Internationalization of Hong Kong-based Politics Courses

Abstract

On November 20th, 2013, Eric Newton Knight Foundation’s senior adviser to the president, in a speech to Dutch Educators said “working together, students, professionals and professors can build the ultimate teaching hospital for journalism” (1). The philosophy for the journalism teaching hospital is rooted in the belief that people learn by doing.

This TDG aims to develop an international journalism teaching collaborative hospital that will enhance experiential learning and internationalize student’s learning and journalistic reporting. Journalism teaching hospitals are often implemented in journalism education in the United States, where students work directly with professional editors, educators and media outlets. Some universities with journalism teaching hospitals include University of Alabama, Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and School of Journalism at Columbia University.

Through a publishing partnership with Asia Sentinel, an award winning news outlet, and integration within class assignments, students and teachers will work in collaboration with professional editors to report on international topics.

This project where students, educators and professionals collaborate to the benefit of the community enhances the JMSC’s teaching and learning by ensuring students produce assignments and work not just for the classroom, but for an international readership. This will enforce core journalism ideas, including proper sourcing, copyright, engaging storytelling, international outlook. When students take their assignments beyond the classroom working with a professional editor rather than only submitting for a grade, the quality of learning improves as students learn through a news editor’s feedback, similar to an external advisor.

In addition, these published works allow students add to their professional and learning portfolio. Journalism and assignments published on a professional media outlet will enhance a student’s profile much further than showing written samples from class assignments.

Similar projects have also been achieved by the Faculty of Architecture through a Teaching Development Grant as well (2). These are known as community engagement projects by the Faculty of Architecture.

Reference:

1. Newton, Eric. “THE ‘TEACHING HOSPITAL’ – A GOAL FOR JOURNALISM EDUCATION.” Knight Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
2. “TDG – Enhancing the Experiential Learning of Landscape Architecture Students through Community Engagement.” HKU Teaching and Learning,
   tl.hku.hk/staff/teaching-development-grants/tdg-464/.

Deliverables