatedisciplines.Thisorganisationofmaterial acrosscoursesinvitesnewkindsofinvestigations,permittinginquiriesintomany aspectsofjournalismteaching.Theformulaisusedtoregisterthetensionsbetween practiceandtheory,orbetweencorejournalismandcommunicationstudies.Itis appliedtoshowthatjournalismcoursesarehighlyflexible,allowingthemtoinclude scatteredtopicsorincorporatelargenewsections.Theyarealsoenablingstudentsto undertakediverseanddivergentlearningprograms,raisingquestionsastowhether thereisajournalismeducationorawholephenomenontobecalledjournalism.The paperhighlightsproposalstodevelopthetheoreticalarmofthejournalismprogram, notleastcallsforcollaborationwithmajordisciplinestostrengthenmoreabstract learning.

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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

INTRODUCTION Journalismeducatorsandpractitionersaroundtheworldhaveextensivelydebated theappropriatenessofthecontentoftertiaryjournalismprograms.Theconversation aboutjournalismeducationhascultivatedahealthyarticulationofideas,valuesand beliefsaboutjournalism,journalistsandthejournalismcurricula.Thedebate providesinsightintotheinstitutionalarrangementsthatorganisethepracticesand capacitiesofjournalismeducationandmorebroadly,journalism.Ithasproduceda multitudeofmeaningsthatshapeamultifacetedviewoftheroleofajournalistand thepurposeofjournalism.Educatorsintertiaryjournalismschoolsutilisethese meaningsintheconstructionandorganisationoftheircurricula.Thediverseand complexnatureofthejournalismcultureisreflectedinthediversityofuniversity journalismcourses. Objective Thisresearchseekstodiscoverandinterpretthecomplexitiesofthecultureof journalismbyanalysingjournalismeducation(Denzin&Lincoln,2000,p.316).It doessothroughanexaminationofthecoursestructuresandcontentsof undergraduatejournalismdegreesofferedbyAustralianuniversities.Itstudiesthe universityprogramstoidentifypractices,capacities,intellectualandaestheticvalues, goalsandinterestsofjournalismeducation.Fromthisunderstanding,journalism mightbebetterexplained,intermsofwhatuniversitiesofferjournalismstudentsand morebroadly,society.Accordingly,theresearchanalysesthekindsofskills,theories andknowledgeseducatorsconsiderimportanttothefieldofjournalism.Itis proposedasasteptowardsacriticaltheoreticaltreatment,toprovideunderstanding ofwhatmakestheculturalinstitutionofjournalismeducationthewayitis,what challengesit,andhowitconstructsandinformsjournalism. Whatisjournalism? Journalismisunderstoodinmanyways.Sociallyprescriptivemodels,sayingwhat journalismcanbeexpectedtodoforsociety,havebeenproposed.Forexample socialresponsibilityinthefourtheoriesparadigm(Siebert,Petersonand
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Schramm,1956)andvarioussuccessorsseesjournalistsasinvestigatorsproviding informationtoassistcitizensindemocraticdecisionmaking.Othermodelsmayseeit asaliteraryandcreativeenterprise,ordefinedthroughitspractitionersasaspecial callingandmodeofthinkingthattheyshare.Herecraftpracticesaredrawnin; journalismcanbedescribedintermsofwhatjournalistsdo,asreporters,researchers, writers,designers,interviewers,presentersorproducers.Itisrepresentedinpolitical studies,culturalstudiesorsociologyintermsofaplaceitmayoccupyinpower structuresofsocietyandmechanismsforsocialcontrolorsocialrebellion,e.g. involvedinmasssocialmovements(Gamson,1968,1975;McAdam,McCarthyand Zald,1996;Tarrow,1995).Thereareviewsthatjournalism,asanexceptionalbranch ofmasscommunication,haspower,withaleadingroleinshapingthefuture,for exampleinMeadows,asetofculturalpracticesakeyculturalresource,which effectivelymanagestheflowofinformationandideasinsociety(Meadows,1998,p. 11).Sometimesjournalistsareseenmoredirectlyandtransparentlyasprovidingan historicalintellectualleadership(Lawson,inCurthoysandSchultz,1999,p.85).Itisa manyfacetedphenomenonandthediversitywouldencouragemixedapproachesto journalismeducation. Whatisjournalismeducationandwhatshoulditbe? Aleaderincontemporarydebateaboutthedirectionofjournalismeducation,Adam (2001)providesanoutlineofhumanisticeducationforjournalism,andamaintext forthisinvestigation.Itisfocusedongraduateoutcomes,wantingtoprepare intellectuallymaturejournalistsabletoprovideasocialgood;journalismasa resourceofdemocracy.Itassumesafouryearprogramofstudies.Thecurriculumin thisproposalshouldhavefourcategories:thoughtfulunderstandingofnews judgment;evidencegatheringandfactassessment;capacityforliteraryofvisual representation;andabilitytoapplytheformsofunderstandingbornintheacademy totheproblemsofthehereandnow(Adam,2001,p.317).Thisrecognisesthe intertwiningandsimultaneousnessinthejournalistsmindofnewssense,finding out,craftingandfacilitywithobtainingandapplyingknowledge. Theconcentrationonthelearnermakesthisinthefirstinstanceamodelfor professionalpreparation,thoughAdaminsistsprofessionalpracticesofjournalism shouldhaveatightfitwithmoregeneralformsofscholarshipwhileachieving distinctiveformsofknowledge(Adam,2001,pp.331335).Theprimarysubject matterconcentratesondetailedactivitiesinvolvedinthecreationofjournalistic texts,dedicatedtojournalismasaformofexpression.Thestudyofmediasystems andtheirplaceincultureswouldbeexcludedfromthis,as,ifplacedinthe foregroundofthecurriculumitwouldcreatediscussionoflargestructures publicpolicyandmanagement,ratherthanjournalism(Adam,2001,pp.323324).
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Discussionofthelastofthefourcategoriesconcernsconnectionsbetweenagood educationandgoodjournalism.Itconsidersthatjournalistswillrequirecritical understanding;competencytoanalysetheenvironmentoffactsandideas;andtheir ownwelldevelopedmethodsofinterpretationoranalysis(Adam,2001,p.318).For thecurriculumtoprovidemoredefineddomainsofknowledge,itisproposed journalismshouldcollaboratewithandenlistthesupportofcognatedisciplines. Herethecurriculumwouldbestrengthenedinsuchareasasevidencegatheringand factassessment;linguisticandnarrativecapacities;analyticalandinterpretative capacities;andformalstudyofideas,languagesandformsofunderstanding(Adam, 2001,p.330).Itwouldimposestrictobligationsonteachers: Thisrecommendedstepofintegrationrequirestheacceptancebyjournalism professorsofanobligationtoformalisetheirunderstandingofjournalism. Theymustnotonlybemastersofprofessionalpractices,butmastersofthe knowledgestructuresthroughwhichjournalisticpiecesaregenerated.This entailsbeingabletoshowhowtheformsofknowledgemarkingcognate disciplinescanbeintegratedintojournalismtosupportthestudyormethods ofcriticism(Adam,2001,p.330) TheproposalbringstomindBollingersfamousinterventioninthecurriculum debate,withthesameproposal,thecooptingofmajordisciplines,manyolderones likesociology,toprovidefoundationallearningcompatiblewithprofessional preparationforjournalism(Bollinger,2003;Barringer,2003).Thesubjectshereof coursewouldnotbeintroductoryunitsfromthedisciplines.Withjournalism academicsinvolvedinthedesign,theseunitsshouldbefoundedonfirm understandingsofwhatjournalismisandhowitworks. Otherinformedthoughtoncurriculumissuesadoptsviewssimilartotheabove visionofjournalismasaformofadvancedthinkingdrawingonadialoguewith otherbranchesofknowledge.Medsger(1996)intheFreedomForumstudy consideredadevelopedabilitytoaccessandutiliseknowledge;theonlyformulaof journalism:thinking.WilliamslikeAdamperceivedimportantsocialapplications foranintellectuallypowerfuljournalism: Journalismneedstodevelopandestablishitselfasafieldofstudy...To distinguishthestudyofjournalismfromthegrowingconfusioninthefieldsof communication,mediaandculturalstudies,itisessentialthatthesubject shouldbeestablishedasanintellectualfieldinitsownright.Thereisa growingneedforthedevelopmentofacriticaljournalismstudiesThis needstorecognisetheimportanceofjournalisminsociety(Williams,1999,
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pp.279280). Injournalismscholarshipthenwefindacommitmenttodevelopingthedisciplineat themoreconceptualorabstractendofAdamsfourpointparadigm,whereformsof understandingthatcanbelearnedingeneraluniversitystudiesareappliedby journaliststotheproblemsofthehereandnow. Newunitsinthisplanwouldbedifferenttoexistinggeneralstudieselectives.They wouldbedifferentalsotosubjectsonmediaandcommunicationwhich,thoughthey mightbevaluedasoptions,wouldnotbeallocatedaleadingroleincourses. Medsgeridentifiedtwomainchoices:ajournalismprogramwithatleast25% journalismcoreunits,andcompositeorfullyintegratedcommunicationcourseswith thewholemajortakingup50%.Inreactiontothelatter,withtheperceptionthat, suchacurriculumgivesstudentsalittlepublicrelations,alittleadvertising,alittle journalismandalotoftheoryaboutcommunications(Medsger,1996,24),she reportedwidespreaddemandsforareturntocontentincurricula. Overview Whileeachjournalismprogramholdscommonobjectives,eachisuniqueinthesense thatitisconstructedaccordingtothebeliefs,values,knowledgesandexperiencesof thecoursedevelopers.Literatureonthetopicofjournalismeducationshowsthereis abroadrangeofideasaboutwhichelementsofjournalismshouldbetaughtin universities.Thisdiversityofideasraisesquestionsabouthoweducatorsgoabout makingdecisionsastowhattoincludeorleaveoutofjournalismcourses.This researchshouldhelptodiscoverhoweducatorsmakesuchdecisions. Theundertakingwasinitiallystimulatedbyadebateonjournalismeducationin Australia,callingtomindsomeoftheissuesoutlinedintheprevioussection.There werestatementsthatjournalismwasbeingsoldshortinuniversitycourses,with oneoftheconcernsinthedebatebeingthatjournalismwasbeingconsumedbyother disciplines(Henningham,2003).Theresearchheresetouttodiscovertheextentand perhapsconsequencesofsuchatrend.Therehasalsobeenargumentaboutthe applicabilityofculturalstudiesasawayoftheorisingjournalism(Windschuttle, 1998,p.5).Generallytheresearchhassoughttoclarifythefactsofthematter;to identifythesubjectsmakingupjournalismcoursesinAustralia;tofindcommon elementsinthisfieldofdiversity;andtoidentifytrends. ItseekstopresentaholisticviewofthephenomenonofAustralianjournalism educationandisorganisedaroundasmallnumberofresearchquestions(Stake, 2005,p.448):
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Howareuniversityjournalismprogramsstructured? Howdotheirstructurescomparetooneanother? Whattopicsdostudentsstudy? WhatistheproportionofJournalismunitstootherunitsinuniversity degrees? Whatothertopicsappearorfeatureinjournalismcourses? Whatknowledgesdostudentsgainfromjournalismcourses? Whatskillsdostudentsgainfromjournalismcourses? Whatdouniversityjournalismcoursestellusaboutjournalismandthe roleofthejournalist?

METHODOLOGY ResearchDesign Theresearchhasamixedmethoddesign.Itisqualitative,quantitativeand interpretative.Thequantitativeapproachprovidesanoverallpictureofjournalism educationinAustralia.ItshowsthenumberofuniversitiesofferingJournalism,and thefrequencyandrequirementsofjournalismandotherunitsineachdegree (Creswell,2002,p.45).Thesecondphaseisqualitative,describingthecoursecontent inrelationtopointsfoundindebatesaboutwhatuniversitiesshouldofferjournalism students.Thequalitativeelementoftheresearchmayleadtoaconsiderationofthe internalandexternaleffectsofjournalismcourses,includingtheknowledgesand skillsgainedincoursesandtheirrelationshiptotheoutsideworld(Creswell,2002,p. 45). Thestudy TwentyfiveAustralianuniversityjournalismprogramswerestudied.Universities wereselectedfromthelistoftertiaryinstitutionsattheAustralianGovernments DepartmentofEducation,ScienceandTraining(DEST)website(DEST,2005). UniversitieswereaccessedfromtheDESTwebsiteandweresystematicallysearched. Keywordssuchas:undergraduatedegree,BachelorofJournalism,journalism andjournalismmajorwereusedtolocateBachelordegreesinJournalismor BachelordegreeswithaJournalismmajor.Informationonthecoursesofferedby theseuniversitieswasobtainedfromtheirseparatewebsites. Whileitwasfoundthatseveraluniversitiesofferedmultiplejournalismdegreesthe scopeofthisresearchposedalimitationonthenumberofcoursesthatcouldbe
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

selectedfromeachuniversity.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,whereauniversity offersmorethanonecoursewithjournalism,thecourseswiththelargestselectionof journalismunitswaschosentoprovideacomprehensiveviewofthepracticesand theoriespresentinjournalismeducationinAustralia.Tokeepthescopeofthestudy tomanageablelimits,coursesoutsideofthemainsingle,primarydegreeofferings, suchaspostgraduatejournalismcourses,doubledegreeprograms,subgraduate diplomasorcertificatesfrombusinesscolleges,werenotinvestigated. Researchmethod Theresearchmethodisacollectivecasestudy(Stake,2001,p.437).Thecasestudyis ausefulwaytobothinquireandtoexplainhowandwhyjournalismistaughtin particularways(Yin,1989,p.20),(Stake,2001,p.436).Itderivesadeveloped understandingofjournalismeducationinAustraliaandoffersnewpossibilitiesfor theorisingjournalism(Yin,1989,p.15;(Stake,2001,p.437).Thecasestudyprocess utilisesmultiplemethodsofdatacollectionandmultiplesourcesofevidencethat convergeonthesametopic(Yin,1989,p.84).Thisleadstoagreaterlikelihoodof accurateinterpretation(Stake,2001,p.443;Jensen&Jankowski,1991,p.54). ContentAnalysis Contentanalysisofthecourseinformationpublishedbytheuniversities,supported byareviewofliteraturepertainingtothemethodofcontentanalysis,werethe primarymeansofdatacollection(Yin,1989,p.20).Contentanalysisisasystematic processofcollectingandevaluatingthequalitativeandquantitativedata.Itisan appropriatemethodforanalysingthevariablesinjournalismcourses(Wimmer& Dominick,1991,p.158).Theconstructionofknowledgeaboutcoursecontentandthe waythecontentwasinterpretedduringtheresearchprocesswasdependentupon othermeanings,valuesandpracticesproducedinareviewofliteratureabout journalismandjournalismeducation(Schwandt,2000,p.201).Allstagesofthe researchinvolvedinterpretivepractice(Schwandt,2000,p.201). WimmerandDominickwarnthatproblemsassociatedwithcontentanalysismay ariseifthereisnobenchmarkforcomparisonwheninterpretingresults(Wimmer& Dominick,1991,p.171).Thecollectivecasestudyutilisedinthisresearchallowsthe useofthevalidationtechniquecalledconcurrentvalidity(Wimmer&Dominick, 1991,p.175)wherecasesaremeasuredrelativetoeachother.Toensurereliableand validresults,initialcategorieswereclearlydefined(Wimmer&Dominick,1991,p. 175).Theinitialcategorisationschemaforthedataconsistedoffortyfournarrow categories.Narrowdefinitionsensureeachcategoryismutuallyexclusiveand countedonceinthestatisticalanalysis.Theyalsoprovideforamoreindepth
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analysisofeachunitofstudy. Avalidationprocesswasutilisedtoensuretheconsistencyofcodingrulesandto identifymisplacedunits.Keywordsincontextthatdescribedthetheoreticaltopicsor propertiesofsingleunitsineachcoursewereextractedfromcoursedescriptions recordedonuniversitywebsites.Asecondcategoryofkeywordsincontext describedthepracticalcomponentofsingleunitsineachcourse.Thesekeywords wereelectronicallysortedtorevealthemes,whichvalidatedthecategorisation. JournalismCourses Journalismcoursesaresimilartooneanotherinthesensethateachhasa combinationofcertainfeatures,suchasthehierarchicalstructureoffirst,secondand thirdlevelsubjects.Eachcoursehasacompulsorynumberofjournalismsubjectsand someapredefinedlistofelectives.ThedurationofJournalismBachelordegreesor Bachelordegreeswithjournalismmajorsisthreeyearsintwentyfourofthetwenty fiveinstitutions.Theoneexceptionextendstoafouryeardegree. Thedifferencesamongthecourses,ascases,aremuchmorecomplexthanthe similaritiesandrequireamoreconcentratedinquiry(Stake,2001,p.436).Whilethe foundationsaresimilarandtheyareunderpinnedbyauniversalobjectivetoprepare studentsforjournalism,thestructuresofindividualjournalismcoursesareunique. Concentrationontheuniquenessofindividualcoursesisnecessaryforthe developmentoftheorybuildingandtoestablishatheoreticalframeworkthat engageswiththedebateaboutthebroadermeaningsandimplicationsofjournalism andaboutwhatshouldbeincludedorexcludedfromjournalismcourses(Stake, 2001,p.439;Yin,1989,p.14).Thisresearchseekstoopenthewaytoindicatefurther possibilitiesfornewknowledge(Yin,1989,p.16)andagreaterunderstandingand moredevelopedbasisfromwhichtotheorisejournalismeducation(Stake,2001,p. 437). Thisresearchisconcernedwiththedecisionseducatorshavemadeaboutwhatto includeintheirjournalismprograms.

MANAGEMENTANDASSESSMENTOFDATA Themanagementandassessmentofdatawasconductedinaseriesofstages. Thefirststageinvolvedtheextractionofcoursestructuredatafromuniversity

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websites.Whileuniversitieshaveuniquewaysofdescribingtheircoursestructures, theinformationwascollectedandrecordedasfollows: CourseStructure Nameofuniversity NameofFaculty Coursename Qualification CourseStructure: Coreunits o Universitywide o Facultywide Journalismunits o Compulsory o Elective OtherDisciplines,designatedmajors Electives. CourseContent Thesecondstageoftheresearchprocessinvolvedthecollectionandanalysisofthe contentofeachcourse.Descriptionsofallunitsinselectedcoursestructureswere gathered,coded,summarisedandsortedintothemesandclustercategoriesinformed bytheoriesofjournalism(Wellington,2000,p.134).Categoriesemergedaposteriori throughaprocessofinductivecoding(FrankfortNachmias&Nachmias,ascitedin Wellington,2000,p.142).Thecomparativepropertiesofcoursedescriptionswere analysedandcategorisedaccordingtosimilarthemes.Whereunitswereclearlynot journalistic,referencedictionariesandEnglishdictionarieswereusedtoverify categorisationobjectively. Thedatacollectedfromwebsiteswasrecordedelectronicallyinaseriesof spreadsheets.Thespreadsheetswereeffectivetoolsfortheorganisationofthedata. Datawaseasilytabulatedandcouldbereadataglance.HyperlinkstoJournalism home,courseandunitwebpageswereinsertedintothespreadsheetsforfuture accessandasarecordofsourcesofinformation. Unobtrusivemethodsofdatacollectiongavetheresearcherunlimitedaccessto universitywebsites.Thiswasadvantageousbecauseitallowedtheresearcher unlimitedopportunitiestoreexamineandverifyfactswithoutinterfering,intruding intoordisturbingthesocialenvironment(Kellehear,1993,pp.28).
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Limitations Therearesomelimitationsposedbythemethodsandscopeoftheresearch. Kellehearcontendstherearelimitationsassociatedwithunobtrusivemethods ofdatacollectionsincethereisnoscopeforobtaininganexplanationofthe data(Kellehear,1993,p.2). Thescopeofthisprojectlimitedthedatacollectiontounitdescriptionsonly.A largerstudywouldincludeinterviewswitheducatorsandsecondarysources suchas,unitobjectives,prescribedtexts,weeklystudyschedulesandlecture notes.Thiswouldprovideforamorecomprehensiveviewofjournalism educationinAustralia. ThestudycapturedthestateofjournalismeducationinAustraliaasitwas beforetheweek,6thto13thofJuly2005.Giventheprogressivenatureof Journalismeducation,itislikelythatsomecourseshavebeenrestructured and/oruniversitywebsitesupdatedsincethatdate.

Evaluation Thethirdstageofthestudy,theevaluationprocess,utilisedcomparativemethodsof analysis.Thismethodconsistsofsearchingforpatterns,themesandregularitiesin thedata(Wellington,2000,p.136).Aseriesoftablesandchartswasproducedto visuallydisplaythedataforconceptualisation(Wellington,2000,p.134).Selected tablesandchartsarediscussedheretoshowthemesandpatternsofphenomenain journalismeducation. Table1listsanddescribesfeaturesofJournalismcoursestructuresintwentyfive Australianuniversities.ThetableliststhenamesofinstitutionsthatofferaBachelor degreewithJournalism,thefacultyfromwhichitisofferedandthedegreetitle.It dividescoursestructuresintofoursections:Institution,Faculty,DegreeTitleand CourseStructure.ThecoursestructureisfurtherdividedintoCore,Journalism, SpecialisationElectivesandtheTotalcolumn,whichshowsthetotalnumberofunits requiredtobeawardedthedegree. Thefirstsectionliststhenumberofcoreunitsineachdegree.Coreunitsaredivided intotwosections:InstitutionCore,wheretheunitsofferedarecompulsoryinall Bachelordegreesatthatuniversity,andFacultyCore,wherethesetofunitsoffered arecommontomorethanonedegreeinthefaculty(alsorepresentedonFigure1). Thetableshowsthatinstitutioncoreunitsoccurinthreeofthetwentyfive
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universities.Facultycoreunitsaremuchmorecommon. Error:Referencesourcenotfound

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Table 1: Course Structures

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Figure1showsthecombinedinstitutionandfacultycoreunitsasshownintheCore columninTable1.Thisfigureshowsalargeconcentrationofunitsinthecategories ofMassCommunicationandMediaStudies.Infouruniversities,theseunitsform prescribedcommunicationmajorsthatarecommontomorethanonedegreeineach faculty.

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Publi sh Prod 'n nt Meth s s l Rela tions ics tics Hum anitie s 11. N ews Writin g mmu nicati on Te c h nolog y ation urn Journ 34. E nglis h Writi ng tion S kills 9. W riting Stud ie tudie Stud ie omns ceme 15. O nline Jo & Eth 27. P oli ial M trepre neur gt s stice

35. C ultur al S

16. D igital AV

18. F eatu re

nt Ed it

3. La w

mun ica

eech C

sear ch

y Pla

orary

edia

2. Co ntem p

tiona

rn R e

25. M

dustr

19. P ri

ass C o

31. S p

30. J u

terna

40. C om

41. G en

eral

8. Jo u

22. M

39. In

Figure1:CombinedCoreUnitsAllCourses

ThesecondpartofthecoursestructuresectionofTable1showstherangeof Journalismunitsdividedintotwocategories:compulsoryjournalismandelective journalism.TheJournalismCompulsorycolumnshowsthenumberofcompulsory journalismunitsthatmustbeundertakenineachdegree(alsorepresentedinFigure 2).TheJournalismElectivescolumnshowsthenumberofelectivejournalismunits thatmustbechosenfromalargergroupofofferings(alsorepresentedinFigure3). Thetableindicatesthattenofthetwentyfiveuniversitieshaveasetcompulsory journalismcomponentonly,whiletheremainingfifteeninstitutionshavebotha compulsoryandelectivejournalismcomponent. Figure2showsthecategoriesofunitsintheJournalismcompulsorycomponent.It alsoshowsthenumberofunitsineachcategory.ThelargestcategoryisNews writingwith18units.Thereare16unitsofContemporaryJournalismofferedand15 unitsinthePrintEditPublishcategory.OnlineJournalismandMediaStudieshave anequalofferingof14units.WhenthecategoriesJournalismLaw,Ethics,andLaw andEthicsarecombined,theyrepresent27ofthecompulsoryunitsofferedacrossall
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43. In

44. E n

29. In

form

10

12

14

16

18

20

10

12

14

16

18

20

universities.

10. N ews G

10. N ews G

Figure2:JournalismCompulsoryUnits

Figure3showsthecategoriesofJournalismElectiveunits.Theseunitsprovide flexibilityinjournalismcourses.Studentsmaychoosetominimiseormaximisea particularstreamofstudy,forexample,BroadcastorPrintJournalism,ortheymay choosetomaximiseorminimisetheirtheoreticalstudy.Thefigureshowsthatthe highestofferingsofunitsareinthePrintEditPublish,Radio,Television,Broadcast andIndustryPlacementcategories.

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

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ather ing 11. N ews Writi 12. R ng adio Journ alism 13. T V Jo urna lism 14. B road cast journ 15. O nline Journ 17. P rint J ourn 18. F eatu re W riting 19. P rint E dit P ublis h 20. P hoto 24. P Journ rofes siona l Pra 26. S ctice pecia list R eport 29. In ing dustr y Pla ceme 32. L nt iterary Journ alism 38. F reela nce J ourn 1. His tory o f Jou rn 3. La w&E thics 4. La w 5. Eth 6. Inte ics rnati onal Journ 7. Inv estig ative 8. Jo Journ urn R esea rch M etho ds 9. W 22. M riting ass C o mm unica tion 25. M edia Stud ies 35. C ultur al Stu dies 16. D igital AV P rod'n 21. S horth and 23. P ublic Rela tions 27. P olitic s 34. E nglis 36. C h reati ve W 39. In riting terna tiona l Rela tions

ather ing 11. N ews Writi 12. R ng adio Journ alism 13. T V Jo urna lism 14. B road cast journ 15. O nline Journ 17. P rint J ourn 18. F eatu re W riting 19. P rint E dit P ublis h 20. P hoto 24. P Journ rofes siona l Pra 26. S ctice pecia list R eport 29. In ing dustr y Pla ceme nt 1. His tory o f Jou 2. Co rn ntem pora ry Jo urn 3. La w&E thics 4. La w 5. Eth 6. Inte ics rnati onal Journ 7. Inv estig ative 8. Jo Jour urn R n esea rch M etho ds 9. W 22. M riting ass C omm unica tion 23. P ublic Rela tions 25. M edia Stud ies 35. C ultur al Stu 40. C dies om m unica tion S kills 16. D igital AV P rod'n 27. P olitic s 28. E cono mics 33. In digen ous S tudie s 34. E nglis h 37. A dvert ising

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Figure3:JournalismElectiveUnits

ThethirdpartofthecoursestructureofTable1showsthespecialisation requirementsoftheBachelordegrees.TheSpecialisationcolumnshowsinstances wherethereisasecond/submajororminorrequirement.Therearesometimes specificationsaboutthekindofmajororminorallowedandtheseareindicatedwith lettersattachedtothenumbersandexplainedinnotesaccompanyingthetable.The tableshowsthathalfofalluniversitiessurveyedprescribeasecondorcognatemajor. Thefourthsectionshowstheelectiverequirementsofeachcourse.Electivesmaybe restrictedtoafacultyorstream,ortheymaybeunrestrictedandthereforetaken fromanywhereintheuniversity. TheTotalcolumnshowsthenumberofunitsrequiredtoachievethequalificationof BachelorDegree.Mostuniversitiesrequirestudentstocompletetwentyfourunits overthreeyears.Fourinstitutionsrequiretwentyunits,onerequirestwentyoneto twentythree,andanothertwentytwototwentyfour,overthreeyears.These variationsaretheresultofsomeunitsholdinghighercreditvaluethanothers.The UniversityofSydneyrequirestwentysixunitsoverfouryears. Figure4illustratesthevarietyoffacultiesofferingJournalismcoursesinAustralian universities.Itshowsthereisdiversityinopinionaboutwhereintheacademy journalismbelongs.Thereisarangeoffourteendifferentfaculties,withArts representing40%ofalldegrees.

Social and Behavioural Sciences Science and Information Technology Media, Society and Culture Informatics and Communication Applied Communication

Humanities and Social Sciences Arts

Education, Arts and Social Sciences Creative Industries Communications and Multimedia Communication, Design and Media Communication Arts and Social Sciences Arts, Education And Social Sciences

Figure4:FacultyTitles

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Figure5showsthevarianceintitlesofdegreesawardedwithjournalism.Halfofthe degreetitlesnameCommunicationinthetitleandonly28%ofcoursesarenamed BachelorofJournalism(orBachelorofeJournalism).Thosecoursesthatawardthe qualificationofBachelorofJournalismgenerallyhaveahigherpercentageof journalismunitsintheircoursescomparedtothosethatawardotherdegreetitles.

Arts (Communication Journalism) Arts (Communication) with Journalism Major Arts (Journalism and Media) Journalism

Mass Communication (Journalism)

Arts

Arts (Journalism)

E-Journalism Communications (Journalism) Communication Studies (Journalism) Communication in Journalism Communication (Journalism) Arts (Media & Communications) Arts in Communication (Journalism) BA (Communication & Media Studies) BA in Mass Communication Communication

Figure5:DegreeTitles

Table2isthemastertableforthepresentanalysisofjournalismcourses.Itshowsthe fortyfourderivedcategories,andmapstheunitofferingsofeachcoursetoeach category.Thetoprowofthetableshowstheuniversity,thefirstcolumnshowsthe categoriesofunits,andthebodyshowsthenumberofunitsofferedineachcategory ineachcourse.Thesecategorieswereclusteredindifferentwaystorevealthemes andpatterns.Thetableshowstwotypesofclustering.

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Universities offering 9 19 17 15 10 17 9 18 21 4 9 16 1 1 5 13 11 13 8 8 6 8 8 12 2 16 7 4 7 2 7 1 1 1 3 3 1 2 6 1 3 1 4 1

16.Newcastle

11. Murdoch

15.Canberra

10. Monash

9. La Trobe

Category 10. News Gathering 11. News Writing 12. Radio Journalism 13. TV Journalism 14. Broadcast journ 15. Online Journ 17. Print Journ 18. Feature Writing 19. Print Edit Publish 20. Photo Journ 26. Specialist Reporting 29. Industry Placement 32. Literary Journalism 38. Freelance Journ 1. History of Journ 2. Contemporary Journ 3. Law&Ethics 4. Law 5. Ethics 6. International Journ 7. Investigative Journ 8. Journ Research Methods 9. Writing 22. Mass Communication 24. Professional Practice 25. Media Studies 35. Cultural Studies 40. Communication Skills 16. Digital AV Prod'n 21. Shorthand 27. Politics 28. Economics 30. Justice Studies 31. Speech Comns 33. Indigenous Studies 34. English 36. Creative Writing 39. International Relations 41. General Humanities 42. History 43. Information Technology 44. Entrepreneurial Management 23. Public Relations 37. Advertising TOTAL Core Offered Core Requirement TOTAL Journ Compulsory TOTAL Journ Electives Offered Journ Elective Requirement TOTAL Journalism Offered TOTAL Journalism Requirement TOTAL Compulsory Elective Set Comp.Elective Set Requirement TOTAL Prescribed Units Taken TOTAL Non-Prescribed Units TOTAL Units in Course Ratio Journ to Entire Course (%)* Ratio Jour + Core to Course (%)* TOTAL Journ Cluster TOTAL Non-Journ Cluster TOTAL Professional Practice TOTAL Theoretical Contextual TOTAL Cognate Disciplines Key:

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1ly 1 1
gy

1 1 1
b

1 1 3 3 1 2d 1d 1 1 1 1 4
s

1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1b
b

1 2 2 2 2f 2f 2 1 2 1 1 2 1
f

1 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 2

1 1 1 1 1 1j 1

1 1 1
g

1 1 2 2
be

2 1 1

1 1 1 1 2bc 4a 1 2
b c c

1 4d 1d

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2be 2hk 1 1
h g

Professional Practice

1 2u 2 1 1 1 1 1

2 1 1 3

1 1 2 1

1 2a 2
a

2fn 2
f

2be 1
b

1 3

1 1 2

1 1 1

be

1c 1 1 1c 2 2 4d 1 1d 1d

1e 1j 2k 2 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
c

1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
b

1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1e 1 1 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1d 1 1 1d 1 1

1 1 1

3 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 2
luy

Theoretical Contextual

1 1 1 1 5
pq

1 2 2 1 2 1 1 2

2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1
g d

1 g 1 1

1 1 1 5 1 1

1 1 4
ux

2 1 2

1 9 2 2
v

1
o

2 2

pq pq

2 1 h 1 1

3 1
x

1 1
k

Cognate Disciplines

1 2 2 1
h z

1 1

1 1

2 2 2

1 1
p

z z

1 2

1 1 1 1 6 6
m m

1 0 0 4 9 6 13 10 0 0 10 14 24 42 42 11 2 7 5 1

8 4 9 14 7 23 16 0 0 20 4 24 67 83 15 16 10 10 11

0 0 8 9 6 17 14 0 0 14 10 24 58 58 14 3 9 6 2

9 9 5 8 4 13 4 2 4 38 75 15 11 13 8 5

6 6 4 12 5-7 16 0 0 4-6 43 71 16 6 12 9 1

0 0 8 0 0 8 8 0 0 8 16 24 33 33 8 0 3 5 0

6 6 8 0 0 8 0 0 10 33 58 9 5 8 4 2

0 0 8 5 2-4 13 0 0 12 45 45 12 1 8 5 0

6 5 10 6 3 16 0 0 6 24 54 75 14 8 10 5 7

9 9 4 19 0-7 23 0 0 0-7 20 20 65 16 16 14 16 2

2 2 7 3 1 10 8 0 0

5 1 7 11 t 2 18 t 9 0 0

5 4 12 d 1 0 13 12 0 0 16 8 24 50 67 13 5 9 6 3

0 0 w 16 0 0 16 16 0 0 16 8 24 67 67 14 w 2 12 3 0

2 2 6 0 0 6 6 0 0 8 16 24 25 33 7 1 5 3 0

11 6 4 8 4 12 8 0 0 14 6 20 40 70 14 9 10 13 0

6 6 0 13 8 13 8 0 0 14 10 24 33 58 10 9 8 8 3

0 0 10 17 4 27 14 4 2 16 8 24 58 58 25 6 15 10 6

4 4 10 7 2 17 12 1 1 17 7 24 50 67 15 7 9 8 5

3 3 4 7 3 11 7 0 0 10 14 24 29 42 11 3 8 4 2

0 0 12 0 0 12 12 0 0 12 14 26 46 46 8 4 7 3 2

6 6 5 11 4 16 9 0 0 15 5 20 45 75 16 6 12 10 0

0 0 12 0 0 12 12 0 0 12 8 20 60 60 6 6 4 6 2

0 0 20 0 0 20 20 0 0 20 4 24 83 83 11 9 9 9 2

8 0 0 8 8 0 0 14 10 24 33 58 8 m 6 7 2 4

9 9-11

8 10-12

13 4-11

20 15-17 24 21-23

14 10-12 24 22-24

18 13-20

10 10-16 14 8-14 24 33 42 10 2 7 5 0 24 38 42 13 10 11 7 5

(*) where there is a varying number of journalism units available, the lower bound is used (a) choose one stream: either 4x14 or (2x17 & 2x19) (b) choose two from this group, one only from each category (c) choose 3-5 from this group (some have double credit value) (d) all non-compulsory (may choose none) (e) choose two from this group (f) choose one stream: either (2x13 & 2x14) or (15 & 2x17 & 19) (g) choose one unit from either category (h) choose one unit from either category (j) compulsory units in cognate (minor) (k) choose one unit from either category (l) choose one unit from either category (m) plus 1 faculty intro unit elective other than Communication (n) one of this set is core (o) choose four of five

(p) choose 1 of 3 (q) choose 1 of 4 (2 from Comn Mass Media) (r) 2 institution + 1 faculty core (s) one in this set is in group (d) (t) may choose additional 0-6 from group (d) (u) one unit in this group is compulsory (v) four in this set are in group (d) (w) includes one unspecified communication elective (x) choose 2 from this group (y) may also be taken as elective if not taken in (g) or (l) (z) choose one in each category ( ) chose 2-4 from this group (some have double credit value) ( ) choose one only in this category ( ) or one other introductory level unit in the faculty

Table2:PrescribedUnitOfferingsbyCategory

Page 20

Total Units
9 23 25 22 18 22 16 18 34 5 9 24 1 1 5 19 11 13 8 8 6 12 9 22 2 34 14 6 12 2 9 1 1 1 4 4 2 2 14 1 4 2 5 1

18. UniSA

7. Griffith

13. RMIT

23. UOW

5. Deakin

24. UWS

4. Curtin

12. QUT

19. USQ

14. SCU

22. UTS

25. Utas

21.USC

1. Bond

2. CQU

20. Syd

6. ECU

3. CSU

17. UQ

8. JCU

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Clustering1 Firstly,thecategoriesweredividedintotwoclusters:twentythreewereidentifiedas designatedJournalismcategories(showninboldedprintinTable2),withthe remainingtwentyonedesignatedasNonJournalism(showninnormalprintin Table2).Thesebroadgroupswerefurtherrefinedintoelevensubgroups. PlacementofcategoriesintoJournalismandNonJournalismclusterswasguidedby themesdevelopedinthereviewoftheliterature.Theresultsofthisclusteringcanbe seeninFigure6.

350

300

Theories of Journalism

Law & Ethics 250 Gathering News 200

Writing 150 Interpersonal Communication Cultural Studies Information Technology 100 MediaStudies Electronic Production 50 Mass Communication Other Disciplines 0 Journalism Non-Journalism

Figure6:SubGroupsofJournalismandNonJournalismClusters

Clustering2 Aftercontinuousrefinement(Wellington,2000,p.136),threedefinitiveclusters emergedandwereadaptedtoaccommodatewhatAdamdescribesasThe coordinatesofagoodjournalismeducation(Adam,2001,p.317). Thethreeclustersare: ProfessionalPractice,whichgroupsunitsthatareprimarilyinvolvedin providingstudentswiththetechnologiestounderstandandmanagebreaking news,toresearchandgatherthefactstosupportnews,towritenewsand producevisualrepresentations(Adam,2001,p.318); TheoreticalContextual,whichgroupsunitsthatprimarilybelongtothebroad contextualandreflexivefacesofjournalism(Adam,2001,p.329).Theseunits
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

theorisethepracticesandusesofjournalism;and CognateDisciplines,whichgroupsunitsthatbuildabodyofknowledgethat strengthenjournalismsmethodologyanditscriticismsofsocietysinstitutions andpractices(Adam,2001,p.332).Theunitsinthisclustergenerallywillnot haverealisedAdamsprojectionofunits;cultivatedinselectedacademic disciplinesinsympathywithjournalisticneeds,interestsandwaysofthought.

ThisclusteringreflectsAdamsschemaforthedevelopmentofstudentsas reporters,writersandcritics(Adam,2001,p.327). TheProfessionalPracticeclustercontainsfourteencategories.Thisclusterhasthe largestconcentrationofunits,with227unitsofferedacrossalluniversities.The secondlargestclusterintermsofunitsoffered,TheoreticalContextual,alsoconsists offourteencategoriesandhas169unitsofferedacrossalluniversities.TheCognate clusterhassixteencategoriesoffering65unitsacrossseventeenuniversities.The65 unitsinthisclusterareprescribedunitsofthejournalismcourses. Table2showsallcompulsoryandprescribedelectiveunits,whicharespecifically nominatedbyuniversitiesasrequirementsforaBachelorDegreewithJournalism. Unitsinsecondorsubmajors,minorsandopenelectivescouldnotbecategorised sincethenumberofpossibilitieswasboundless,butareincludedinthisclusterin laterfiguresinthispaper. Asstatedearlier,thetablegroupsthecategoriesofunitsintheirthreeclusters.It indicatesthedispositionofunitsamongthecategories,andpermitsacomparison betweenthem,whichshowstrendstowardsemphasisingcertainareasofstudy.For example,inthecaseofthetwocategoriescontainingthemostunits,PrintEdit Publish(intheProfessionalPracticecluster)andMediaStudies(intheTheoretical Contextualcluster): PrintEditPublishisconcernedwiththeproductionofjournalism.Thedominant topicsinthiscategoryare:magazine,newspaper,radio,online,television, news,currentaffairsanddocumentaryproduction.Therearetwentyone universitiesofferingunitsinthiscategoryandtherearethirtyfourunits offeredcollectively.Ofthethirtyfourunitsoffered,sixteenarecompulsoryand eighteenareelective. MediaStudiesisconcernedwiththenatureandeffectsofmediauponsociety andindividuals.WhileAdamdefinesthemeaningofmediaintermsof publicpolicyandmanagementratherthanjournalism,hesaysthestudyof socialstructures,economicpowerandmediaownershipareessentialtothe
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Professional Practice

Theoretical Contextual

Cognate Disciplines

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

workofjournalists(Adam,2001,p.324).ThetopicsthatdominatetheMedia Studiescategoryare:audienceresearch;globalisationofmedia;media audiences;mediaeffects;institutions;convergence;mediaownership, structuresandtexts;mediatheories;researchtechniques;policies;andcultural production.Sixteenuniversitiesofferacollectivetotalofthirtyfourunitsin thiscategoryofwhichtwentyeightarecompulsoryandsixareelective. ThenumbersindicatethatMediaStudiesandPrintEditPublishhaveequal representation,howeveronly16universitiesofferMediaStudiescomparedto21 universitiesthatofferunitsinPrintEditPublish. TheProfessionalPracticeclustershowsthatfewuniversitiesofferunitsinFreelance Journalism,LiteraryJournalism,ProfessionalPracticeandPhotoJournalism.Six universitiesofferatotalofsixunitsinInvestigativeJournalismandfourofthesixare compulsory. Figure7providesavisualrepresentationofthedatacontainedinTable2.Thefigure providesforacomparativeviewoftheclustersandtheirindividualunitcategories. Whilethisfigureisusefultoidentifytherawnumberofunitsofferedinparticular categoriesinjournalismdegreesacrossuniversities,Figures813revealthevarious waysinwhicheachcoursecanbecompletedwhencertainclustersarefavoured throughchoiceofelectives.

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
10. N ews 11. N Gathering 12. R ews Writ adio ing 13. T Journalism V Jou rn 14. B roadc alism 15. O ast journ nline Journ 17. 18. F Print Jou rn eatur e 19. P rint E Writing dit Pu b 26. S 20. Photo lish pecia Jou 29. In list Repo rn rti du 32. L stry Place ng iterar ment y 38. F Journalis reela m 1. His nce Jour n tory o 2. Co f Jo u ntem rn porar 3. La y Journ w&E thics 4. La w 6. Inte 5. rnatio Ethics na 7. 8. Jou Investigati l Journ rn Re v searc e Journ h Me tho 22. M 9. Wr ds ass C itin omm 24. P unica g rofes tion siona 25. M l Practice edia S 35 40. C . Cultura tudies l Stud omm un ie 16. D ication S s kil igital AV P ls rod'n 21. S horth a 27. P nd 28. E olitics 30. Ju conomic s stice Studie 31. S 33. In peech Co s digen m ous S ns tu d 34. E ies 36 39. In . Creative nglish terna Writi 41. G tional Rela ng enera l Hum tions anitie 43. In s 42. for 44. E ntrep mation T History echno reneu rial M logy ana 23. P ublic gement R 37. A elations dverti sing

Figure7:AllUnitsOfferedexcludingrestrictedandunrestrictedelectives
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Figures813showthatinmanyoftheuniversitiesstudied,ajournalismdegree programcanbecomeaverydifferentthingtodifferentstudents,dependingonthe waytheyaccessthechoicesavailabletothem.Becausetherearethreeclusters,there aresixpossiblecombinationstoconsider;bymaximisingthenumberofunitstaken inachosencluster,thenbychoosingwhichoftheremainingtwoclustersto maximise.Inthisseriesoffigures,theCognateDisciplinescomponentincludesboth theprescribedcognateunitsdisplayedinFigure7andtherestrictedorunrestricted electiveunitsnecessarytocompletethedegreerequirements.

30

25

20

15

10

0
IT d d wcastl e 10. M onash nberra U rdoch iSA ith C 8. J C U 6. EC U 17. UQ kin 5. D ea U U S Trobe as 1. B on 12. QU 22. U T 20. Sy 3. C S 24. U W 21.US 14. S C 4. Curt 2. C Q W 13. R M 18. U n 23. U O 7. Griff 25. UT 19. US Q in S T

11. M u

Professional Practice

Theoretical Contextual

16.Ne

Cognate Disciplines

Figure8:CourseStructurewhenPractice,thenTheoreticalmaximised

Forexample,Figure8showsthestructureofeachcourseacrossthethreeclustersif themaximumnumberofProfessionalPracticeunitsistaken,followedbythe maximumnumberofTheoreticalContextualunitstakenfromtheremainder.Taking UQasanexample,Figure8showsthatwhenProfessionalPracticeismaximisedthen TheoreticalContextual,studentswillcompleteeightProfessionalPracticeunits,eight TheoreticalContextualandeightCognateDisciplines.Ontheotherhandfigure10 showsthatwhenTheoreticalContextualthenProfessionalPractice,ismaximised, studentsatUQwillcompletetenTheoreticalContextualunits,fiveProfessional PracticeunitsandnineCognateDisciplineunits.Figure11showsthatthoseatUQ wantingtominimiseProfessionalPracticeandmaximiseTheoreticalContextualmay completetwoProfessionalPracticeunits,tenTheoreticalContextualandtwelve CognateDisciplineunits.ThesenumbersshowtheflexibilityinthecourseatUQ, whichismadepossiblethroughthechoiceofjournalismelectives.
Page 24

15.Ca

9. La

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Thisseriesoffiguresrevealthatwhilethecoursesofsomeuniversitiesshowno varianceinclustersizes(namelyECU,RMIT,SCU,UOW,UWS,USQ,Canberraand Sydneyuniversities)mostofferadegreeofvariationbetweenthenumbersofunits thatmaybetakenwithineachclustertocompletethecourse. Figure9showsthestructureofeachcourseacrossthethreeclustersifthemaximum numberofProfessionalPracticeunitsistaken,thenthemaximumTheoretical Contextual.CSUhasthehighestpossiblemaximumofProfessionalPracticeunits; thirteenintotal,whileUSQ,DeakinandUOWeachofferamaximumoffour ProfessionalPracticeunits.

30

25

20

15

10

0
18. U niSA 20. S yd 1. Bo nd wcas tle onas h a 19. U SQ U 6. EC U 8. JC U C 14. S CU IT S urdo ch 4. Cu rtin T e 5. De akin 3. CS U 17. U Q as 7. Gri ffith S 12. Q U 22. U T 24. U W 2. CQ 13. R M 21.U S nberr Trob 23. U O 25. U T W

10. M

Professional Practice

Cognate Disciplines

16.N e

Theoretical Contextual

Figure9:CourseStructurewhenPractice,thenCognatemaximised

AcomparisonofFigures9and10showsthatthoseatBondUniversitywhochooseto maximiseProfessionalPractice(Figure9)maycompletetenunitsinthatcluster whilethosechoosingtomaximiseTheoreticalContextual(Figure10)willcomplete fourteenunitsinTheoreticalContextualandfiveunitsinProfessionalPractice.

Page 25

15.C a

9. La

11. M

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

30

25

20

15

10

0
18. U niSA 4. Cu rtin 19. U SQ 20. S yd d rra wcas tle urdo ch U 8. JC U C C 21.U S 21.U S 5. De akin 15.C anbe 23. U O 13. R MIT 7. Gri ffith 25. U Tas 24. U WS 12. Q U 14. S CU 13. R MIT Trob e 17. U Q 3. CS U nash 22. U TS 1. Bo n 2. CQ 6. EC U W T

Theoretical Contextual

16.N e

11. M

Professional Practice

10. M o

9. La

Cognate Disciplines

Figure10:CourseStructurewhenTheoretical,thenPracticemaximised

Figure11showsthatstudentsatLaTrobeUniversity,asoneexample,choosingto maximisetheTheoreticalContextualcomponentmaycompleteamaximumoffifteen unitsinthisclusterthenfiveunitsinProfessionalPractice.Thesechoicesallowthe studenttoavoidchoosingunitsfromtheCognateDisciplinecluster.

30

25

20

15

10

0
18. U niSA 4. Cu rtin 19. U SQ 20. S yd d stle rra ch 8. JC U 5. De akin 25. U Tas 23. U OW 7. Gri ffith 24. U W 16.N ewca 15.C anbe 12. Q U 14. S CU Trob e 17. U Q 3. CS U 2. CQ U onas h 22. U TS 1. Bo n 6. EC U S urdo T

Theoretical Contextual

11. M

Cognate Disciplines

10. M

9. La

Professional Practice

Figure11:CourseStructurewhenTheoretical,thenCognatemaximised

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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

Figure12showsthatthosechoosingtomaximisetheirCognateDisciplineunitsatLa Trobemaycompleteamaximumoftwounitsinthiscluster,tenunitsfromthe ProfessionalPracticeclustertheneightunitsfromthetheoreticalcluster.

30

25

20

15

10

0
20. S yd d 18. U niSA h wcas tle 19. U SQ 14. S CU 8. JC U urdo ch 7. Gri ffith 4. Cu rtin rra C U IT 6. EC U 17. U Q 25. U Tas 3. CS U 5. De akin 22. U TS T W 1. Bo n onas S 12. Q U 2. CQ 23. U O 13. R M 15.C anbe 24. U W 21.U S Trob e

10. M

11. M

Cognate Disciplines

16.N e

Professional Practice

Theoretical Contextual

Figure12:CourseStructurewhenCognate,thenPracticemaximised

Figure13showsstudentsatLaTrobechoosingtomaximisetheCognateDisciplines maycompletetwounits,thenthirteenTheoreticalContextualunitsthenfive ProfessionalPracticeunits.

30

25

20

15

10

0
20. S yd rdoch castle nd 6. EC U berra niSA U akin 13. R MIT 4. C u rtin onash ffith TS 22. U Q Q U C U 25. U T 7. Gri 5. De 23. U 24. U WS 12. Q U 14. S C 21.US 19. U S 2. C Q 1. B o 3. C S 17. U 8. J C Trobe 9. La U as T OW

18. U

Cognate Disciplines

16.Ne w

Theoretical Contextual

Professional Practice

Figure13:CourseStructurewhenCognate,thenTheoreticalmaximised
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15.Ca n

11. M u

10. M

9. La

Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

ThevariationsinFigures813haveshownthatthereisconsiderableflexibilityin mostcourses. Figure14showsthatwhentheaveragenumberofunitsthatcanbetakenineach clusteracrossalluniversitiesiscalculated,itisfoundthattheProfessionalPractice clustercomprisesonaverage31%,TheoreticalContextual25%,andCognate Disciplines44%.

Practice, 7.08, 30%

Cognate, 10.42, 45%

Theoretical, 5.92, 25%

Figure14:AverageClusterSizeAllUniversities(Cluster,NumberofUnits,Percent)

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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

SUMMARYANDCONCLUSIONS TheresearchshowsthatjournalismcoursesinthetwentyfiveAustralianuniversities studiedfollowabroadcommontrackbuttherearemanydivergentpathways.The coursearrangementshaveseveralcaveatsandchoicesavailablewithintheusual offering.Theseare:ageneralframeofuniversityorfacultycoreunits;compulsory andelectivejournalismunits;specialistmajorsandminorsfromcognatedisciplines, andelectiveswhichareeitherrestrictedtothefaculty,orunrestrictedandsomaybe selectedfromanyfaculty. Thispaperhasshownthatininstanceswherethereareelectivesintheprescribed component,studentshavesomeflexibilityintheircourseofstudy.Ithasshownsix renditionsoftheexistingjournalismcourses,astheymaybedeterminedbystudent choice.Choiceallowsthestudent,tosomeextent,toplaceemphasisononebranchof learning,forexample,tomaximiseProfessionalPracticethenTheoreticalContextual orviceversa,andsoonasshownthroughFigures813. Therearemanypossibleexplanationsforeducatorsofferingflexibilityintheir courses.Reasonsmayhavetodowitheitheruniversitypolicyortheallocationof resourcestojournalismschools,sothat,forexample,somecoursesmayhaveahigh concentrationofradiounitswhereotherswithlessresourcesmayhavefewerradio unitsonoffer. Thisresearchshowsaclearpossibilitythatthevariationsincoursecontentare indicativeofthevariationindegreeawardsandthetypeoffacultyoffering journalismstudiesasshowninFigures4and5.Insomecoursesjournalismcanform oneoftwoorthreestreamsofstudy.Theseinstancesareshowninuniversitieswhere thereareahighpercentageofunitsintheCognateDisciplinecluster. Whilethedebateabouttheoryandpracticeissettocontinue,thisinterpretive researchoffersanindepthlookatsomeaspectsofthejournalismcurriculum,and opensandinvitesnewwaystointerpretit.Questionsinthedebateareconcerned withthebalanceoftheoryandpracticeandthekindsoftheoriesstudiedby journalismstudents.Shouldjournalismeducationemphasisehabitsofabstract thoughtasapreparationforthemoralandintellectualchallengesofjournalistic practice?Shoulditemphasiseteachingprinciplesthroughpractice,aimingat nearprofessionalproductionandstartreadygraduates?Likewisethestatusof prescribedspecialistmajorsincommunicationormediastudieswillcontinuetobe debated.Shouldthesebemadeoptionaltomakeroomforotherchoices,andifso whatarethealternatives?Asshownhere,thereisasetofsharedpracticesand commontopicsinjournalismeducationbutasisoftenstated,thereisnotacentral,
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Debra Adams and Lee Duffield: Profiles of Journalism Education

agreedpedagogy. Findingsofthisstudyareconsistentwithimpressionsofjournalismcoursesasbeing somewhatweakinabstractlearning,withabroadofferingoftopicsspecificto journalisminthetheoreticalcontextsarea(Table2andFigure7refer).Teachingof journalisticissuesinAustraliaisgenerallydividedamongstudiesinHistoryof Journalism,ContemporaryJournalism,InvestigativeJournalism,Professional Practice,InternationalJournalism,JournalismResearchMethodsandLawand Ethics.Table2showsthatwhilenineofthefourteencategoriesintheTheoretical ContextualClusteraredirectlyrelatedtoJournalism,thereisanequalrepresentation ofunitsofferedintheNonjournalismsubclusterwhichincludesMass Communication,MediaStudies,CulturalStudies,CommunicationSkillsand Writing. Atheoryofjournalismmaywellexistintheeclecticarrayofdefinitionsofjournalism suchasthosementionedintheearlierdescriptionofthewaysinwhichJournalismis understood;andsuchatheoryifbroughttogetherwouldinformastronger componentofacademiclearninginjournalismcourses.Further,inthecaseof prescribedcognateelectivesdrawnfromcognatedisciplines,andgeneralelectives thenaddedtotheprogram,thereisanoptiontotakeupproposalsforthe developmentofspecialjournalismunits,incollaborationwithotherdisciplines,for instanceasarticulatedbyAdamorBollinger. Theworkreportedinthispaperisacollectivecasestudyoftwentyfiveprograms withstudiesinjournalism.Itoffersassistanceinhandlingissueslikethosesetout above,andinvitesfreshinvestigationsintomanyotheraspectsofthecurriculum. Workingfromitsanalysisofthecontentofunitsofferedbyuniversities,ithassetout todescribethepropertiesofcoursesaccordingtodiscernable,explainedcriteria.It offersanewresourceoffactsfordiscussionaboutjournalismeducation.

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