COMU0031-1

Duration

30h Th

Number of credits

	Bachelor in information and communication	5 crédits

Lecturer

David Leloup

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course offers an in-depth immersion into the fundamentals of journalistic writing. It is designed for students who wish to master the techniques required to produce high-quality articles while adapting to the demands of contemporary media. The classical rules of journalistic writing will be addressed, analyzed, and put into practice: style, tone, angle construction, the "5W" and lead, inverted pyramid, the "law" of proximity, article structure (headlines, lead-in, introduction, conclusion, etc.), SEO, authorized uses of AI, and more.

In parallel, the course will explore the main journalistic genres, each with its own specificities and writing techniques. Students will learn to write:

a news report, ensuring faithful restitution of facts while prioritizing information;
an interview, focusing on question preparation, dialogue management, and transcription;
a feature/reportage, developing narrative skills to immerse the reader in a scene or event by combining facts, description, and emotion.

The course will be based on practical exercises and the analysis of diverse journalistic texts, with the aim of strengthening students' ability to write for different formats and platforms.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of these 30 hours, students will have acquired the basic concepts needed to produce clear, engaging articles that meet the expectations of today's editorial teams.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

A strong command of written and oral expression.
Regular and thorough reading of the print, digital, and broadcast press.
An active curiosity about current affairs.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Written and graded exercises are scheduled between the theoretical sessions and are integrated into the final assessment.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course

Further information:

Duration and period: 30 hours (first quarter).

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus

Further information:

Transparencies shown in class are available online on eCampus.

Mandatory readings:
- Jean-Luc MARTIN-LAGARDETTE, Le guide de l'écriture journalistique, Paris, La Découverte, Coll. «Guides», 2016 (chapters 1 to 4).
- Yves AGNES, Manuel de journalisme, Paris, La Découverte, Coll. «Guide Grands Repères», 2016 (chapters 5 to 14).

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )

Continuous assessment

Further information:

- Personal writing projects.

Work placement(s)

None.

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course