MED4000 Media Development and Media Research Course description

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can describe different perspectives on adolescent health and challenges in the adolescent period
• can discuss development trends in society that are significant to adolescents’ development, health and quality of life
• can describe political guidelines related to local public health work
• can discuss how adolescents can be involved in the planning and implementation of projects

Skills

The student

• can take a critical approach to debate on adolescent health and different approaches to health promoting and preventive work among young people
• can design evidence-based and locally-based health promoting and/or preventive measures for young people

General competence

The student

• can critically reflect on the knowledge basis of health promoting and preventive work among young people
• can identify and deal with professional and ethical problems related to public health work for young people
• can communicate up-to-date knowledge in the field of public health to partners, decision-makers and the population at large

The course will use varied, student-active work methods. Teaching is session based and is organised as two sessions lasting four or five days, including one study day. Teaching methods vary between lectures and more student-active learning methods. Aside from session-based teaching, the teaching methods used are preparations and self-study, and work on the examination assignment. Students will choose an area of interest relevant to work with young people on the basis of the knowledge base introduced in the course. The students will prepare a project plan for a health promoting/preventive project that is feasible in practice.

The student should have the following learning outcomes upon successful completion of the course:

Knowledge

The student

• has advanced knowledge of how science is put to use and how it shapes and is shaped by society
• has thorough knowledge of how the media represents science, scientific uncertainty and risks

Skills

The student

• is able to critically analyze practical journalistic work and science writing which covers scientific issues or uses scientists as expert sources
• is able to critically use this knowledge to explore other ways of representing science and science related issues in journalistic work and science writing
• has developed and perfected his/her science journalism and/or science writing
• can apply relevant methods to explore this area of journalism and science writing
• can inspire colleagues and students to reflect on the role of science in society and journalism/science writing
• is able to communicate key issues in the research area Science and the media

General competence

The student

• is able to analyze professional and occupational issues as well as questions in research ethics
• is well qualified to present academic scientific work as well as analysis of journalistic and science writing material and is able to give and receive constructive criticism and response
• is able to discuss ethical issues in science
• has acquired journalistic and/or science writing skills through practice and increased knowledge of the scientific processes and science reporting

The course will be based on two week-long gatherings at Oslo Metropolitan University, including lectures, discussions and group-work

Individual project examination in the form of a topic chosen by the student that is developed during the course. Scope: 2,500 words (+/- 10%).

Resit examination: If the student is awarded the Fail (fails the written assignment), he/she will be given one (1) opportunity to submit a reworked version.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

For the main assessment, the students may choose one of two term papers.

Either

• A reportage covering science or science related issues, followed by a reflection paper that discusses and analyzes the textual material theoretically helped by the syllabus, 15 - 20 pages.

Or

• An analytic, theory-based paper investigating a limited media output where science, scientific uncertainty or risks related to science are covered, 13-16 pages.

The term papers may be written in English or Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language).

Students who have failed a regular examination may submit a revised version of the exam one time. Students with legitimate absence are entitled to submit the term paper to the new examination.

All answers are assessed by one examiner.

An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.

All exam papers are assessed by an internal examiner. In addition, at least 25 % of the exam papers will be assessed by an external examiner, whose assessment will form the basis of the level for each grade within the grading scale. The internal examiner’s assessment of all papers shall be based on the external examiner’s assessment.