DPHU1008 Chap.10 The Critical Journal and Viva Voce
The Critical Journal and Viva Voce
Assessment 1 has two linked parts. The critical journal, worth 10% and marked out of 20, is one 500-word entry, plus or minus 10%, that identifies, defines and applies a course concept to a data rendering you found yourself.
It answers four questions: define the concept with an in-text reference and in your own words, describe the rendering, analyse it through the concept, and explain its impact on society, followed by Harvard citations and a reference list.
Submission is through Turnitin between Tuesday and 3pm Friday of Week 4.
The viva voce, worth 20% and marked out of 6, is a seven-minute conversation in your workshop in which your tutor questions you about your journal. You may show one slide with your name, zID and rendering, and no notes.
The outline places it in Week 5, while the Moodle task is labelled Weeks 5 and 6.
The rubric for the journal scores four criteria at 5 marks each: understanding of the course concept, its application to the rendering, the rendering's impact on society, and citations with a reference list.
The template asks for 12-point font, double spacing, the questions left in place and a word count after each answer, and the course allows 10% above or below the 500 words before a penalty applies.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Choosing a rendering not used in lectures, workshops or readings
- 02
Question 1: definition with citation, then your own words
- 03
Questions 2a and 2b: describe, then analyse through the concept
- 04
Question 3: impact on society with course content
- 05
Harvard in-text citations and reference list
- 06
Viva voce: seven minutes, one slide, no notes
- 07
Turnitin window, resubmissions and the AI category for the journal
- 08
Template rules: font, spacing and word counts
Worked example · free
Planning a journal on a supermarket price chart
- +1Q1: define framing with a citation to the workbook, then explain it in your own words as choosing the story the data tell.
- +1Q2a: describe the chart as advertising that selects products whose prices fell, with a message of value.
- +1Q2b: analyse how framing hides products whose prices rose and presents a selection as a trend.
- +1Q3: impact: shoppers may believe living costs are easing, which shapes public debate about supermarket pricing.
Key terms
- Critical journal
- The 500-word written task that applies one course concept to a rendering you found.
- Viva voce
- An oral assessment in which a tutor questions you about your own written work.
- Harvard referencing
- The author-date citation style the course requires for in-text citations and reference lists.
- Genuine attempt
- A response that addresses all required sections of a task, as the pass rules define it.
The Critical Journal and Viva Voce FAQ
Can I use an example from the lectures in my critical journal?
No. The outline states that you must not use data rendering examples given in the lectures, workshops or readings. Find your own rendering early, ideally one where your chosen concept reveals something a casual viewer would miss.
What can I bring to the viva voce?
Only one slide showing your full name, zID and data rendering. No other notes or visual aids are allowed, AI tools cannot be used, and the tutor stops you at seven minutes.
How is the viva voce marked?
Two criteria carry 3 marks each: the relevance of your answers and depth of understanding, and the overall quality of delivery. Top answers address every part of the question in your own words with specific detail.
How should I prepare for viva questions I cannot predict?
Know your concept well enough to explain it without your notes, and be ready to say why you chose your rendering, what the concept revealed and what a limitation of your analysis is. A considered limitation shows understanding rather than weakness.
What kinds of rendering can I choose for the journal?
The outline lists news articles, graphs, pictures, paintings, advertisements, published results and interviews. Choose one you found through your own research that clearly represents or interprets data, and keep its source link for your reference list.
Assessment move
Collect five candidate renderings in Weeks 2 and 3 and test each against two concepts before choosing. Draft Question 1 first, since a clear definition makes the rest easier. Read your final journal aloud twice before the viva and answer three questions a friend asks you, aiming to explain each choice without looking at the page.
Ask your tutor in the Week 4 consultation one specific question about your draft definition rather than a general one. Record yourself answering three questions and check that each answer names the concept.
DPHU1007 Media, Society and Politics · DPHU1001 Journalistic Voices and Values · DPHU1003 News Fundamentals
