School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

Course Syllabus

General Aims for Second Level Education

Second level education shall involve a deepening of knowledge, skills and abilities relative to first level education and, in addition to what applies to first level education, shall
- further develop the students' ability to independently integrate and use knowledge;
- develop the students' ability to deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations; and
- develop the students' potential for professional activities that demand considerable independence or for research and development work.
(Chapter 1, Section 9, Higher Education Act)

Knowledge
after accomplishing the module, the student is expected to be able to
- differentiate method/methodology from other scientific practices
- describe the central characteristics of certain scientific methods
- differentiate scientific research from other forms of research

Skills and abilities
after accomplishing the module, the student is expected to be able to
- tell the similarities and differences between the central research methods
- motivate the selection of a method, in relation to a scientific problem, scientific purpose, empirical materials and theory.
- apply at least two methods on empirical materials

Evaluation abilities
after accomplishing the module, the student is expected to be able to
- discuss advantages and disadvantages of different methods
- identify and evaluate the quality of different research from a methodological perspective

This module will provide students with the methodological and practical knowledge to successfully complete valid and reliable scientific research. Planning, design, and material gathering will be dealt with, as well as approaches to analysis and presentation of results. Advantages and disadvantages of various methods are discussed and practiced, such as content analysis, CDA, and interviewing.

Lectures, seminars and workshops with technical facilities.
The course is given in English.

Students who have been admitted to and registered on a course have the right to receive tuition and/or supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course to which they were accepted (see, the university's admission regulations (in Swedish)). After that, the right to receive tuition and/or supervision expires.

For further information, see the university's local examination regulations (in Swedish).

Unless otherwise prescribed in the course syllabus, a grade is to be awarded on completion of a course. The grade is to be determined by a teacher specifically appointed by the higher education institution (an examiner) (Chapter 6, Section 18, Higher Education Ordinance).

Unless the higher education institution prescribes another grading system, one of the following grades is to be used: fail, pass, or pass with distinction (Chapter 6, Section 19, Higher Education Ordinance).

Grades used on course are Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG).

For further information, see the university's local examination regulations (in Swedish).

The applicant must have a completed Bachelor degree, comparable to a Swedish Bachelor degree, from an institution of higher education of three years or more. The Bachelor degree must be in a social science or a humanities subject. The applicant must also have at least two years of professional journalistic experience. The applicant must have knowledge in English. If the applicant's first language is not English, knowledge in English must be documented by an internationally recognised proficiency test, such as TOEFL (minimum score 550/213), IELTS (minimum over all band score 7.0) or Cambridge Certificates (minimum result A from Certificate in Advanced English or result B from Certificate of Proficency in English).

For further information, see the university's admission regulations (in Swedish).

Students who have previously completed higher education or other activities are, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance, entitled to have these credited towards the current programme, providing that the previous studies or activities meet certain criteria.

For further information, see the university's local credit transfer regulations (in Swedish).

The course is part of the Global Journalism programme. The general aims of the programme are for the students to gain understanding about the effects of the developing information society on internationally as well as nationally operating media; the role of the media in globalisation processes; new information and communication technologies, and the new forms of media and journalistic genres these generate; and journalistic ethics in relation to global journalism.

Students will develop their ability to analyse and report on international affairs; identify and incorporate regional/global factors into local stories; and develop advanced skills in electronic research, global communication, and on-line journalism.
The Global Journalism programme is a joint collaboration between Örebro university and journalism educations in Oslo, Helsinki, and Tampere. The main part of the education is located in Örebro, Sweden. However, the Nordic partner universities are responsible for certain modules according to their particular area of expertise. The programme contains theoretical as well as practical elements.

Re-examination
A student who fails an examination has the right to be re-examined. For courses which are discontinued or radically changed, there is to be provision for re-examination on three occasions within eighteen months of the discontinuation/change. Subsequent examinations are set in accordance with the new syllabus. A student who fails a certain course or sub-course examination twice is entitled to request that, for further examinations, another examiner to be appointed. Such a request is made to the head of the relevant department. The above may not be applicable in certain exceptional circumstances.

For information on the right to re-examination, see (in Swedish) the examination regulations at Örebro University.

Students enrolled in the Master Programme Global Journalism have guaranteed places on the course. No other students are admitted.


Reading List and Other Teaching Materials

Required Reading

See this Course Syllabus as PDF