Courses

The department faculty members find it rewarding to teach students the importance of curiosity, clear writing and editing, solid research and critical thinking as these apply to journalism. They teach students how to discern the significant from the trivial and the relative truth from demonstrable falsehood. Our goal for students when they complete our studies is excellence in reporting, editing, research and visual communication. The department has made a commitment to small class sizes because professors agree that students become better writers when they get close attention from faculty. As a result, all writing classes are limited to 16 students, and seminars are limited to 12. Professors routinely say that the most important lesson they can teach their students is one about personal and public responsibility. Journalists have certain rights and privileges that accompany their profession, but with those privileges comes a responsibility to act ethically and to always report the truth.

Journalism

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  • JOUR 100 News Media and Society

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): AI-Social Inquiry (AISO), IF-Power/Equity/Identity/Cult (IFPE)

    Description
    History and development of print and electronic media. Conflicts between the free press and other social objectives. External and internal controls affecting news media and flow of information.
  • JOUR 101 New Writing and Reporting

    Units: 1

    Description
    Intensive training in basic writing and reporting skills, news values, ethical practices, and research. Includes frequent writing assignments.
  • JOUR 203 Journalism Across Media

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): AI-Visual & Performing Arts (AIVP), IF-Embodied Communication (IFEB)

    Description
    Allows students who have mastered the basics of newsgathering to amplify and clarify those stories with images. Production of still photos and short videos suitable for publication.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 or JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 204 Advanced News Writing and Reporting

    Units: 1

    Description
    Prepares students for digital-first, multimedia journalism and related fields. In-depth academic study coupled with practical experience in writing and reporting news articles, podcasting, data journalism, investigative journalism, beat coverage and development. Includes off-campus assignments designed to complement classroom instruction.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 206 Journalism Law, Ethics

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): PPEL Law-related Area Course (PPLW)

    Description
    Case studies of ethical conflicts encountered in reporting and editing. State and federal case and statutory law affecting news media, especially libel, privacy, free expression, and "freedom of information."

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 207 The Art of Editing

    Units: 1

    Description
    Improving news writing through practice in copy reading, editing and discussion of news styles, grammar, usage, page design, headline writing, picture selection, news judgment, ethics.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 210 History of American Journalism

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): American studies electives (AMER)

    Description
    History of American Journalism from Zenger to Zuckerberg. Examines the development of the concept of fairness and objectivity; the role key personalities played in American journalism; and the role changing technology had on the way news is gathered and consumed.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101

  • JOUR 222 Turning Science into Stories

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): AI-Literary & Textual Analysis (AILT), IF-Written Communication (IFWC)

    Description
    Explores the craft of turning science into stories, starting with an examination of award-winning works that will include magazine and news stories, plus quick-paced books, movies and documentaries—all of which employed a story-arc format to transform science into digestible, compelling and mind-expanding narratives. Students will then try their own hand at turning concepts in science into storytelling, using a range of techniques. This course is designed for science and health majors interested in sharpening their writing and storytelling skills, and for journalism majors interested in writing about science.
  • JOUR 302 Public Affairs Reporting

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): American studies electives (AMER)

    Description
    Writing and reporting on public institutions such as police, courts, and legislative bodies. Interviewing and research using public documents. Frequent off-campus writing assignments.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 304 Seminar

    Units: 1

    Description
    Study of specialized field of reporting or writing.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 204 or JOUR 207 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 305 Photojournalism

    Units: 1

    Description
    Theory and practice of news and feature photography, properties of light and lenses.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 203

  • JOUR 306 Feature and Magazine Article Writing

    Units: 1

    Description
    Research and writing of news-feature and magazine articles.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 307 Documentary Journalism

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): Film studies course (FMST), American studies electives (AMER)

    Description
    An introduction to the practice and art of documentary film.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 203 or FMST 202 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 311 Covering Election Campaigns

    Units: 1

    Fulfills General Education Requirement(s): American studies electives (AMER)

    Description
    Exploration of roles and responsibilities of the press in reporting on the U.S. political process.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101

  • JOUR 312 Independent Study

    Units: 0.5-1

    Description
    Enables qualified students who have completed basic requirements for major to work independently on special reporting and research projects.
  • JOUR 314 Literary Journalism

    Units: 1

    Description
    The development of non-fiction writing from the early 1900s to the present. Analysis of five or six nonfiction books and more than 30 long-form magazine articles by major nonfiction writers.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101

  • JOUR 370 Selected Topics in Journalism

    Units: 1

    Description
    Topics vary. Representative topics include drones in journalism, computer-assisted reporting and investigative reporting. May be repeated for credit if topics differ.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101

  • JOUR 377 Community-Based Journalism

    Units: 1

    Description
    Supervised work in writing, research, or production for media both and on and off campus.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101 with a minimum grade of C-

  • JOUR 388 Internship

    Units: 0.25-1

    Description
    Supervised work in writing, research, or production for on- or off-campus news media. May be repeated with the consent of the instructor. Offered for pass/fail grade only. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.

     

    Prerequisites

    JOUR 100 and JOUR 101

  • JOUR 398U SELECTED TOPICS

    Credit Hours: 1-3

  • JOUR 399U Independent Study

    Credit Hours: 1-6

  • JOUR 406 Undergraduate Summer Research

    Units: 0

    Description
    Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at least 40 hours per week) during this period, and the student must be the recipient of a fellowship through the university. Graded S/U.

     

    Prerequisites

    Approval by faculty member