Topical Journalism Issues

Topical Journalism Issues

The program focuses on core dimensions of modern media challenges and societal reflection through reporting.

It equips students and professionals to analyze and cover pressing global and local topics via journalism.

It emphasizes practical and theoretical aspects relevant to modern media context.

CURRICULUM

Compulsory courses:

— Political Journalism — 2 ECTS  

Political Journalism covers government operations, elections, and policy-making processes, stressing unbiased reporting and source reliability. It builds skills to decode political strategies and institutional influences, often through case studies of campaigns and debates. Fact-checking claims and ensuring representation are core practices. Ethical standards demand separation of news from commentary.

— Digital Communications — 1 ECTS

Digital Communications traces from traditional outlets to online networks, highlighting platform dynamics and connectivity. Courses explain social algorithms, content distribution, and audience analytics for effective outreach. Courses explore SEO tactics, multimedia production and digital strategies.

— Journalistic Investigation — 1 ECTS 

Journalistic Investigation equips learners with tools for probing facts through source interviews, archival digs, and data parsing. It covers legal protections against defamation and strategies for safeguarding informants.

— Journalistic Investigation — 1 ECTS

Journalistic Investigation equips learners with tools for probing facts through source interviews, archival digs, and data parsing. It covers legal protections against defamation and strategies for safeguarding informants.

— Psychology of Journalism — 2 ECTS

Psychology of Journalism analyzes mental biases shaping reporters’ judgments and public reactions to news. Audience behavior studies enhance narrative impact. Self-reflection improves ethical calls in demanding scenarios.

— Sociology of Journalism — 1 ECTS 

Sociology of Journalism probes media’s hand in forming social values, inequalities, and identities. It exposes disparities in controlling  narratives and how groups appear. Global forces versus local stories and access barriers are key lenses. Reporters gain tools, representative coverage.

— Communication Theory Basics — 1 ECTS

Communication Theory Basics surveys. It differentiates personal, collaborative, and mass exchanges. Interference factors, feedback, and cultural decoding form foundations. Rhetoric, signs, and persuasion tactics apply across contexts. Mastery refines precision in all media output.

— Internet Journalism — 2 ECTS

Internet Journalism emphasizes formats suited to the web, from interactive posts to live streams. User content, search visibility, and algorithmic curation drive practice. Issues like trend-driven traffic and opinion debate.

— Media Literacy — 1 ECTS 

Media Literacy trains contemporary sources, ads, and messaging for hidden affordances. Fake content detection and platform skews feature prominently. Community programs build discerning publics. It equips all to resist overload and deceit.​

Elective courses:

• Russian as Foreign Language — 1 ECTS

ADVANTAGES & LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Study at the leading Russian School of Public Administration
• Lecturers generally include professors and associate professors with sciences degrees who develops core themes through lectures, seminars, and case studies drawn from contemporary media trends
• Participants acquire advanced competencies blending media skills, tech savvy, and analytical prowess for the digital era
• Enabling participants an effective navigation of online platforms, content creation, and societal impact assessment
• Preparing participants for roles in newsrooms, digital outlets, or freelance platforms
• Learning investigative techniques, ethical sourcing, audience engagement, and storytelling for high-impact narratives in print, broadcast, and online formats

Admission requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree
• level of English – B2+

Contacts:
+7 (812) 335-94-94, ext. 7002
Е-mail: ums-sziu@ranepa.ru
St. Petersburg, Pesochnaya Embankment 4, office 404