Assessment 1 Travel Journalism Feature, 2pm Tuesday 11th November. (1500 words/40% weighting)
Brief: write a 1500 word travel journalism feature on a topic of your choice. The feature should be based on your own, real, experience of travel. That said, it by no means needs to be based on travelling somewhere exotic or far away. For example, you could write a travel feature on Richmond park (i.e., just behind the Whitelands campus) or on a particular location in central London.
What form should the feature take?
The feature can be any form you wish as long as it is of a form associated with travel journalism. For example, you could write a series of blog entries or you could write a magazine piece or a piece for a newspaper. Pieces such as these can and should include photographs. You can take photographs with a camera or smart phone and upload them into your text. Alternatively, you might wish to produce a piece for radio or television. This can be recorded on your smart phone and emailed to me at b.cocking@roehampton.ac.uk for me to view or listen to and mark.
Please note: if you decide to produce a piece for radio or television you will need to submit a written transcript or plans and upload this to Turnitin in order to fulfil the requirements of this assessment (this is in addition to any audio/visual files that you email to me). If you are planning on producing a radio or television based piece please discuss it with me first.
Above all, it should be clear that you have given consideration to the form you have chosen to produce. So, for example, if you written a magazine piece, make it clear which magazine you imagine it would feature in and include elements such as a title or headline. Related to this, it is vitally important that you try to write within the characteristics and conventions associated with the form of travel journalism you have chosen.
What am I being marked on?
The most important aspect of this is that you demonstrate you are aware of the characteristics and conventions of travel journalism. For example, if you are planning on producing a blog, look at some existing blogs and consider how they are written and who they might be aimed at. Similarly, if you are planning on producing a magazine based piece, look at the kinds of features that get published in your chosen magazine. Consider how they are structured and who the readership is.
Please note: you are not being marked on your technical ability. For example, it is great to include photographs to help illustrate your piece but you will not be assessed on your technical ability with a camera or other audio-visual equipment.
What else do I need to be aware of?
You need to complete the Assessment 1 Coversheet and include it in your submission for this assessment. You will find the coversheet on the next page. Please copy and paste a completed version of it into the front of your submission for this assessment. Failure to do so will most likely result in you losing marks because it will not be clear how you have sought to meet the requirements assessment brief.
Criteria for Assessment for Travel Journalism Feature
demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics and conventions of a chosen form of travel journalism
demonstrate research skills appropriate for this assessment and commensurate with this level of study
show an awareness and understanding of the audience/readership and their expectations regarding travel journalism features
show an awareness of the forms of presentation associated with a specific form of travel journalism
Assessment 1 Coversheet
Note: this should be cut and pasted into your submission (failure to do so will result in failing to meet the assignment brief).
What form of travel journalism have you produced?
What is the name/title of the magazine/newspaper/media organisation that you envisage your work being featured in?
Who is the audience/readership for your travel journalism piece?
Can you give three-five brief examples of how you have attempted to make use of the characteristics and conventions associated with your chosen form of travel journalism? For example, ‘I chose the title xxx because it fits very will with newspaper yyy for the following reasons zzz’. ‘I noticed that newspaper xxx tends to feature a lot of family orientated travel pieces and I have tried to replicate this format here in the following ways…’.
Dr Ben Cocking has office hours every week on Tuesdays and Fridays (12.00-1.30 on both days) and he is based in room QB024, Queens Building, Southlands College, did you meet with him to discuss this assessment?
What, if anything, might you have done differently if you did this assessment again?
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