Concentration Requirements

The required curriculum includes six courses: Survey of Mass Media, Reporting, Ethics or an approved substitution, Internship, and six credits of advanced electives in journalism. Journalism Practicum is not required but is an excellent experience for the concentration student. It may be repeated three times for credit. Typing/Word processing skills are required in journalism courses.

Courses in Concentration

Journalism 1109. Journalism Practicum. 
An opportunity for students to gain experience working on a publication. The one-credit course involves weekly meetings, contribution to the newspaper or yearbook, and preparation of a portfolio of completed work. Photographers, reporters, advertising designers, writers, editors, artists, production/layout workers, and desktop publishers are needed. May be repeated three times for credit. Fall and Spring. Graded Pass/No Pass.

Journalism 1301. Survey of Mass Media. 
Examination of the role of mass media in modern society, including a study of communication theory, history, operation, and structure of each medium in the American communication system. Discussion of influences of media on society and the interrelationship of the media. Spring.

Journalism 2301. Reporting. 
Introduction to fundamentals of news gathering and writing for the print media. Emphasis placed on practical application—learning newspaper style, conducting interviews, building reporting skills, developing clarity in writing. Includes writing news stories, editorials, features, in-depth or investigative, and entertainment for University News as laboratory experience. Fall.

Journalism 3301. Editing. 
Emphasis on writing quality. Handling copy from its inception as an assignment to the printed page, with special study of style, word usage, layout, headline writing, and use of computer as a standard tool of the trade. Includes writing and editing assignments for University News as laboratory experience. Prerequisite: Journalism 2301. Spring, alternate years.

Journalism 3358. History of American Journalism. 
Survey of American journalism from colonial times to the present, emphasizing the role the media have played in the economic, political, and social development of the nation and changes in the media during this development. Fall, alternate years.

Journalism 3368. Feature Writing. 
Emphasis on research and writing non-fiction features for print media. Includes information on techniques of research, study and analysis of newspaper and magazine features, study of unique characteristics of feature writing, and practical application of principles studied. Spring, alternate years.

Journalism 3V50. Special Topics. 
Graded Course.

Journalism 3V57. Field Experience. 
Students may earn up to six credits for journalism internships. Credit approval for all journalism internships must be pre-arranged with the journalism concentration director. Graded Pass/No Pass. As individually arranged.

Philosophy 4336. Ethics. 
Systematic treatment of ethics and morality with an overview of major ethical theories. Treatment of topics such as the nature and categories of human motivation; the nature of values and moral values; dimensions of human freedom; human acts as bearers of morality; sources of forms of moral goodness, moral evil, and moral obligation; evaluations of major theories; specific nature of Christian ethics. Fall. Occasional substitutions may be approved.