Course Title: Ethics, Philosophy and Professional Communication

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Ethics, Philosophy and Professional Communication

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
COMM2057	City Campus	Postgraduate	335H Applied Communication	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2009
COMM2057	City Campus	Postgraduate	345H Media and Communication	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 1 2016, Sem 2 2018, Sem 1 2023

Flexible Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
COMM2057	City Campus	Postgraduate	345H Media and Communication	Face-to-Face	PGRDFx2019 (All)

Course Coordinator: Dr Jenny Robinson

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 5049

Course Coordinator Email: jenny.robinson@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 9, Level 5

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

In this course you will explore ways to think about professional communication practice through the lenses of philosophy and ethics.

The course examines how moral theories can help us analyse ethical issues faced by media professionals across global cultures and, conversely, how those issues can help us test the strengths and weaknesses of the theories.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:

• Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on complex theories and recent developments, both local and international, to extend and challenge knowledge and practice in your field.
• Professionally communicate propositions, processes and outcomes to address specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• Critically discuss literature and major works related to trans-cultural moral theories and the ethics of communication practices.
• Apply moral reasoning informed by a variety of cultural perspectives and explore solutions to moral and ethical questions within media and communication contexts.
• Research and present findings relevant for communication ethics using the techniques of formal logic (logos).
• Critically reflect on your own and others’ practice using your knowledge of moral philosophy.

Overview of Learning Activities

You will be engaged in learning that involves a range of activities both face-to-face and online such as workshops, tutorials, group and class discussion, class activities and individual research.

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.

A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning.

The University Library has extensive resources for Communication students. The Library has produced a subject guide that includes quality online and print resources for your studies http://rmit.libguides.com/cat.php?cid=29911.

The Library provides guides on academic referencing: http://www.rmit.edu.au/library/referencing and subject specialist help via your Liaison Librarian.

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Assessment may include presentations, projects and may be done individually and in teams.

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or the Disability Liaison Unit if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions which are available for review online: http://www.rmit.edu.au/policies/academic#assessment