Description: The Bachelor of Communication Arts (Journalism) is a full-time program. Students usually take units worth forty credit points a semester and take four years to complete the program.

Entry requirement: An ‘A’ or ‘B’ in English at Grade 12 level and the ability to write correctly and speak clearly.

Program structure

 

 

 

 

Requisites to complete the award:Students are required to gain 300 credit points to be eligible to graduate.

Brief unit descriptions by semester

Year One Semester One
CA121 Communication Skills 8cp
In this unit students develop skills in speaking effectively and in writing clear Standard English. Students make speeches, engage in debates, conduct interviews and participate in group drama in order to improve their skills and confidence in communicating with people. They write reports, critical responses and academic essays.

CA122 Introduction to Journalism 8cp
In this unit students appreciate the key concepts of journalism and discuss issues related to the role of journalists in PNG society. Students develop transferable journalism knowledge and skills in order to find their place in the media and in the wider communications sector.

CA123 News and Current Affairs Awareness 1 8cp
The News and Current Affairs Awareness unit explores the PNG mainstream media and the ways in which issues are reported in the news each day. Students learn to take an interest in the news and to critically analyse the information and opinion presented in all forms of PNG media.

IS117 End-User Computing & Word Processing 8cp
This unit provides an introduction to the PC including its structure and place in the home or small office environment. It seeks to develop basic computer literacy and typing skills. Included is an understanding and facility with the use of a graphical user interface. Students are also provided with skills to use an Office suite of software, email, Internet and an intranet. Word Processing is an essential skill in the home and the small office and for student assignment writing. Students are given a comprehensive introduction to the basics of text formatting using word processing software.

RS234 Christian Ethics 8cp
Ethics is a systematic, critical study concerned with the evaluation of human conduct to help male decisions about the future. It is concerned about what is right, fair, just or good; about what we ought to do, not just what is the case or what is most acceptable or expedient. Christian ethics is the critical evaluation of human conduct from a Christian perspective. In this course, students will explore the understanding, sources and importance of ethics in everybody’s personal and professional life.

Year One Semester Two
CA124 PNG Infrastructure 8cp
In the PNG Infrastructure unit students broaden their understanding of news stories and learn how to identify appropriate sources of information. Students gain a basic knowledge of how their country works, including national and provincial government, courts and the law, health and other essential services.

CA125 PNG History 8cp
In this unit students discuss the achievements of their ancestors, the colonial experience and the most recent developments of the post-independence period. Students are encouraged to appreciate the cultural and historical context through which PNG became a Sovereign Nation State.

CA127 Basic Reporting 8cp
Students learn to write news stories that are clear, logical and accurate. They examine the role of the reporter in the structure of news organisations, news values and news judgment, newsgathering, interviewing and news writing techniques.

PG107 PNG Literature 8cp
This unit introduces students to Papua New Guinean oral literature and contemporary literature. Students collect myths and legends to explore PNG’s oral literature and traditions. Contemporary Papua New Guinean literature is studied, in the form of poems, short stories, novels and drama. Students analyse, discuss and synthesise the issues raised. They also study and critique writing styles. The important issues of literacy, readership, authorship, and the historical development of PNG literature are also discussed. In this unit students acquire critiquing skills, oral presentation skills and referencing skills.

PG131 PNG Politics and Public Administration 8cp
In PNG Politics and Public Institutions, students explore concepts and ideas about politics in general with particular emphasis on politics in Papua New Guinea. Students analyse theories in politics and apply these theories to PNG society. Students study the nature of public institutions in PNG; what they are, their administration, functions, roles, problems and implications on society. Students investigate policy, particularly theories about policy and policymaking in Papua New Guinea.

Year Two Semester One
CA221 News and Current Affairs Awareness 2 8cp
This unit focuses on international media and international news issues. Through observing, discussing, describing, comparing and analysing news media outlets from around the globe, students develop media literacy skills. Students develop the skills to critically engage with various news media outlets.

CA222 Community Reporting 1 8cp
In this unit students consider news reporting in the context of PNG as a developing country and realise the significance of journalism in national development. While emphasis is on the daily newsroom context, students explore issues-based reporting.

CA223 Layout and Design 8cp
The Layout and Design unit integrates the theory of design for print media with the practical application of this knowledge using Adobe InDesign desktop publishing software. Students create page layouts using PageMaker and edit images using Photoshop, through practical instruction, supervised practical application of skills, and practical exercises.

CA224 Broadcast Journalism 1 8cp
The Broadcast Journalism unit introduces the skills needed to succeed in today’s radio news environment. Using equipment in the Department’s Electronic Media Training Facility, students gain the skills needed to produce radio news and current affairs packages.

CA225 Media Law and Ethics 8cp
The Media Law and Ethics unit examines the ethical demands on today’s journalists. Codes of Conduct are considered and their strengths and weaknesses explored. Issues such as accuracy, balance, fairness, privacy, harassment, discrimination, taste, decency, confidential sources and misinformation are also examined.

Year Two Semester Two
CA226 Introduction to Politics 8cp
This unit encourages students to be aware of issues which form the basis of politics and governance in society. Political theories, perspectives and concepts of power, governance, provincial government reforms, electoral reforms, political accountability, corruption and sustainable development are explored and discussed.

CA227 Media and Society 8cp
This unit explores the role of the media in contemporary society, the main communication concepts and a range of theoretical approaches for analysis of media. Students learn how to view critically the role of media in their society. The coursework develops students’ academic reading and writing skills.

CA228 Community Reporting 2 8cp
Building on Community Reporting 1, this unit emphasises issues-based reporting while reinforcing the routines of daily news reporting. Students visit the courts and learn the correct procedures for court reporting. They examine reporting issues in the PNG context and write feature articles as well as news reports.

CA229 Broadcast Journalism 2 8cp
The first module of this unit extends the basic skills learnt in Broadcast Journalism 1. In the radio module students script and produce news stories and a twenty-minute radio program featuring news, current issues and profile interviews. In the second module students are introduced to the basics of television.

CA230 Family and Social Issues 8cp
In the Family and Social Issues unit, students develop the skills to examine contemporary social, community and development issues such as traditional and church marriages, polygamy, HIV/AIDS, violence, gender inequalities, corruption, poverty and development and explore their impact on society.

Year Three Semester One
CA323 Publishing 10cp
The Publishing unit has two main elements: editorial skills (reporting and sub-editing); and production skills (layout and design). For design and production, students use Photoshop software, putting their creative skills into practice by planning and producing a publication as a team.

CA324 Television News 10cp
In this unit, students learn the practical aspects of television news journalism. Students identify, shoot and produce items of broadcast quality for television news. Analysis of broadcast news provides a foundation for students to undertake pre-production, production and post-production of two-minute news items.

CA328 Feature Writing 10cp
Students analyse features in print and examine the role of television and radio documentaries. The unit concentrates on the fundamentals of feature writing and explores how true features differ from in-depth news reports and shorter articles.

PG330 Theories of Development and Change (E) 10cp
This unit aims to introduce students to the major theoretical debates surrounding development and change. The course will provide an historical perspective of the development of the theories through to the current usage. The unit will explore the development and change from alternative world-views and disciplines – anthropological, economic, political and social perspectives. This will then be discussed with regards to development of PNG.

IR202 Theories and Concepts of International Relations 8cp
This unit covers the various theories that attempt to explain international relations. These include both positivist and post positivist theories such as Realism, Idealism, Functionalism, Marxist, etc. and how these affect the way relations are conducted between countries. Students will learn the importance of state in the conduct of international relations as most relations are between sovereign states.

Year Three Semester Two
CA325 Radio News 10cp
The Radio News unit develops skills for in-depth reporting on radio. Students gather quality audio for broadcast and become comfortable with the technology required to produce radio news. They learn how to communicate effectively to the listener, paying attention to the details and complexity of the day’s news.

CA327 Communication and Development 10cp
The unit approaches the issues of communication and development through the study of various theories of development and differing models of communication. It explores people’s right to information, access to information, participation and empowerment.

IS209 Internet Applications (Service unit) 8cp
The Internet is a worldwide interconnection of networks. It has no single central file server nor does a single computer control it. One of the software Internet applications is the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW consists of a huge collection of hypertext-linked documents (HTML documents) stored on computers around the world. Students study and explore the dynamics of World Wide Web and how it can be used as a research and communication tool that would lead them into making informed decisions about the impacts the Internet and World Wide Web have on our changing society.

BS317 Human Resource Management 10cp
The unit introduces students to the functions and practice of Human Resource Management (HRM) in organisations seeking to deliver quality service and achieve performance improvement. The unit will explore the relevance and adaptation of HRM concepts in the context of work and culture in Papua New Guinea companies.

PG307 Issues in Oral History 10cp
This unit surveys current and recent writings on the aims, methods and varieties of oral history, particularly, as these deal with issues such as: relationships between oral history and oral traditions, oral histories and indigenous people, women’s voices, ‘Holocaust’ histories, life histories, myths and oral histories, memory and history. Students explore a range of issues to do with the practice of oral history, through hands-on experiences in interviewing, recording, transcribing, translating and reflecting on oral testimonies; and ethical issues, like ownership, rights, and privacy for informants. Students prepare for field projects in their ‘home’ regions

PG308 Gender Issues1 10cp
In this unit, contemporary gender issues are explored with sensitivity to cultural settings, awareness of change and a recognition that equal participation of men and women is fundamental to national development. Cultural perspectives, changes in women’s roles, the need for women’s education, issues in defining identity, educational and career opportunities, gender equity, the challenge of being mothers and professionals, the management of family priorities and professional goals, and equal participation are all addressed. Underlying philosophical, social and political theories are examined with specific case studies. Women in literature and media images of women are examined.

Year Four Semester One
CA421 In-Depth Reporting 10cp
The In-Depth Reporting unit concentrates on the skills required to research and prepare material for publication. The emphasis is on finding material, developing research strategies and problem solving. Students are encouraged to evaluate their own work

CA422 Applied Research for Social Science 10cp
This unit is an introduction to applied social research methods with an emphasis on communication research. Students gain competency in the processes and skills of social and cultural (communication/media) inquiry. They learn about quantitative and qualitative methods of research, steps in the research process and the use of standard data-gathering instruments.

CA423 Communication Skills for NGO Workers 10cp
Students learn how non-government organizations work and develop skills to meet their needs. They plan media campaigns that promote the work of organisations. They learn how to attract publicity for organisations through writing press releases and giving interviews. They produce publications such as leaflets and newsletters.

PG458 Globalisation in the Pacific 10cp
This unit begins with the growth of the global system of social, economic and political power stimulated by the spread of European institutions and control through the structure of imperialism. Once this context is established, the unit focuses upon themes relevant to modern times. Themes include: growth of resource and manufacturing industries; globalization of banking and finances; population change and mass migration; emergence of global warfare, Cold war and nuclear armaments; rich nations and poor nations; globalization of transport, communication and media; ideologies, values, beliefs and religious movements; island nations in a world system; development, dependency; trans-national corporations and national sovereignty.

Year Four Semester Two
CA424 Research Seminars and Dissertation 20cp
Students proceed through the stages of an extended research project from the formulation of an original hypothesis, through a literature review, to multiple modes of data collection and data analysis. They write their findings and recommendations for further study in a well structured dissertation. They make a public presentation of their work at the end of the semester.

CA425 Radio Programs 10cp
In the Radio Programs unit students develop their skills in planning and producing a substantial work for radio. The unit requires students to be self-motivated learners and producers. Students work individually on their features, completing them to a deadline before presenting them to their peers.

CA426 TV Current Affairs Programs 10cp
Television journalists need to produce more than simple news stories. They need to develop segments for current affairs programs by introducing context, background and analysis. In this unit students concentrate on producing 5-minute current affairs programs.

PG407 Film Studies for Development 10cp
This unit guides students to become critical viewers of film as a medium of communication for development. The viewing of films, both fiction and documentaries, allows for analysis and discussion of style, language, theme, plot, character, pictures and soundtrack, in the context of time, space and message communicated by the particular film. Students will work on the making of a film, documentary or fiction: basic idea, development, plot, characterisation, writing and drawing of script, technical description of shots and scenes, costumes, make-up and props

 

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