Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study deals with the relationship between university-based journalism education and journalism
as a social practice. It is argued that the construction of this relationship can be better understood in
context of its location within the history different conceptions of social knowledge. The purpose was
to gain insight into how this relationship was shaped by the location of journalism education within
global and local histories of such knowledge. This goal was pursued through an exploration of the
international development of university-based journalism education and a more detailed consideration
of the South African example.
The study consists, firstly, of a literature review which demonstrates how the construction of
the relationship between journalism education and journalism as practice has been implicated in the
history of different conceptualisations of authoritative knowledge. The review traces the role played
by Mass Communication Studies and Cultural Studies in shaping this relationship. It is concluded
that the way in which these two fields have located themselves within the politics of authoritative
knowledge has contributed to the marginalisation, within journalism education, of critical engagement
between academic knowledge and knowledge of journalistic practice. The review also teases out how
South African journalism education has positioned itself within the broader history of universitybased
journalism education. It is concluded that although the marginalisation of critical education is
reproduced within the South African example, a close study of journalism education in this country
reveals the potential for a more critical engaged approach to teaching.
The study includes an empirical research component focusing on South African journalism
education. This serves as a more detailed exploration of the themes emerging from the literature
review, pursued in context of an examination of a historically situated example of university-based
journalism education. A central aim of this empirical component of the study was to explore the
potential for the realisation of a critically engaged tradition in journalism education in South Africa.
The study drew, for this purpose, on interviews with individuals who have experience both of working
as journalists and of studying and teaching in university environments in South Africa. One conclusion drawn from these interviews is that journalism education, as it exists in this country, has
primarily defined itself in relation to a mainstream and ‘liberal’ understanding of authoritative
journalistic knowledge. It is demonstrated that it becomes possible to imagine a more critically
engaged and transformative relationship with journalism practice if teaching acknowledges the
existence, in the South African context, of alternative approaches to authoritative journalistic
knowledge. It is also shown that within existing traditions of critical education, the relationship with
practice tends to be one of the ‘deconstruction’ of the liberal conceptualisation of journalistic
knowledge. The study proposes that ‘critical engagement’ needs, instead, to be reconceptualised as a
relationship of ‘supportive critique’ with historically situated examples of journalistic practice. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die geskiedenis van die verhouding tussen universiteits-gebaseerde
joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek as ‘n sosiale praktyk. Die studie voer aan dat die ontwikkeling
van hierdie verhouding beter begryp kan word deur dit te kontekstualiseer binne die geskiedenis van
sosiale kennis. Die bedoeling was om insig te verkry in hoe die verhouding tussen universiteitsgebaseerde
joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek as ‘n sosiale praktyk gevorm is deur ontwikkelinge
in internasionale sowel as in die plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse verband. Met die oog hierop word ‘n
oorsig van die internasionale ontwikkeling van universiteits-gebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig
verskaf sowel as ‘n nadere ondersoek van die Suid-Afrikaanse geval.
Die studie bestaan, eerstens, uit ‘n literatuuroorsig wat demonstreer hoe die uitbou van ’n
verhouding tussen joernalistieke onderrig en joernalistiek in die praktyk ingebed was in die vestiging
van gesaghebbende sosiale kennis. Die literatuur-oorsig beklemtoon die invloed van onderskeidelik
Massa Kommunikasie Studies en Kulturele Studies op die ontwikkeling van hierdie verhouding. Een
gevolgtrekking is dat die rol wat dié twee studievelde gespeel het binne die politiek van sosiale kennis
bygedra het tot marginalisering van ‘n kritiese verhouding tussen akademiese kennis en kennis van
joernalistieke praktyk. Die ontwikkeling en rol van joernalistieke onderrig in Suid-Afrika word ook
ondersoek binne die breër geskiedenis van universiteits-gebaseerde joernalistieke onderrig. Dit word
bevind dat hoewel kritiese onderrig ook in Suid-Afrika gemarginaliseer is, ‘n nadere studie aantoon
dat daar wel potensiaal is vir ‘n meer kritiese benadering in joernalistieke onderrig.
Die studie sluit ‘n empiriese navorsingsprojek in van joernalistieke onderrig in Suid-Afrika.
Die temas wat as deel van die literatuuroorsig bespreek is word sodoende in hierdie besondere
historiese konteks ondersoek. ‘n Belangrike doelstelling van hierdie empiriese komponent van die
studie was om die potensiaal vir ‘n meer krities-betrokke tradisie in joernalistieke onderrig in Suid-
Afrika te ondersoek. Onderhoude is gevoer met individue wat ondervinding het van joernalistiek in
die praktyk sowel as van joernalistieke onderrig. Een gevolgtrekking uit hierdie onderhoude is dat
Suid-Afrikaanse joernalistieke onderrig tot dusver sigself in eerste instansie defineer het in relasie tot die hoofstroom van joernalistieke praktyk en deur middel van ‘n ‘liberale’ konsepsie van
gesaghebbende joernalistieke kennis. Die navorser voer aan dat ‘n meer kritiese en transformerende
verhouding tussen joernalistieke onderrig en die praktyk van joernalistiek wel moontlik word as die
bestaan van alternatiewe benaderings tot gesaghebbende joernalistieke kennis binne die Suid
Afrikaanse konteks erken word. Binne bestaande tradisies van kritiese onderwys word die verhouding
met die praktyk dikwels gedefinieer as ‘dekonstruksie’ van die liberale konseptualisering van
joernalistieke kennis. Hierdie studie stel voor dat ‘n kritiese benadering tot onderrig in joernalistiek
eerder gebaseer moet word op ‘ondersteunende kritiek’ wat gebruik maak van histories
gekontekstualiseerde voorbeelde van joernalistieke praktyk.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/79907 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Du Toit, Jeanne Erica |
| Contributors | Mouton, Johann, De Beer, Arnold S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 454 p. Ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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