University College Falmouth says it wants to focus on arts, culture and environment issues because they generate the biggest stories on its Cornwall patch.

The college has recently appointed a new course leader in Anna Kiernan, a former journalist who has also been a fellow of the Arts and Humanities Research Council and course leader of the publishing MA at Kingston University.

Now Anna says she plans to "reposition" the course to reflect what she termed as "the key themes that unite Cornwall with the national and international news agenda - arts, culture and the environment."

She explained: "BA (Hons) Journalism at UCF has enjoyed a successful track record over many years and its graduates continue to achieve significant success, but the industry is ever changing and we need to continue to change with it.

"To that end, we are going to play to our strengths and focus on the themes that connect the industry with our sense of place.

"The arts, culture and the environment in Cornwall generate big stories of national interest, and access to those major news opportunities will place Falmouth graduates ahead of the pack when it comes to establishing successful journalistic careers in the 21st century."

As part of its new approach, the college has also appointed the former Guardian environment correspondent Leo Hickman as a writer-in-residence.

Leo will be among those taking part in a series of big lectures planned for the next few months which focus on the college's key themes.