Journalism education in universities : the global and local migration of concepts between discipline and practice

Date
2013-03
Authors
Du Toit, Jeanne Erica
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study deals with the relationship between university-based journalism education and journalism as a social practice. It is argued that the construction of this relationship can be better understood in context of its location within the history different conceptions of social knowledge. The purpose was to gain insight into how this relationship was shaped by the location of journalism education within global and local histories of such knowledge. This goal was pursued through an exploration of the international development of university-based journalism education and a more detailed consideration of the South African example. The study consists, firstly, of a literature review which demonstrates how the construction of the relationship between journalism education and journalism as practice has been implicated in the history of different conceptualisations of authoritative knowledge. The review traces the role played by Mass Communication Studies and Cultural Studies in shaping this relationship. It is concluded that the way in which these two fields have located themselves within the politics of authoritative knowledge has contributed to the marginalisation, within journalism education, of critical engagement between academic knowledge and knowledge of journalistic practice. The review also teases out how South African journalism education has positioned itself within the broader history of universitybased journalism education. It is concluded that although the marginalisation of critical education is reproduced within the South African example, a close study of journalism education in this country reveals the potential for a more critical engaged approach to teaching. The study includes an empirical research component focusing on South African journalism education. This serves as a more detailed exploration of the themes emerging from the literature review, pursued in context of an examination of a historically situated example of university-based journalism education. A central aim of this empirical component of the study was to explore the potential for the realisation of a critically engaged tradition in journalism education in South Africa. The study drew, for this purpose, on interviews with individuals who have experience both of working as journalists and of studying and teaching in university environments in South Africa. One conclusion drawn from these interviews is that journalism education, as it exists in this country, has primarily defined itself in relation to a mainstream and ‘liberal’ understanding of authoritative journalistic knowledge. It is demonstrated that it becomes possible to imagine a more critically engaged and transformative relationship with journalism practice if teaching acknowledges the existence, in the South African context, of alternative approaches to authoritative journalistic knowledge. It is also shown that within existing traditions of critical education, the relationship with practice tends to be one of the ‘deconstruction’ of the liberal conceptualisation of journalistic knowledge. The study proposes that ‘critical engagement’ needs, instead, to be reconceptualised as a relationship of ‘supportive critique’ with historically situated examples of journalistic practice.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die geskiedenis van die verhouding tussen universiteits-gebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek as ‘n sosiale praktyk. Die studie voer aan dat die ontwikkeling van hierdie verhouding beter begryp kan word deur dit te kontekstualiseer binne die geskiedenis van sosiale kennis. Die bedoeling was om insig te verkry in hoe die verhouding tussen universiteitsgebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek as ‘n sosiale praktyk gevorm is deur ontwikkelinge in internasionale sowel as in die plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse verband. Met die oog hierop word ‘n oorsig van die internasionale ontwikkeling van universiteits-gebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig verskaf sowel as ‘n nadere ondersoek van die Suid-Afrikaanse geval. Die studie bestaan, eerstens, uit ‘n literatuuroorsig wat demonstreer hoe die uitbou van ’n verhouding tussen joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek in die praktyk ingebed was in die vestiging van gesaghebbende sosiale kennis. Die literatuur-oorsig beklemtoon die invloed van onderskeidelik Massa Kommunikasie Studies en Kulturele Studies op die ontwikkeling van hierdie verhouding. Een gevolgtrekking is dat die rol wat dié twee studievelde gespeel het binne die politiek van sosiale kennis bygedra het tot marginalisering van ‘n kritiese verhouding tussen akademiese kennis en kennis van joernalistieke praktyk. Die ontwikkeling en rol van joernalistieke onderrig in Suid-Afrika word ook ondersoek binne die breër geskiedenis van universiteits-gebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig. Dit word bevind dat hoewel kritiese onderrig ook in Suid-Afrika gemarginaliseer is, ‘n nadere studie aantoon dat daar wel potensiaal is vir ‘n meer kritiese benadering in joernalistieke onderrig. Die studie sluit ‘n empiriese navorsingsprojek in van joernalistieke onderrig in Suid-Afrika. Die temas wat as deel van die literatuuroorsig bespreek is word sodoende in hierdie besondere historiese konteks ondersoek. ‘n Belangrike doelstelling van hierdie empiriese komponent van die studie was om die potensiaal vir ‘n meer krities-betrokke tradisie in joernalistieke onderrig in Suid- Afrika te ondersoek. Onderhoude is gevoer met individue wat ondervinding het van joernalistiek in die praktyk sowel as van joernalistieke onderrig. Een gevolgtrekking uit hierdie onderhoude is dat Suid-Afrikaanse joernalistieke onderrig tot dusver sigself in eerste instansie defineer het in relasie tot die hoofstroom van joernalistieke praktyk en deur middel van ‘n ‘liberale’ konsepsie van gesaghebbende joernalistieke kennis. Die navorser voer aan dat ‘n meer kritiese en transformerende verhouding tussen joernalistieke onderrig en die praktyk van joernalistiek wel moontlik word as die bestaan van alternatiewe benaderings tot gesaghebbende joernalistieke kennis binne die Suid Afrikaanse konteks erken word. Binne bestaande tradisies van kritiese onderwys word die verhouding met die praktyk dikwels gedefinieer as ‘dekonstruksie’ van die liberale konseptualisering van joernalistieke kennis. Hierdie studie stel voor dat ‘n kritiese benadering tot onderrig in joernalistiek eerder gebaseer moet word op ‘ondersteunende kritiek’ wat gebruik maak van histories gekontekstualiseerde voorbeelde van joernalistieke praktyk.
Description
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
Bibliography
Keywords
Theses -- Journalism, Dissertations -- Journalism, Journalism -- Study and teaching (Higher) South Africa, Universities and colleges -- Curricula -- South Africa
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