Diploma of Media and Communication

Bachelor of Media and Communication (all majors , some may require additional 1st year units)

Majors:

• Creative and Professional Writing
• Journalism
• Marketing
• Media Industries

Minors:

• Creative and Professional Writing
• Journalism
• Digital Marketing Communication
• Media Industries
• Sports Media

Bachelor of Arts (Digital Media Major*)

Bachelor of Arts (Any Major)**

*Students can take 2 majors. Digital Media must be one of the majors. Additionally, students may need to forfeit credit depending on second major.

**Students who complete the Diploma of Media and Communication (LDMC) at LTCA are eligible for direct entry the Bachelor of Arts and will have completed the first year core requirements for the Digital Media major. In order to complete a different major, first year major cores will need to be undertaken in the second year of the Bachelor degree.

LTM1AIM does not count towards your study load and is a wholly online module.  Completion (prior to week 4) is a compulsory requirement to pass your diploma; this module is expected to take about 1 hour.  It is an online, zero-credit point module, all students must complete this unit in their first trimester. This module introduces students to the principles of academic integrity in the context of La Trobe University’s values and policy. Students learn what their responsibilities are in relation to maintaining ethical standards in all aspects of academic work and the potential ramifications for academic misconduct according to the Academic Integrity Policy.  Activities and quizzes are provided which are designed to develop an understanding of the concepts of cheating, plagiarism, and collusion. Topics include an explanation of how the text-matching tool ‘Turnitin’ is used at La Trobe, where to get help, and where to go to develop referencing skills.

This subject will introduce you to the practice of writing in order of importance (inverted pyramid style) for various media platforms and audiences. You will learn to write short form news articles for print (newspapers and online news sites) and radio. Students will examine the fundamental skills of news-writing and information gathering for the media, including press releases, daily news stories and feature articles. The process of identifying and writing stories within these formats will be discussed and analysed. The key learning outcomes of news judgement, distilling information, writing concisely, and writing material in order of what is most important are transferable across a range of vocations. You do not have aspire to be a news journalist to use the skills you will learn in this subject.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours) 48 hours in total

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

Assessments

As workplaces become more interactive and interconnected, interviewing skills are becoming more important across a range of vocations. In this subject, students study the processes and skills required for interviewing, focusing on key case studies in literature, print journalism, cinema, and broadcasting and online. A key component of the subject will be interviews undertaken by students in all or some of the key interview formats, including live discussion, email, pre-recorded audio, and written profile pieces. Students undertaking this subject will gain a broader appreciation of the art of inquiry and personal interaction and develop greater confidence in everything from one-on-one communications to public speaking to critical analysis. Students will also gain a clear understanding of the use of quotation technique including quote punctuation, in written work and develop an appreciation of key editing issues, both practical and ethical.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours) – 48 hours in total

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

Assessments

The Emerging Journalist introduces students to the shifting roles and responsibilities of journalists and journalism within liberal democratic societies. At the successful completion of The Emerging Journalist, you will appreciate the contemporary media landscape and the role of journalists and media organisations in relation to social, economic, political, and cultural power structures. Topics and issues covered include: the changing nature of audiences and the new ways that journalists are engaging and interacting with audiences; the journalistic applications of social media; best practices in reporting and writing; and the impacts of cultural and technological impacts on journalism as both a profession and as a practice.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours) – 48 hours in total

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

Assessments

Learning to write well brings benefits within and beyond university. This interdisciplinary unit offers you the opportunity to strengthen your professional, creative and academic writing skills. We develop a conceptual framework for analysing the writing of others and editing your own work effectively, as well as improving your skills in the generation of ideas, elements of style and identification with the audience. These areas of writing will be explored through modules with theoretical and practical components: — Academic writing, including essay writing, essay structure, avoiding plagiarism, editing, and proofreading. — Non-fiction writing across a number of genres, particularly writing for popular media, reviews of the arts and writing for the web. — Creative writing, which can include fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours) – 48 hours in total

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

Assessments

In this introductory subject, students will learn some basic television and news-gathering techniques and create their own news program. Students will learn a lot in a short time about working in a studio, as a member of a team while applying what is learned in journalism to activities and assessments in this class.

Although the culmination of this subject is the successful screening of a television news bulletin, almost all of the technique’s students will learn are transferable to other areas of the media. Making Media will give students the opportunity to acquire foundation skills in video and sound editing, as well as writing and scripting a television news bulletin.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours) – 48 hours in total

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

Assessments

Recommended electives

Students must complete an additional three electives. Suggested modules include one of the following:

BBUS1SBY Sustainability 

This subject introduces you to the concept of sustainability, and a systems approach to understanding the complex interactions between the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainability. The subject attracts students from a range of fields, bringing a multidisciplinary team perspective to the researching, analysis, and problem-solving aspects of creating positive change for sustainability. In teams, you are required to critique, design, and present an action plan aimed at resolving a sustainability issue that impacts current and future generations. This subject provides you with the opportunity to enhance, demonstrate and document work-ready skills appropriate to your chosen career path.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours)

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

PPSY1PAC Introductory Psychology: People and Culture 

In this subject you will be introduced to key areas of psychology with a socio-cultural perspective. People share knowledge with others in society. The shared knowledge (i.e., culture) gives meanings to people’s lives as well as influencing their everyday behaviour, the sense of who they are, their personal relationships and psychological wellbeing. We will discuss psychology of individuals in diverse contexts to understand how personal experiences, including emotions, motivation, intimacy with others and health behaviours are shaped by cultural understanding and social expectations in those contexts.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours)

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week

PSSTA1LS Statistics for Life Sciences 

This module provides an introduction to applied statistics and strengthens basic numeracy skills. It introduces students to the basic applied statistical methods used in the biological sciences, medical sciences, agricultural sciences, nutrition, and health sciences. The three main areas of study are descriptive statistics, probability, and statistical inference and the use of a statistical computing package is an integral part of this module. The strengths and limitations of statistical models to enable informed thinking about sustainability are explored. This module is a possible pre-requisite for the second-year modules in statistics.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (5 hours)

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week
• One 1-hour Lab/Workshop

BMKT1MSD Marketing 

An introductory subject to marketing principles and practice as applied to mainly fast-moving consumer goods. A key focus of this subject will be development of communication and presentation skills that are integral to the marketing profession and success in business. Through the integration of these skills within the subject, you will develop transferable skills that will used throughout your business career to engage with a range of stakeholders. Topics will cover the marketing concept, the marketing environment, buying behaviour in consumer and organisational markets, customer segmentation, targeting and positioning, developing the marketing mix, and the implementation and control of marketing programs. This subject provides a sound foundation for future marketing subjects, advanced skill-development, and your career.

Class requirements

Timetabled hours per week (4 hours)

• One 2-hour lecture per week
• One 2-hour tutorial per week
• One 1-hour Lab/Workshop