what_we_learn

What we learn

We learn to

  • try and make mistakes, to learn a lesson and try again learning that way,
  • dig deep, find and present the hidden facts,
  • tell interesting stories about ordinary people.

Eleven subjects are taught at Hetq Media Factory.

Students learn the features of data journalism, basic methods, and principles of data-based story creation. Within the course, students work with data sources, learn data collection, analysis, and visualization tools. Technical skills significantly simplify the tasks of a journalist and help to automate and speed up the work. To "scrape" alternative data, students also learn the Python programming language, which enables them to reveal oddities and find stories behind the data.

Students learn to transform ideas into visual images, taking into account the nuances and characteristics of the viewer's attention. They also study the basic principles of graphic design and animation and learn to work with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe After Effects programs.

The purpose of the course is to teach the legal and ethical norms and principles of journalistic rights and freedoms so that students can cover events and happenings within their professional activities in a way that does not violate the rights and freedoms of others and, at the same time, exercise their right to disseminate information and ideas as efficiently as possible. Students also learn how to cover armed conflicts in such a way as not to violate the rights of prisoners of war and other persons involved in the conflict — military personnel and civilians, including respect for the private and family life of military personnel, prohibition of various forms of ill-treatment, and other fundamental rights.

In this course, students get acquainted with the skills and tools of investigative journalism, learn to choose topics for investigations, and dig deep into those topics. They find sources and conduct interviews, learn to read and understand government and financial documents. As investigative journalism often deals with sensitive topics, legal or ethical issues, students also learn to make decisions when faced with dilemmas.

Within the framework of this course, students study the style and language of the text, learn to tell stories in a simple and creative way. In addition, students learn to work with sources, how to verify and complete information, and how to get prepared and conduct an interview. The title of the article, the structure of the text, and the combination of form and meaning are also included in this course.

Students study the content and creative aspect of video stories, learn to work in different situations and environments, with various topics and heroes, develop journalistic, shooting, and editing thinking in all stages of video production: pre-production, production, post-production. Students also practice the necessary tools, rules, and tricks for creating video stories, learn to see the frame regardless of the equipment at hand, not to deviate from the content, and get stories from a large volume of raw material in different video formats, taking into account the characteristics of the audience.

Students get to know the features of the economy of Armenia and its economic relations with the world. In addition, they learn to use databases, compare and analyze data on various economic phenomena, and present comprehensive and interesting journalistic articles to the average statistical reader.

During the course, students train their eyes first. In this course, it is not so important what you take photos with, but what you photograph and why. After studying all this, the students tell the topics they are interested in with their photo stories.

Within the framework of this course, students first of all learn what fact-checking and "fake news" mean, methods of identifying fake news, and fact-checking tools. Open resources, handbooks, and various publications are used during the course. The theoretical part of the course helps students understand the importance of fact-checking in today's journalism and real life in general. The practical part teaches how to skillfully distinguish fake news from real ones and prove that information is false.

Within the framework of the course, students learn the basics and means of digital security and data protection. Journalists sometimes need to conduct encrypted correspondence. Students learn tools and means of encoding and decoding correspondence during the course.

During the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) course, students learn to create spatial databases, shape those data, perform spatial analysis, and, as a result, create maps that tell stories.

The course aims to develop students' abilities and skills in creating news content in English, working with target and (or) keywords, and analyzing news written in English. During the course, students also get to know the appropriate templates for composing news texts in English, developing a target vocabulary.

FAQ

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Is the education free of charge?

- Yes! Courses at the Hetq Media Factory are free of charge.

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How long does the course take?

Studying at Hetq Media Factory lasts one academic year with two semesters: from September to December and from January to May.

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Can people having no journalism background apply?

Yes! Anyone interested in media can apply regardless of professional background.

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Is there any age limit?

People over 18 can apply.

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How is the student selection made?

Applicants are admitted upon successful completion of the following stages:

- review of an application, motivation letter, and CV,
- a 15-minute interview.

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Can I choose to study only one or a few subjects?

No, all the subjects included in the curriculum are obligatorily and interconnected. To successfully complete the Hetq Media Factory program, you need to make progress in each subject.

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Is it possible to combine the lessons of the Media Factory with studying somewhere else or working?

It is possible, but please take it into account that the lessons are held every day, and the assignments require at least 3 hours of work a day to have a full result. If you exceed the set number of unreasonable absences, you can drop out of the educational program.

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Will students conduct journalistic investigations?

Yes! “Learning by doing” method is used at Hetq Media Factory which means that the assignments given during the study process will be published as journalistic products.

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Is it possible to attend classes online?

No, classes at Hetq Media Factory are offline.