2015-2016 Undergraduate General Catalog


JOUR - Journalism

JOUR 095 Journalism Participation

Staff work or editing positions on student publications.

Credits

0- 1

JOUR 115 News Reporting and Writing

Students will focus on the theory and practice of reporting and writing news and feature stories for print media. Additional emphasis will be placed on multi-media components, including but not limited to the production and/or use of videos, blogs, photo galleries, and various interactive on-line elements.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

ENGL 110

Cross Listed Courses

ENGL 115

JOUR 197 Topics:

Special Topics in Journalism.

Credits

3

JOUR 215 Newspaper Writing: Sports

Conducted as a workshop, this course considers the theory and practice of sports writing for print media. Students will learn how to write a variety of sports stories while studying and critiquing sports writing at a local and national level.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

ENGL 215

JOUR 297 Topics:

Special Topics in Journalism.

Credits

3

JOUR 239 Advanced Journalism

This course will consider public affairs through coverage of events such as school board and city council meetings. Additional emphasis will be placed on beat reporting, including but not limited to in-depth coverage of issues emerging from areas such as government, science, and health, the economy, religion, and the legal system. Emphasis will be given to creating and using multi-media components to deliver information. Students will advance their philosophy of freedom of the press through the study of various philosophical orientations.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

JOUR 115

Cross Listed Courses

ENGL 239

JOUR 242 Editorial Skills I: Text and Design

The focus of this section of Editorial Skills is on copy reading and editing for print and broadcast media. Students will also learn how to write and edit headlines, captions and other graphic material, and will consider ethical issues involving editorial decisions.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

JOUR 115

JOUR 243 Editorial Skills II: Newspaper Layout and Design

The focus of this section of Editorial Skills is on the theory and practice of newspaper and print design. Students will learn skills in typography, photo sizing and cropping, copy and issue fitting, and computer typesetting and layout using state of the art desktop publishing programs.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

JOUR 115

JOUR 245 Photojournalism

In this course students will seek to illuminate truth through the use of the visual. Students will learn to shoot news and feature subjects with a digital SLR camera. Emphasis will be given to the study of photo composition and to photo editing. In addition, they will create and edit video footage. Students will study and discuss various ethical principles and explore the work of photographers of note. Course requires a digital SLR camera.

Credits

3

JOUR 255 Multimedia Storytelling

In this course students will produce news and feature stories as they make use of multi-platform strategies that include the following:  the gathering and editing of audio and video, photo slide shows that incorporate narration and/or music, blogging via WordPress, and data visualization and presentation. In addition, students will use social media (Twitter and Instagram) and smart phone technology to cover events. Students will deepen their philosophy of the role of a press in a free society as they develop their ability to work toward fair, balanced, accurate, objective, empathetic, and multiperspectival journalism in a digital world.

Credits

JOUR 290 History of The American Press

An examination of the development of American journalism from colonial times to the present. Using primary source readings and films, in addition to textbooks, the course will examine changes within the journalism industry itself, the response of that industry to changes in American society and culture, and the effects journalism has had on American life.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

HIST 290

JOUR 302 Ethics and Law of the Press

Students in this course will study freedom of the press through the examination of significant court cases, particularly those that have come before the U.S. Supreme Court. Issues to be studied include libel, privacy, prior restraint and free press v. fair trial. In addition, students will study ethical issue, most of which are inseparable from the legal matters to be considered.

Credits

3

JOUR 312 Writing For Magazines

Conducted as a workshop, this course emphasizes a step-by-step approach to the business of freelance writing. Students will learn how to select topics and study potential markets in an effort to sell research articles and first-person essays. Students will read, analyze, and study a wide range of articles and writers as they develop their writing style.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

ENGL 312

JOUR 315 Newspaper Writing: Critical/Editorial

Conducted as a workshop, this course considers the theory and practice of writing reviews and opinion pieces. Students will review a variety of popular art forms, and will develop skills in writing editorial and opinion pieces. The study and critique of local and national reviewers and opinion writers will also be included.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

ENGL 315

JOUR 335 Elections, Public Opinion and The Media

A study of American elections, of how the electorate votes and why they vote the way they do. The course examines attitude formation and change, the impact of public opinion on public policy, the media's influence on the political opinions of US citizens and lawmakers, the media's ability to determine which political issues get placed on the public agenda, and the degree to which these issues are presented in an unbiased and objective manner. Presidential election since 1952 are covered in detail.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

GOVT 335

JOUR 365 Public Relations

The principles and practice of public relations. Lectures, readings, and discussion will introduce students to the theories, techniques, and application of public relations. In addition, case studies and group and individual projects will be used to refine and apply course concepts.

Credits

3

Cross Listed Courses

COMM 365

JOUR 395 Internship

Students will work in a professional setting in the journalistic area of the student's choice, usually involving full- or part-time employment by a cooperating newspaper or magazine, radio or television station, advertising agency or public relations office. Open only to majors and minors. Arranged on an individual basis.

Credits

4

JOUR 397 Topics:

Special Topics in Journalism.

Credits

3

JOUR 495 Internship

Students will work in a professional setting in the journalistic area of the student's choice, usually involving full- or part-time employment by a cooperating newspaper or magazine, radio or television station, advertising agency or public relations office. Open only to majors and minors. Arranged on an individual basis.

Credits

4