User:St8ofbass/Popular music journalism at Southampton Solent University

===BA(Hons) Popular Music Journalism ===

====BA(Hons) Popular Music Journalism is a course offered by Southampton Solent University in Southampton, England.====

The course was designed by renowned music journalist Martin James and was launched in 2008 as a part of Solent University’s music programme. With an emphasis on convergent media approaches to the music press, the course features fully integrated theory and practice.

The course features a highly respected team of practitioners and theorists including Dr Martin James alongside former NME journalists Lucy O’Brien, Iestyn George and James McMahan. Among the internationally published theorists lecturing on the course are Sean Albiez, Dr Chris Anderton and Dr Ruth Dockwray.

Students following the course explore the expected journalistic conventions contextualised by popular music studies. The practical skills taught include features, news and reviews writing, sourcing and researching stories, subbing and production, documentary making, IT skills (InDesign, Dreamwaever, Final Cut Pro, Audacity etc). Other subjects taught draw on the multi-disciplinary approach of popular music studies as well as journalism studies.

Students are assessed through a combination of presentation, critical essay, report and reflection, feature, news, reviews and obituary writing,. They also produce band/artist documentary films (EPKs), audio interview clips, music websites and blogs.

Students also source, research, write, edit and produce the online interactive magazine Audio Addict. In the three years since it was launched students have interviewed artists like White Lies, Kasabian, The Drums and The Hoosiers. Students on the course also secured an exclusive interview with The Prodigy in which the details of their album Invaders Must Die were first announced. This came about through course leader Martin James' close links with the Prodigy. He has written two book length biographies of the band and has also supplied press biographies for the band's last three albums. He also supplied sleeve notes for band's compilation set Their Law: Singles 1990 - 2005'.

Students following the course have enjoyed placements at NME, DJ, Institute Francais (London), Radio NRJ, Les Inrockuptibles, Division PR and City Slang (Berlin). Students also regularly contribute to Big Cheese, Virgin.com, The Sound, Regiomusik and numerous regional magazines.

In the summer of 2009 Popular Music Journalism students produced the programme for Glade Festival. The following year they also created the programme, documentary and post-event review magazine for Blissfields Festival.