General information
In the current media landscape, a reporter with original ideas, a fresh voice and sharp insights can develop a brand, a following and a portfolio of published work quickly. This subject teaches you how to write in a variety of formats (from listicles to in-depth features, travel narratives, opinion, reviews and columns), as well as how to pitch work to digital, print (newspaper, magazine, zine etc) and multimedia publications, and how to set up a blog or portfolio platform of your own. The style and content of the writing is entirely up to you—you will be encouraged to mine your interests, contacts and natural writing style for inspiration and credibility, and to find suitable publications for your work. Previous students’ work has been published by Buzzfeed, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Women’s Health, News Corp and Frankie Magazine. In addition, you’ll also consider the business of freelance writing, including personal branding, establishing contacts, freelance writing rates and tax and business structures.
Details
| Academic unit: | Faculty of Society & Design |
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| Subject code: | JOUR13-318 |
| Subject title: | Freelance Feature Writing and Blogging |
| Subject level: | Undergraduate |
| Semester/Year: | May 2020 |
| Credit points: | 10 |
Delivery & attendance
| Timetable: | https://bond.edu.au/timetable |
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| Delivery mode: | Standard |
| Workload items: |
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Resources
| Prescribed resources: | No Prescribed resources. After enrolment, students can check the Books and Tools area in iLearn for the full Resource List. |
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| [email protected] & Email: | [email protected] is the online learning environment at Bond University and is used to provide access to subject materials, lecture recordings and detailed subject information regarding the subject curriculum, assessment and timing. Both iLearn and the Student Email facility are used to provide important subject notifications. Additionally, official correspondence from the University will be forwarded to students’ Bond email account and must be monitored by the student. To access these services, log on to the Student Portal from the Bond University website as www.bond.edu.au |
Enrolment requirements
| Requisites: ? | Nil |
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| Restrictions: ? | Nil |
Assurance of learning
Assurance of Learning means that universities take responsibility for creating, monitoring and updating curriculum, teaching and assessment so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need for employability and/or further study.
At Bond University, we carefully develop subject and program outcomes to ensure that student learning in each subject contributes to the whole student experience. Students are encouraged to carefully read and consider subject and program outcomes as combined elements.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Program Learning Outcomes provide a broad and measurable set of standards that incorporate a range of knowledge and skills that will be achieved on completion of the program. If you are undertaking this subject as part of a degree program, you should refer to the relevant degree program outcomes and graduate attributes as they relate to this subject.
Subject Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject the learner will be able to:
- Conceptualise, research, structure and write original feature stories in a wide range of styles, formats and for a variety of publications.
- Select and utilise creative and innovative approaches to both story development and personal brand.
- Critically evaluate a range of feature writing within its social, historical, cultural and ethical/legal contexts.
- Demonstrate informed consideration of industry standards and trends and pitch work to potential freelance employers.
- Critically analyse and edit their own written work for clarity, originality, coherence and brevity, demonstrating sensitivity to publication conventions, industry trends and audience expectations.
- Consider written work within its visual and publication contexts and conceptualise, design and self-publish a blog.
Assessment
Assessment details
| Type | Task | % | Timing* | Outcomes assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Showcase Portfolio | Personal branding and blog/website | 10% | Week 4 | 4, 5, 6. |
| *News Article | Story package 1: The in-depth feature and pitch | 50% | Week 8 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. |
| *Showcase Portfolio | Story package 2: Shortform features, with accompanying pitches | 40% | Week 12 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. |
- * Assessment timing is indicative of the week that the assessment is due or begins (where conducted over multiple weeks), and is based on the standard University academic calendar
- C = Students must reach a level of competency to successfully complete this assessment.
Assessment criteria
| High Distinction | 85-100 | Outstanding or exemplary performance in the following areas: interpretative ability; intellectual initiative in response to questions; mastery of the skills required by the subject, general levels of knowledge and analytic ability or clear thinking. |
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| Distinction | 75-84 | Usually awarded to students whose performance goes well beyond the minimum requirements set for tasks required in assessment, and who perform well in most of the above areas. |
| Credit | 65-74 | Usually awarded to students whose performance is considered to go beyond the minimum requirements for work set for assessment. Assessable work is typically characterised by a strong performance in some of the capacities listed above. |
| Pass | 50-64 | Usually awarded to students whose performance meets the requirements set for work provided for assessment. |
| Fail | 0-49 | Usually awarded to students whose performance is not considered to meet the minimum requirements set for particular tasks. The fail grade may be a result of insufficient preparation, of inattention to assignment guidelines or lack of academic ability. A frequent cause of failure is lack of attention to subject or assignment guidelines. |
Quality assurance
For the purposes of quality assurance, Bond University conducts an evaluation process to measure and document student assessment as evidence of the extent to which program and subject learning outcomes are achieved. Some examples of student work will be retained for potential research and quality auditing purposes only. Any student work used will be treated confidentially and no student grades will be affected.
Study information
Submission procedures
Students must check the [email protected] subject site for detailed assessment information and submission procedures.
Policy on late submission and extensions
A late penalty will be applied to all overdue assessment tasks unless an extension is granted by the subject coordinator. The standard penalty will be 10% of marks awarded to that assessment per day late with no assessment to be accepted seven days after the due date. Where a student is granted an extension, the penalty of 10% per day late starts from the new due date.
Policy on plagiarism
University’s Academic Integrity Policy defines plagiarism as the act of misrepresenting as one’s own original work: another’s ideas, interpretations, words, or creative works; and/or one’s own previous ideas, interpretations, words, or creative work without acknowledging that it was used previously (i.e., self-plagiarism). The University considers the act of plagiarising to be a breach of the Student Conduct Code and, therefore, subject to the Discipline Regulations which provide for a range of penalties including the reduction of marks or grades, fines and suspension from the University.
Bond University utilises Originality Reporting software to inform academic integrity.Feedback on assessment
Feedback on assessment will be provided to students within two weeks of the assessment submission due date, as per the Assessment Policy.
Disability support
If you have a disability, illness, injury or health condition that impacts your capacity to complete studies, exams or assessment tasks, it is important you let us know your special requirements, early in the semester. Students will need to make an application for support and submit it with recent, comprehensive documentation at an appointment with a Disability Officer. Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Office at the earliest possible time, to meet staff and learn about the services available to meet your specific needs. Please note that late notification or failure to disclose your disability can be to your disadvantage as the University cannot guarantee support under such circumstances.
Subject curriculum
So often, feature writing is a way to reflect and interrogate culture. To do it will, you'll explore the social, political and historical foundations of culture, sub-culture and pop-culture. This unit also examines the role of media in creating, perpetuation and challenging culture and sub-culture and the ethical obligations of the media.
3, 4, 5, 6.Pitching your stories, finding publication venues and working with editors.
4.What to charge, how to invoice and how to set up and brand a freelance writing business.
4.