BA Journalism / BA Public Relations and Advertising / BA Radio Production / BA Television Production / BA Digital Media and Communications

Critical Orientations to Knowledge

SEMESTER 1 2013
MMSF403 Module Leader: Heidi Herzogenrath-Amelung Email: h.herzogenrathamelung@westminster.ac.uk Phone: 68281

MODULE PROFORMA: Critical Orientations to Knowledge (level 4 core module for all courses) The module introduces students to the purpose of university education and the skills and capacities they are expected to develop as part of this education. It also helps them develop their critical thinking and their capacity to construct a clear and coherent argument. It increases students understanding of the principles of academic writing at the undergraduate level. The module aims to improve students ability to collect information and assess evidence, as well as to understand and use academic theory effectively. Through a series of lectures and practical seminars/workshops, this module offers a comprehensive introduction to the art of academic education and the craft of essay-writing. How this module fits into the degree: (see appendix for learning aims of the course)

Assessment details: Assignment Description % Date Set Deadline for Submission Participation 20 Reflective 40 26 Sept. 30 Oct. Commentary Portfolio 40 26 Sept. 11 Dec. Deadline for preliminary feedback* 6 Jan. 20 Nov. 6 Jan.

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* Preliminary feedback must be given within THREE working weeks of submission. This feedback does not have to include the final mark, but can include a provisional mark. Feedback can be written or oral. Students should be made aware that this is their preliminary feedback.

Staff Contact Details: Name Heidi HerzogenrathAmelung Diana Garrisi Neil Stevenson Nisrine Mansour Lecture times: Date/days Thursdays Seminar times: Date/days Thursdays Time 11-12am 12-1pm Location Seminar groups and rooms see blackboard Time 10-11am Location AUD Role Module leader Seminar leaders Room Number J38 Office Hours Thu, 2-4pm Thus, 2-4pm Telephone 68281

J41 (PhD Office)

Electronic Submission of WRITTEN coursework: (this section must be included verbatim with no alteration)
Unless explicitly stated otherwise in writing by the module leader, all coursework on this module is submitted via Blackboard only. It will automatically be scanned through a text matching system (designed to check for possible plagiarism). DO NOT attach a CA1 form or any other form of cover sheet; YOU MUST include your name and student ID on the first page of your assignment. To submit your assignment: Log on to Blackboard at http://learning.westminster.ac.uk; Go to the relevant module Blackboard site; Click on the Submit Coursework link in the navigation menu on the left-hand side, as advised by the module teaching team; Click on the link for the relevant assignment; Follow the instructions. (Finance holds: If on the due date you have a finance hold on your student account, you may not be able to access Blackboard to be able to submit electronically. If this is the case, you may be able to submit a paper copy to the Registry. Assignments submitted this was will ONLY be accepted if it is clear that you have a finance hold on the due date. The penalties for late submission will still apply.) You will be given details by the module teaching team about how and when you will receive your marks and feedback on your work. REMEMBER: It is a requirement that you submit your work in this way. All coursework must be submitted by the set time on the due date. If you submit your coursework late but within 24 hours or one working day of the specified deadline, 10% of the overall marks available for that element of assessment will be deducted, as a penalty for
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late submission, except for work which is marked in the range 40 49%, in which case the mark will be capped at the pass mark (40%). If you submit your coursework more than 24 hours or more than one working day after the specified deadline you will be given a mark of zero for the work in question. The Universitys mitigating circumstances procedures relating to the non-submission or late submission of coursework apply to all coursework.

Appendix:
Module Aims: This module aims to: 1. introduce some of the key debates around the purpose of university education and the skills and capacities that students are expected to develop as part of this education. 2. improve students ability to collect information about a particular topic from a variety of sources and to assess the gathered evidence. 3. develop students critical thinking and their capacity to construct a clear and coherent argument. 4. increase students understanding of the uses of academic theory for critical thinking and academic assessments. 5. introduce students to the principles of academic writing at an undergraduate level, including writing styles, presentation, and the use of academic sources for supporting an argument. Learning outcomes: By the end of this module students will: 1. demonstrate an awareness of some of the key debates regarding the purpose of university of education and the skills and capacities that this education offers. (LO1) 2. collect information about a particular topic from a variety of sources and assess the gathered evidence. (LO2) 3. reflect critically and construct a clear and coherent argument on a specific topic. (LO3) 4. demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the uses of academic theory in critical thinking and academic assessments. (LO4) 5. apply the principles of academic writing at an undergraduate level, including writing styles, presentation, and the use of academic sources for supporting an argument. (LO5)

Timetable and Teaching Methods All teaching takes place on Thursdays, except individual tutorials, which are arranged at the mutual convenience of staff and students. Lectures: Lectures will be held between 10.0011.00 in the Auditorium. The lectures will introduce students to the topics in the module syllabus. These include debates around the value of university education, why media research matters, and how to go about it (see the syllabus for details). The lectures will also be an opportunity for you to get to know your chosen University better, and the people who work here. Together we will be raising some of the questions you might have been asking yourself, and think about answers. Its important to note that the lectures will only be able to introduce you to the topics so it is important that you attend and participate in the seminars to get the most out of this module! Seminars: Seminars will be held between 11:00-12:00 and 12:00-13:00 in seminar rooms. Information about your seminar groups is included on SRSweb and on Blackboard. As the purpose of this module is to equip you with a set of skills that will be useful to you for the entire duration of your studies, seminars are particularly important. Here you will get a chance to think about and discuss the importance of the topics from the lectures in more detail. You will be encouraged to think about and share your own views about why we should study the media, and the different ways in which we study them. In
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addition there will be lots of practical components and exercises to develop your skills as a young researcher. Importantly, seminars are an opportunity for you to receive feedback on your portfolio tasks (a list of tasks is on the Blackboard). We strongly advise you to complete these tasks on a weekly basis as they are due. You should consider these efforts as a first draft, after youve been given feedback in your seminars you can improve them before they go into the final portfolio. Individual tutorials: Please email your seminar leaders to arrange an individual tutorial if you feel you are struggling in a particular area.

What this module requires from you: This is an important module that will give you key skills to succeed in your degree, hence participation is essential and counts towards your overall mark. You must attend all lectures and seminars. If you are absent for two weeks or more this will be notified to the appropriate personal tutor. You will complete a weekly log where you will reflect (in about 150 words) on this weeks topic. The sum of your logs will form task 10 your portfolio (see the section on assessment for details). You will write a reflective commentary, which will be due about half-way through the module (see section on assessment for details). For every seminar, you must prepare a task in advance (a list of which is on the Blackboard), on which you will receive feedback. Once you have completed all tasks these will be
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submitted as a portfolio (together with your log). You will submit this before the Christmas break (see section on assessment for details).

Assessment The module is assessed entirely by coursework. Participation: 20% of marks will be awarded for consistent attendance of and active participation in the seminars, including your ability to engage with topics, effectively communicate views and ideas, and constructively engage in class debates and exercises. Participation also includes having prepared your portfolio task so that we can discuss your tasks and provide feedback during the seminar. Reflective Commentary (40%): For this piece of writing you will reflect on the practice of critical thinking and academic essaywriting and more generally on the purpose of university education. You should base your analysis not only on your log, but should also engage with some of the academic sources from the reading list contained in this handbook. The word limit is 1,500 words. It is due on the 30th of October and needs to be submitted online. Portfolio (40%): For this assignment, you will be required to compile a portfolio from of weekly tasks prepared for the seminars/workshops. These will be practical exercises around critical thinking, collecting information and essay-writing. For example, the workshop on collecting information will require students you to prepare a reading list for a specific topic. You will also keep a log throughout the module. Each week, you should reflect on the topic being discussed, and on how this relates to the practice of academic writing and critical thinking more generally (each log should be between 150 and 250 words long). The portfolio will include all tasks completed for the seminars plus the log, this means 10 pieces of work in total. Verbal feedback on the tasks will be provided to you during seminars each week. This will
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help improve the quality of the pieces in your portfolio, and there will be a portfolio clinic before you are due to submit your portfolio (see syllabus for details). The tasks for each seminar are available on the Blackboard. The portfolio is due for submission on the 11th of December. Written feedback will be provided on the portfolio as a whole after the end of the module. Note: we strongly recommend you complete your tasks week by week, dont get yourself into a situation where you have to do them all in a hurry at the end!

Assessment criteria Students will need to demonstrate that the overall Learning Outcomes have been met. Class participation will be evaluated based on the students attendance record and the quality of their participation in class exercises and debates. Students need to demonstrate an engagement with the essential reading and to prepare for the tasks in the seminars/workshops. Participation will also be assessed on the coherence and relevance of verbal contributions and on the students willingness to contribute and peer review other peoples work in the seminars/workshops. The Portfolio will be assessed on the evidence of the effort and care with which students have undertaken the different tasks. Each piece included in the portfolio should demonstrate an understanding of what the practical exercise required. Written pieces should be presented clearly and coherently. The log should include weekly entries, charting the students reflection on the practical issues learned each week and on the challenges of critical thinking and academic essay writing. The 1,500-word Reflective Commentary will be one of the first attempts at producing a piece of writing in an academic context. As this module is designed to familiarize you with the skills that make a good academic essay (and we wont have covered some of those
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skills yet when the commentary is due!), this attempt will be marked quite gently. Particular attention will be paid to evidence of your own, critical, reflection on the purpose of academic education and the practice of essay-writing. You should base it in part on your log, but also show that you have engaged with some of the literature from the list. We will reward a clear structure, clarity and coherence in your writing, and use of evidence.

Attribute

Maximum possible mark 5 5 10 20 20 20 20 100

Clear typescript Quality of English Clear structure Evidence of reading Clear presentation of ideas Evidence of critical reflection on course content Use of evidence to support argument and conclusions Sum

Referencing and Plagiarism Please use the Harvard system of referencing, which means citing the author, publication date and page number in the body of your essay, and then giving the full details in your list of references at the end. In the Harvard system, footnotes are not used for referencing, but only to provide additional information which your readers might find useful. A detailed guide to the Harvard system is on the Library website (http://www.westminster.ac.uk/study/currentstudents/support-and-facilities/library-it-services/referencing).
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The rules about plagiarism are explained in your course handbook. In simple terms: do not copy anyone elses words, without quotation marks and due acknowledgement, into work which you are presenting as your own. This is a serious academic offence that is punished very strictly.

Lateness and failure to participate Any circumstance leading to absence, missing of deadlines, or other academic difficulties should be documented and presented in writing to the Registry Office. Any student absence for two weeks or more will be notified to the appropriate personal tutor. Material submitted after the deadlines will only be considered if supported by an adequate explanation of lateness accepted by the Special Circumstances Board. More information about the Mitigating Circumstances process is available here: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/study/current-students/yourstudies/forms-and-procedures/mitigating-circumstances It is the responsibility of students to lodge written evidence for consideration by the Board with the Registry Office before the end of the module. Any missed or late work not so condoned will be subject to penalties as specified in your course handbook.

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Syllabus Week Date 1 26 September 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 October 10 October 17 October 24 October 30 October 31 October 7 November 14 November 21 November 28 November 5 December 11 December 12 December Topic What is the purpose of university education? Studying the media and communication What is an academic essay and how do I write one? Brainstorming, reasoning and critical thinking What is research and how do I do it? Reflective Commentary hand-in Dealing with theory Assessing evidence and dealing with data Academic writing Referencing and bibliography Plagiarism Portfolio clinic Portfolio hand-in Being a good researcher

Reading list: Essential Reading Bauman, Z. and Mazzeo, R. (2012) On Education: Conversations with Riccardo Mazzeo. Cambridge and Malden, MA: Polity Press. Collini, S. (2012) What Are Universities For? London and New York: Penguin Books. Gauntlett, D. (2011) Media Studies 2.0, and Other Battles around the Future of Media Research. Published exclusively for Kindle. Cottrell, S. (2011) Critical thinking skills: developing effective analysis and argument. 2nd Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Further reading Bailey, S. (2011) Academic writing: A Handbook for International Students. 3rd Edition. London: Routledge Burns, T and Sinfield, S. (2008) Essential study skills: the complete guide to success at university. 2nd Edition. Los Angeles and London : Sage. Carr, N. (2012) The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the way we think, read and remember. London: Atlantic Books. Cottrell, S and Morris, N. (2012) Study skills connected: using technology to support your studies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Dewey, J. (1916) Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg and Boulder, Colo.: NetLibrary. Fairbairn, G. J. and Winch, C. (2011) Reading, Writing And Reasoning: A guide for students. 3rd Edition. Open University Press. Gauntlett, D. (2011) Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0. Cambridge and Malden, MA: Polity. Gleick, J. (2012) The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. Harper Collins e-books. Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. Mann, S. (2011) Study skills for art, design and media students. Harlow and New York : Longman/Pearson. McMillan, K., Weyers J. D. B. (2011) The study skills book. 2nd Edition. Harlow : Pearson Education Ltd. Moore, S., Neville, C., Murphy, M. and Connolly, C. (2010) The Ultimate Study Skills Handbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Osmond, A. (2013). Academic Writing and Grammar for Students. London: Sage.
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 Rheingold, H. (2012) Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Sennett, R. (2008) The Craftsman. London and New York: Penguin Books. Weinberger, D. (2011) Too Big To Know: Rethinking Knowledge Now That the Facts Aren't the Facts, Experts Are Everywhere, and the Smartest Person in the Room Is the Room. New York: Basic Books.

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