AZA2785 Legal aspects of journalism
Faculty of Arts
AZA2785 Legal aspects of journalism is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2020 in Semester 2 at South Africa. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2020
- Semester 2
- South Africa
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2020 handbook entry. See the 2022 entry.
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Overview
In this unit students critically engage with historical and contemporary debates about the legal context of news production in the South African and African contexts. Topics covered include the historical development of the media as the 'fourth estate', freedom of the press, public interest defence, the law of defamation and contempt, professional confidentiality, freedom of information (shield laws), copyright, censorship and freedom of expression and racial vilification.
Offerings in 2020
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | South Africa | On campus |
Assessment
- Assignment 1: Tutorial presentationThreshold hurdle30%
- Online quizzes25%
- Research essayThreshold hurdle45%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Demonstrate the capacity to understand and make effective use of the literature on jurisprudence and law as it relates to journalism and the media more broadly.
- 2
Show evidence of an ability to undertake research, discuss, analyse and evaluate relevant scholarly issues in a clear, concise and rigorous manner.
- 3
Demonstrate an ability to contribute constructively to online forums
- 4
Produce written assignments to deadline.
- 5
Work independently and in groups to achieve learning outcomes
- 6
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the strengths, limitations and social and professional implications of scholarly practice in the law of journalism in the South African and African context.
- 7
Demonstrate an ability to make concise and persuasive presentations.
Workload and teaching
- Seminars36 hours
- Teaching approachIndustry-based learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This teaching and learning approach provides facilitated learning, practical exploration and peer learning.
Learning resources
Required resources
Freedom of Expression Institution. Media and the Law: A handbook for community journalists, 2007
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Marianne Louw
- Unit Coordinators
- Mr Tinus De Jager
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for AZA2785?
AZA2785 has no prerequisites.
When is AZA2785 offered?
In 2020, AZA2785 runs in Semester 2 at South Africa.
How much work is AZA2785?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does AZA2785 have an exam?
No. AZA2785 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.