Students shun Health and Science module

Acourse covering health, science, and environmental reporting was suspended this year after less than two per cent of students chose the module.

This is the frst time the Health and Science specialism has not run due to lack of interest, provoking disappointment among staff and students.

Dr Mark Honigsbaum, a senior lecturer who leads the course, was surprised: “We’ve just lived through a pandemic and everyone’s talking about climate change. There couldn’t be more of a moment for understanding science.”

He added: “It could be that we didn’t do a good enough job of explaining what you study, and maybe we need to do a better job of selling it to postgraduates.”

Dr Honigsbaum said there were also perceptions of science as being too diffcult: “Students think it will be harder than some of the other specialisms.”

City offers 13 short courses as part of its specialisms offering, including popular modules such as Lifestyle, Arts and Culture, and Investigative. The Health and Science specialism has run for seven years. The department intends to run it next year, providing enough students choose it.

Jason Bennetto, director of specialisms, said: “It was very disappointing not to be able to run the Health and Science module this year, but with only three MA journalism students out of 160 putting it as their frst choice, it was not tenable.

“I’m surprised so few students wanted to study the topics of health and the environment, given that climate change

New creatives in residence

Musicians, actors and spoken word poets are among the artists that will join forces with City’s journalism department this year as part of a new Creatives in Residence scheme aimed at championing different creative felds.

Pioneered by Professor Anna Whitelock, Dean of the School of Communication and Creativity, the scheme will provide a space for early career creatives to explore their craft whilst working alongside City students. The scheme will involve a six-month residency programme in which creative practitioners will work on their own projects, hold masterclasses for students, and provide mentoring.

The frst creatives chosen for this project include singer-songwriter Joseph Bell, multidisciplinarian Darcy Dixon, and spoken word artist Chloe Carterr. Inclusivity and diversity are at the forefront of the project, and Professor Whitelock hopes that the calibre of these creatives will refect City’s enduring mission to amplify a vast range of voices within the arts.

“The Creatives in Residence scheme is part of the school’s evolving strategy to engage with creative practitioners and create an inclusive community within and beyond the school,” she explained.

Interdisciplinary projects run by the creatives themselves will be instrumental in achieving these goals. Students will partake in songwriting classes, mentoring on freelancing, and clowning workshops.

Projects like these offer a unique opportunity for students to explore new creative felds.

“I hope the students learn creativity beyond that which we currently offer in the School and that the scheme allows students to learn from those already in the world of work,” said Professor Whitelock.

The scheme will offer the creatives access to performance spaces and studios on campus as well as the opportunity to hold events or exhibitions at Finsbury Town Hall. Professor Whitelock hopes the scheme will become a permanent fxture in the department if this cohort of creatives does well.

Ella Gauci

and Covid are the two biggest stories on the planet.”

Dr Honigsbaum felt that burnout may also have played a part: “For students whose whole education was disrupted [by the Covid-19 pandemic], it was probably too overwhelming, and it was maybe a case of, ‘The last thing I want to do is study it even more.’” Yasmeen Eltahan, a Broadcast student who was one of the three to choose the module, said: “I was excited to start the Health and Science specialism and felt really gutted when told that it was cancelled.”

She continued: “I really wanted to do more health, particularly mental health journalism but will now have to do that outside of the university.”

Maira Butt