BENG0026: Tech Journalism: Writing, Researching, and Reporting News in Technology, Science, and Engineering
(Intermediate level)
BENG0027: Advanced Tech Journalism: Advanced Analysis and Communication in Engineering and Technology
(Advanced level)
BENG0053: Specialist Tech Journalism: Advanced Analysis and Communication in Engineering and Technology
(M-Level Undergraduate and Postgraduate)
Overview
These modules are aimed at physical scientists and engineers who intend to have careers in consultancy, technical management, government, or communication/journalism as well as anyone who wishes to pursue a research career. They will help students to craft effective reports, papers, and grant proposals as well as articles for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
We focus on providing three sets of skills: the ability to research developments and trends in science, engineering, and technology; to analyse these in a systematic way; and to communicate the results persuasively to a given audience.
Specifically, students will learn how exploit diverse sources of technical information far beyond the technical literature. As part of this they will have the opportunity to do interviews, attend conferences, and go on laboratory visits. Then, they will learn how to consider emerging technologies in the context of potential applications using a methodical, step-by-step process.
On the writing side, students will learn about different kinds of article structure and audience and many techniques for writing well and clearly. They will also learn the invaluable skill of being able to constructively criticize, analyze, and edit the work of others: identifying holes in technical arguments, pointing out jargon, and noting poor structure.
Finally, students will get formative feedback throughout the module to help them get the highest grade possible.
In 2020, almost 80% of the students who took these tech journalism modules completed the student evaluation questionnaire and every single one said they would recommend them to another student.
Prerequisites: There are no formal prerequisites, but students should have a strong interest and some training in the physical sciences or engineering and a reasonable level of writing competence.
For full information about the modules, please click the links at the top of the page, or search for them directly on the UCL Module catalogue.