Example exam PC&J – Domain module Political

Communication and Journalism

NOTE: This document was intentionally created as an example. It contains exact copies of
questions from previous years, as well as adapted and new questions. It is made to match
this year’s course content (20XX). The structure, instructions and number of questions of
this example match this year’s exam as good as possible. However, this is not an official
document, and no rights can be derived from it. (Parts of) questions from this example
exam may appear in the real exam or resit exam(s). No answers will be provided, they can
be found in the course content. The real exam will be in Testvision, and therefore, it will
look differently, but it contains the same type of questions and instructions.

XX December 20XX
Name:
Student number:

Tutorial number:

General instructions for taking this exam (these are real instructions for a Testvision exam –
read them here, so you don’t need to spend time on that at the exam itself):
1. All rules mentioned in the Regulations Governing Fraud and Plagiarism for UvA Students
apply to this test. Fraud will be reported to the Examinations Board. Those committing fraud
risk exclusion from all examinations for up to 12 months. Also students who assist cheating
or fraud will be penalized.
2. Enclose your belongings (coat, bag, notes, study-related materials, electronic devices, etc.)
either in a locker, or in a self-provided, opaque (not see-through) , and sealable bag. Close
the bag and place it under your chair (not your desk, but under your chair, to avoid sound
disturbances and give you enough leg room). These items are not allowed to be visible to you
or others while participating in the exam. The same applies to all (electronic) devices that can
be used to search, store or display information, or to communicate. This includes, but is not
limited to, mobile phones, smart-phones and -watches, e-readers, tablets and headsets. Be
warned: if these (or similar sorts of) items are visible to you during the exam, your exam
may be declared invalid! The only items that you may have on your table during the exam
are your student card, pens/pencils, an eraser and a limited amount of food and drinks.
3. Have your student card (proof of enrolment) ready for inspection on your table. Other items,
besides a pen/pencil, eraser and a limited amount of food and drinks, are not allowed, unless
explicitly authorized by the examiner.
4. It is strictly forbidden to communicate with other students. Borrowing items from other
students is prohibited too. Raise your hand in case of problems. A supervisor will come over
to you.
5. Always follow the instructions of the supervisor. Do not leave your seat without explicit
permission, unless you have finished and submitted your exam. If you need to go to the toilet,
permission is needed, too. Please raise your hand to alert the supervisor. They will accompany
you.
6. Only official paper that is handed out by the supervisor may be used as scrap paper.
7. It is necessary to put your name and student number on the scrap paper.
 NAME: ________________________________

8. When you have finished your exam, please double-check everything before submitting your
exam to the system. Then leave the exam room quietly.
9. You are not allowed to leave the examination room during the first thirty minutes of the
exam.
10. Violations of these rules will be reported to the Examinations Board. In case of a violation,
the supervisor will make an official report. Students risk exclusion from all examinations for
up to 12 months.
11. The results will be announced as soon as possible on Canvas and SIS. Results will not be
given by phone.
12. By starting the test you declare that:
1. Your identity details, visible on your student card and in Testvision, are correct;
2. You will take this test yourself, without seeking or accepting help from others and
using only those tools and/or resources that are permitted;
3. You will not make any audio and/or video recordings of the test assignments during
this test and will not distribute them in any way;
4. You are aware of the applicability of the Student UvA Fraud and Plagiarism
Regulations for this test (https://student.uva.nl/en/content/az/plagiarism-and-
fraud/plagiarism-and-fraud.html).
13. Carefully read the exam instructions and questions on the next screens!

Good luck!

Specific instructions for taking this exam:

➢ This is a closed-book exam. You have two hours to answer all questions. Please check if you have
all questions and all pages. The first part is a list of short concept definitions, the second part
contains three open-ended questions and the third part is the mini-essay question.

➢ Please answer the questions with well-reasoned arguments in a clearly structured and readable
text. We expect meaningful answers in sentences, not just a list of points or a collection of
phrases.

➢ At the end of each question, you can find how many points we attribute to it. In total, 100 points
can be earned in this exam (20 for the concepts, 50 for the open-ended questions and 30 for the
mini-essay). Make sure you divide the available time well across these different parts. You need
minimum 55 out of 100 points to pass this exam.

➢ Make sure that you properly explain important terms that you use. Keep your answers as short as
possible (maximum length is indicated). Writing things that are wrong or completely off-topic
will lead to a lower grade, even if also the correct answer is given.

➢ Answers need to be given in English only. (Obviously, this instruction is different for the Dutch
track. There answers need to be given in Dutch. But concepts which have been used in English in
the Dutch track lectures, can be used in English as well).

GOOD LUCK !

2
 NAME: ________________________________

PART I. CONCEPTS (20 points in total)

QUESTION 1. Please define the following concepts in 1 or 2 sentences (2 or 3 points
each- 20 points in total). Make sure to add an example whenever it is asked!

1) Embedded Journalism (include an example) (Max. 75 words, 3 points)

2) Mediation (Max. 50 words, 2 points)

3) Political efficacy (Max. 50 words, 2 points)

4) Privatisation (include an example) (Max. 75 words, 3 points)

5) Adversarial role conception (of journalists) (Max. 50 words, 2 points)

6) Protest Paradigm (Max. 75 words, 3 points)

7) External Pluralism (Max. 50 words, 2 points)

8) Domestication of foreign news (include an example) (Max. 75 words, 3 points)

3
 NAME: ________________________________

PART II. OPEN QUESTIONS

QUESTION 2 (15 points in total):

Politicians occasionally appear in entertainment-oriented shows.

a) Name two reasons why appearing in an entertainment show could be good for a
politician him/herself and two reasons why it could (sometimes) be a bad idea (again
for the politician him/herself). Give concrete (real or fictive) examples for each of
the reasons you discuss. (Max. 250 words, 10 points)

b) How can the “exemplification theory” (as mentioned in Boukes & Boomgaarden)
help to explain how people’s trust in politicians in general is affected by some
politicians showing up in entertainment shows? (Max. 75 words, 5 points).

QUESTION 3 (15 points in total)

a) McNair (2003) distinguished five functions of the media in a democracy. Name these
five functions (no need to explain them, just simply name them. If you forgot an
official name, you can briefly describe the function in 1 sentence) (5 words, 5 points).

b) Write each of the 4 journalistic role conceptions (David Weaver) we saw in week 1
next to the function it is linked to most clearly. Just write the role conceptions next to
the functions you gave in your answer to a). No explanation needed (4
words/concepts, 4 points).

c) In week 1, we distinguished threats to the democratic media’s ability to perform the 5

functions from McNair. Name 3 of these threats and explain them briefly. (3 times
max. 50 words = max. 150 words, 6 points in total).

QUESTION 4 (20 points in total):

a) Which factors lead to more media attention for a protest action (Wouters, 2013)?
Briefly explain why (Max. 200 words, 10 points).

b) Pick any protest action that has been in the media the last weeks (or months). Point
out three concrete elements that helped this particular protest to get into the news
(Max. 200 words, 10 points).

4
 NAME: ________________________________

PART III. Mini essay (Max. 700 words, 30 points)

Write a mini-essay about the statement below. Remember to explicitly state your position for
or against the statement. Follow the structure of the essay as we learned in class during the
essay assignment. References are not important in this mini-essay. We do expect you to include
the arguments you can build based on what you have learned in this course. Of course, you can
also add other arguments. If you want to, you can mention names of scholars, but that is not
necessary and this is not part of the evaluation criteria. The mini-essay is also a bit shorter than
the earlier essay, and space is limited, so try not to elaborate too much on one specific element
or argument (30 points in total).

Statement: The Dutch public television news broadcaster (NOS) should always have a
fixed correspondent in China.

Grading scheme:
Insufficient (0 or 1) 2 Moderate (3) 4 Excellent (5)
Introduction No introduction Statement and position present Clear position
(20%) Introduction is not a separate Basic relevance present, but Compelling description of
paragraph. not especially creative or relevance
Relevance not or not well original Specific, creative and well-
explained Example present, but link to fitting example.
No example statement is not very clear. Example clearly linked to
No explicit mentioning of the Too short, or too long. statement
statement Key concepts not or not well Key concepts well defined.
No clear position taken defined
2. Use of More than four avoidable No or few errors No or few errors, no big ones.
language & errors. Fluent text (max. one Fluent text, fun to read.
readability More than one sentence not passage a little vague) Inspiring writing, reader’s
(15%) finished. enthusiasm is stimulated.
Unreadable pieces of text.
Arguments None, or only one Several PRO arguments, Many (some original) PRO
(50%) (convincing) PRO argument some of them convincing and several CON arguments.
No CON argument At least one CON argument Almost all very convincing,
Inconsistent reasoning (which also needs to be CON arguments refuted
Most relevant course literature refuted to get 3+). convincingly.
missed Some relevant arguments of All arguments from the course
the course content present content present
Good structure of the
argumentation.
Conclusion No conclusion. Conclusion includes a short Compelling conclusion
(15%) Too short (less than three summary of the arguments. Also CON arguments get a
Lines) Reference to the introduction place.
No reference back to the is present. Strongly convincing
introduction Position is evaluated. Reference back to an example
No evaluation of the position Persuasive elements in the introduction
based on the arguments (conclusion is convincing)