Model curricula for journalism education for developing countries ...

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their perception of family planning programs.
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 2)
Week 8
The mass media and science/health: How the mass media can be more
meaningfully used as tools for disseminating science and health information
Assignment: Write a critical account of a science or health story in your local news
media, with a response from an editor or news editor.
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 6 )
Week 9
Feature writing on the science and health beat: The effectiveness of the newsfeature
as a vehicle for reporting science and health matter
Assignment: Do a full length publishable feature (about 750 words) on the scourge of
malaria or poliomyelitis in your area.
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 5)
Week 10
Reporting on the weather: Issues such as climate change, rainfall, drought,
desertification, forestation, agricultural production, and famine and the consequence
for society is discussed.
Assignment: Monitor weather predictions for five days and write a 10- paragraph
story on their accuracy, with a response from a local meteorologist.
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 11)
Week 11
The environment: pollution: carbon monoxide emission from vehicles, from
industries, industrial effluents and noise pollution; sewage treatment and
contamination of water sources; domestic and industrial solid waste disposal.
Assignment: Monitor the noise level in your area for two days and interview the
authorities on what they are doing about the problem.
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 11)
Week 12
Investigative journalism in science and health.
Assignment: Do an investigative story on illicit drug manufacturing in your state OR
on a major oil spillage or other environmental problem (due end of week 15 of this
semester).
Reading for next week: Blum (Chapter 12)