UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND LEGAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

ADVANCED PRINT JOURNALISM (CMS 821 S)

Lecturer: Dr. Michael Serwornoo
Email: michael.serwornoo@ucc.edu.gh

Course Description
This course is designed to equip students with sound editorial judgement to enable them to
employ all the needed journalistic knowledge and skills in print copy production. The students
will be exposed to the techniques of news gathering and production with particular reference to
print news writing styles, sequence of hard news writing, the use of appropriate quotations in
news writing, avoidance of potential defamatory and injurious falsehood contents in news copies
and the appropriate use of headlines. The course also seeks to highlight features, editorial and
opinion writing and the skills required to cover a few of the journalistic beats.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
i. Develop a keen interest in newsgathering and news writing.
ii. Examine the core principles and practices of print journalism.
iii. Highlight the key philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of print journalism as they
practice.
iv. Provide insight into the different components of the newspaper production process.
v. Work out, either alone or in groups, the plan and production of a variety of print news
and non-news genres.
vi. Enable students to reflect critically on their own work and that of others.

Course Requirements:
Be punctual at lectures and prepare for your presentations.
Participate in class discussions.

Students will earn 40% for continuous assessment which includes weekly beats assignments,
other assignments, assigned readings and practical exercises. The remaining 60% will be
awarded to the end-of-semester newspaper production.

References:
Bruce, D.I & Anderson, D.A. (2007). News Writing and Reporting for Today’s Media. Boston:
McGraw Hill
McKane, A. (2006). News writing. London: Sage Publications
Froke, P. et al. (2022). Associated press stylebook 2020-22. New York: AP
Ricketson, M. (2004). Writing feature stories: how to research and write
newspaper and magazine articles. Australia: Allen & Unwin
Week 1 Rules of engagement and introduction

Week 2 McKane chapters 1-3

What is News?-Maxwell
Gathering the news- Haruna
The introduction -Kwame
Chapter 4-Agartha
Chapter 5-Anita
Chapter 6-Emmanuel
Week 3 Chapter 7-Daniel
Chapter 8-Pat
Chapter 9-Alexander
Chapter 10- Mabel
Chapter 11- Meshack
Week 4 Editorial- Maxwell
Features and Opinion writing-Haruna
Law and print news writing- Richard Nyarko-Kwame
Week 5 Beat Reporting:
Law, Crime and Court
Parliament, Politics and Elections
Business and Economics
Science and Technology
Agriculture and Fishing
Health
Education
Entertainment
Sports
Week 6 Fieldwork (beat stories) and Design
InDesign for newsprint designing
Week 7 Productions and Editing