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Opinion Journalism Genres

Code: 104975 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2501933 Journalism OB 3

Contact

Name:
Maria del Carme Ferre Pavia
Email:
carme.ferre@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

A prerequisite will be a clear distinction between information and opinion, as well as having achieved skills in the execution of interpretative journalistic genres.
 It goes without saying that all students are expected to have an excellent command of the language to avoid expressive problems in this area.
Subjects linked to previous knowledge are Expression and Argumentation in Catalan or Spanish and Sources, techniques and organization of journalistic work.



Objectives and Contextualisation

The course is not (only) intended to provide a brief review of the so-called genres of opinion. First of all, because the genealogy of explicit opinion is quite ambiguous, as can be seen in any book on the subject.
any of the books on this subject. Secondly, because we consider it more effective to orient the writing instruction process towards rhetoric and argumentation. These bases are the unavoidable substratum
the basis on which the infinite formal variants of the opinion and argumentative genres are nourished. The student who is competent in the elaboration and development of arguments will be in a position to face the challenge of  to face the challenge of writing an editorial, a personal column or an analysis. The course -despite its time limitation- also includes a review of the constants and variables of the most consolidated opinion and argumentative genres: the editorial, the personal column or the analysis.
the editorial, forms of analysis and criticism.

Objectives for students
Solvency in reflecting on the concept of discourse genres: what is a genre? How does it work and how does it evolve?
Knowledge of the constants and variables of generic forms of analysis and explicit opinion.
Argumentative analysis of the traditional separation between fact and opinion: validity and criticism.
Expressive, compositional and stylistic resources of: argumentation, exposition, narration.
narration.



Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Be familiar with and apply the theoretical and practical foundations of journalistic writing and narrative and its applications in the different genres, media and formats.
  • Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
  • Differentiate the discipline's main theories, its fields, conceptual developments, theoretical frameworks and approaches that underpin knowledge of the subject and its different areas and sub-areas, and acquire systematic knowledge of the media's structure.
  • Identify modern journalistic traditions in Catalonia, Spain and worldwide and their specific forms of expression, as well as their historic development and the theories and concepts that study them.
  • Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
  • Relay journalistic information in the language characteristic of each communication medium, in its combined modern forms or on digital media, and apply the genres and different journalistic procedures.
  • Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use a third language as a working language and means of professional expression in the media.
  • Value diversity and multiculturalism as a foundation for teamwork.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  2. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  3. Compare the different traditions in handling specialised information.
  4. Conceptualise the theories and techniques of specialised journalism.
  5. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  6. Demonstrate a critical and self-critical capacity.
  7. Demonstrate practical knowledge of specialised journalism.
  8. Distinguish theories of journalistic writing and narrative to apply them to the different theme-based information specialisms.
  9. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  10. Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
  11. Know how to build texts in a third language that adapt to the structures of journalistic language and apply them to the different theme-based information specialisms.
  12. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  13. Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  14. Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  15. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  16. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  17. Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  18. Use interactive communication resources to process, produce and relay information in the production of specialised information.
  19. Value diversity and multiculturalism as a foundation for teamwork.
  20. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.

Content

1. Discursive genres
The canonical and normative tradition versus the descriptive one. Definition of discursive genre (: relatively stable form of enunciation. Innovation and tradition in genres.
Journalistic genres and genres of explicit opinion.

2. The distinction between reporting and opinion: journalistic genology.
The positivist paradigm: facts are sacred, comments are free. The forms of implicit opinion in the informative press: the inclusion of context in the text.
Proposal for a quality interpretative journalism. Analysis as a contextualizing informative form.

3. Rhetoric and argumentation: explicit opinion articles and analysis or expert commentary.
3.1 Classical rhetoric: the art of finding the most persuasive in each subject (Aristotle). The parts of rhetoric: inventio, dispositio and elocutio (memoria and actio).
The parts of argumentative discourse (dispositio). The forms of elocutio. Detection of fallacies and weak points in argumentation.
The elaboration of proofs and examples. The construction of syllogisms (inventio). The development of the text.
3.2 Application of rhetoric to the writing of journalistic texts of analysis and opinion. The analytical expert commentary: the contextualization.
 The editorial article. The personal opinion article or column.

4. Criticism
The analytical and contextualizing tone. Didacticism: resources of argumentation and description.

In some theory or practice sessions, 15 minutes will be taken to answer the teachers' surveys.




Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Supervised      
Tutorized meetings 7.5 0.3 2, 7, 6
Type: Autonomous      
Practices preparing 20 0.8 5, 13, 2, 7, 6, 12, 15
Study and reading 22 0.88 13, 3, 2, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 20, 19

The course will be developed in theory and practice sessions. In theory, the theoretical syllabus will be developed with the help of support material: various texts that illustrate the lecture-type explanations,
but with an interest in debate and student participation. The gender perspective will be taken into account when choosing the texts. The theoretical section will be completed with compulsory readings.
The practices will follow the evolution of each individual student and will be used to evaluate the progress achieved. The student will always have a record of when he/she is preparing
a graded work. Seminars will be graded but attendance will be controlled.

The practices will seek to interrelate the contents on persuasion and procedures of composition and style with the writing of some of the most representative genres of opinion journalism.
of opinion journalism, as well as to reflect on one's own work and strengthen the pieces where there is still room for improvement. Personal thematic specialization within the persuasive genres
within the persuasive genres will be valued.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Exams 30% 4 0.16 1, 13, 3, 2, 4, 7, 6, 8, 9, 12, 17, 16, 15, 20, 19
practices 70% 96.5 3.86 5, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 14, 15, 11, 18

The evaluation system will be continuous and will assess the progress of students in their texts and speeches IPEL as for the practice, which accounts for three quarters of the value of the final grade.


The practice is evaluated by a continuous and progressive system, in which each genre (article, analysis), which will have a numerical grade, must be passed.


Each genre will be evaluated twice during the course. The final grade is obtained by weighting each genre and assessing an overall positive or negative progression of the course.

As it is a continuous system, the recovery will be made of the genres that have not been passed during the course.

Article 20% score

Analysis 20%

Debate 20%

Others: 10%


Each genre or type of discourse worked on can be recovered once in the week agreed upon by the UAB, except from the oral competition. To pass the course it will be necessary to pass at least article and analysis.
The theoretical part will be evaluated with several tests that may be mutually exclusive. That is to say, if in the evaluation of the first test you do not pass the 5 and you have to make it up,you will not be able to access the next one, it will not be possible to access the next one, excluded from recovery. In order to re-evaluate the theoretical part, a minimum grade of 3 will be required in the first exam.


However, in order to pass the course, both the theory (30% of the grade) and the practical (70% of the grade) must be passed separately.

The use of electronic devices is not permited in the theorial sessions, unless they are being used in a organized activity.

It should be noted that the detection of plagiarism or AI use in the texts will result in an immediate failure of the practice or the course, depending on the seriousness of the case.


Serious cases or impersonations will be communicated to the Dean's Office.


Bibliography

Aristòtil (1998.) Retòrica. Poètica. Edicions 62.

Bermejo, Lilian (2014). Falacias y argumentación. Plaza y Valdés.

Cassany, Daniel (1992). Descriure escriure. Empúries.

Cassany, Daniel (1995). La cuina de l'escriptura. Empúries.

Fuentes, Catalina y Alcaide, Esperanza (2020). La argumentación lingüística y sus medios de expresión. Arco.

García Damborenea, Ricardo (2000). Uso de razón. Diccionario de falacias. Bibliotea Nueva.

Miranda Alonso, Tomàs (2002). Argumentos. Publicacions de la UV.

Olbretchs-Tyteca, Lucie i Perelman, chaïm (1958). Tratado de la argumentación. La Nueva retòrica (traducció a ed. Gredos, 2015).

Pastor, Lluís (2008). Escriptura sexi. Editorial UOC.

Perelman, Chaïm i Olbrecths-Tyteca, Lucie (1998). Tratado de la argumentación. La nueva retórica. Gredos.

Puig, Luisa (2021). Armarse de argumentos. Persuadir y algo más con la palabra. Penguin.

Reyes Almarza, Miguel y Escalona Gálvez, Noelia (2015).
Argumentación para todos: Manual Teórico-práctico para educadores, estudiantes y curiosos sobre la argumentación. Pentian.

Sàez, Ferran (2003.) Comunicació i argumentació. Trípodos.

Teruel, Elvira (1997). Retòrica, informació i metàfora. Servei de Publicacions de la UAB - Aldea Global.

Toulmin, Stephen E., Rieke, Richard y Janik, Allan (2018) Una introducción al razonamiento. Palestra

Vega Reñón, Luis (2003). Si de argumentar se trata. Montesinos.

Weston, Anthony (1994.) Las claves de la argumentación. Ariel. (avaluable). Es troba en línia.


Software

There is no any specific use of programs.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 11 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 12 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 13 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 21 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 22 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 23 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 Catalan first semester morning-mixed