ZURb1422 Story writing in journalism

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Radovan Plášek (seminar tutor)
Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Kirkosová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Kirkosová, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 12 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/12, only registered: 0/12
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to strengthen skills and knowledge that can be used especially in written journalism, but on a more general level, these skills and knowledge apply to any journalistic genres that work with a story. Through practical text tasks, information, discussions or demonstrations, students will be introduced to topics such as the basic components of a narrative (the role of the narrator, capture of actors/characters, representation of space and time) and their text form (composition, use of description and characterization, storytelling , language resources). The focus of the subject will be on developing sensitivity to story texts (e.g. using examples) and on developing one's own writing, which should be supplemented by mutual feedback.
Learning outcomes
In addition to gaining a basic theoretical and practical overview of story writing and its characteristics, graduates of the course should improve how to write texts that use the story component.
Syllabus
  • 1. Familiarization with the subject (content, conditions) + how fictional stories differ from non-fictional ones 2. Story and its components + basic journalistic genres using stories 3. What a story consists of (event, character, space) 4. What constitutes a narrative/ discourse: time, causality, narrator (narrative, descriptive, explicative, argumentative), speeches, point of view, atmosphere 5. Immersion in the story using physicality, space, time and emotions 6. Writing: author's voice/style, rhythm, register, genre patterns, cultural encyclopedia 7. Description and characterization as part of a place-centered story 8. Description and characterization as part of a character-centered story 9. Narrative as part of an event-centered story 10. Discussion of place-centered stories 11. Discussion of story-centered per character 12. Discussion of event-centered stories 13. Subject feedback
Literature
  • HART, Jack. Storycraft : the complete guide to writing narrative nonfiction. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 2021, xv, 270. ISBN 9780226736921. info
  • VANDERMEER, Jeff. Kniha divů : ilustrovaný průvodce psaním imaginativní prózy. Translated by Richard Podaný, Illustrated by Jeremy Zerfoss. 1. vydání. V Praze: Fragment, 2019, 374 stran. ISBN 9788025344019. info
Teaching methods
Interpretation; text analysis exercises; exercises focused on your own writing; discussion.
Assessment methods
Active participation (engaging in activities within individual meetings). Eighty percent participation. Completion of the required tasks by the specified deadline (whether it is the completion of homework for teaching, or the timely submission of assigned tasks or works).
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught each semester.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/ZURb1422