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Journalism Courses
225 Readings in Journalism A tour of journalism during this century, including works by such journalists as Ida Tarbell, H.L. Mencken, A.J. Liebling, Walter Lippmann, James Agee, Jessica Mitford, Hunter Thompson, Joan Didion, and Bob Woodward. Focus on the responsibility of the press in a democratic society and the growing awareness of journalists as social commentators and artists. Topics vary from semester to semester. 296, 396 Independent Study 298, 398 Practicum: Journalism Internship (both sem) 1-9 cr Individual field study and practice for a semester or a summer in news organizations, public agencies, or elsewhere. Part-time arrangements possible. Internship credit divided between Pass/Fail in JOURN 298 and 1-6 graded credits in JOURN 398. Prerequisites: JOURN 300, 45 completed credit hours, and a grade point average of 2.5, or consent of director of internships. 300 Newswriting and Reporting (both sem) 4 cr With lab, field work. Standards and practices in gathering and writing news; small sections under intensive instruction. Basic keyboard skill necessary. Required for majors; satisfies Junior Year Writing requirement. 301 Intermediate Reporting 4 cr Lecture, discussion, field work. Reporting theory and practice beyond the elementary level, emphasizing reporting of public affairs. For majors, with preference by seniority. Prerequisite: JOURN 300. 310 The Press and the Third World (2nd sem) Examines U.S. media efforts to report the problems and achievements of Third World nations; Third World nations' charges of imbalance in the flow of information between developed and developing countries; the efforts spearheaded by Third World nations, within and outside the United Nations, to expose and correct this imbalance. 312 Journalism and Law Legal concepts underlying freedom of the press, censorship, defamation, privacy, free press/fair trial, contempt, obscenity, access, fairness doctrine. Case study approach emphasizing the principles and philosophy behind media law. 320 History of American Journalism (HS) (1st sem) The 18th-century development of press freedom under the First Amendment, how that freedom played out in the 19th century, and the constraints on 20th-century media. Attitudes of government, society, and the media toward press freedom emphasized. 335 Introduction to Pubic Relations A basic introduction to the practice of public relations as a management tool in corporations, non-profits, and government. Analysis of media campaigns, the influence of public relations on the news, and the relationship between news organizations and government agencies. 345 Media Criticism (both sem) The shift in the role of the journalist from describing events to theorizing about conditions; different ways of evaluating American television. Students write at least two critical essays and several short pieces. 360 Journalism Ethics Case studies, discussion, research. Rights, moral obligations, social responsibilities of journalists; relation of philosophic ethics to the professional ethics of the journalist; development and relevance of professional codes of conduct; typical moral dilemmas that face the journalist in areas such as privacy, truth-telling and respect for the rights of others. 375 News Editing 4 cr Lecture, discussion, newsroom practice. Theory, techniques, and standards of editing news. Intensive practice in story editing, headline writing, publication layout. For majors. Prerequisite: JOURN 300. 391 Seminar: Requires a group trip to Europe or Mexico. Students learn about travel writing, cultural reporting, and digital photography using Photoshop. A photo essay, a travel article, and several readings required. Fall semester sign-up. 392 Seminar: Advanced Reporting (both sem) 4 cr Seminars in such specialties as court reporting, social reporting, broadcast narratives, nonfiction narrative writing, science writing, and other areas. Offerings vary each semester. 393 Seminars Introduction to Photojournalism Modern image processing for both print and on-line media. Topics include: basic camera, flash, and lens techniques; film and exposure; composition; digital image processing; news, feature, and sports photography; ethics, and credibility in the age of the digital image. Writing Broadcast Narratives 4 cr The techniques of writing and producing stories and narratives for broadcast. Involves writing, conducting interviews, field research, working with tape, on-air delivery, producing newscasts, and reviewing and editing others' work. Web Site Journalism (2nd sem) Basic HTML programming; production of sound, images, and graphics for the Web; writing for Internet publishing; Web authoring tools (Adobe Pagemill, Macro-media Dreamweaver); and fundamentals of graphic design for on-line publications. Students also create a complete Website for a client. Philosophy of Journalism Examines several aspects of philosophic traditions. These traditional truth quests in the light of problems faced by journalists; how and why we ply the trade. Computer-Assisted Reporting 4 cr Using spreadsheet and relational database manager programs to analyze public records and create informative news stories. Negotiating for databases and public records, doing research on the Internet, using the census and other records to create meaningful social portraits of communities, properly interpreting statistics and quantitative information, incorporating CAR materials into ordinary news stories. Computer ownership recommended. 395 Seminars: The participation and portrayal of women in American journalism from colonial to contemporary times, focusing on outstanding women journalists and the obstacles women have faced from the 18th century through today. Covering the Courts 4 cr How to report legal procedures accurately, concisely and in an interesting format. Taught by a former reporter who is now a prosecuting attorney. Includes sections on the use of testimony in a legal proceeding, the law behind legal procedures, writing courtroom stories, and public records. 397 Special Topics The Afro-American Press (2nd sem) The role of a minority journalism in the American past and present. Notable editors and newspapers in the history of the Black press, and their contribution to the major issues of their times. The Black press of the 1990s and its prospects. Art of the Essay 4 cr Students read ancient and modern essays, studying the breadth of subject matter, approach, and tone that the essay form invites. Students produce a substantial portfolio of their own work in this classic genre. Irish-American Experience in Nonfiction An exploration of the Irish-American experience in nonfiction as expressed by writers such as Frank McCourt, James Carroll, Mary Gordon, Andrea Barrett, Mary McCarthy, and others. A major cultural reporting and research project required. Murder They Wrote: Ethics and Crime Reporting (2nd sem) Ethical questions involved in the media's coverage of crime, focusing on treatment of victims, sensationalizing grief, invading privacy, considerations of gender, race, and others; treatment of the accused and convicted; press-bar guidelines and other policies. Objectivity and Power Evaluates the conflict between objectivity as the defining value in professional journalism in the U.S. and the growing body of research indicating that news often is not at all objective. Frequent clear themes in the news as to who's right and who's wrong, often from viewpoints protecting existing power. Also identifies some of journalism's consequent limits as a democratic force. 450 Freedom of the Press Historical and philosophical foundations of the idea of freedom of the press. Writings by Milton, Jefferson and Mill on classical liberal ideas that shaped the First Amendment; neo-liberal ideas from the 20th century, including works by Dewey, Lippmann, the Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press. Why the original ideas behind the First Amendment were altered over time; how those ideas stand today. 491 Seminars Public Strategies Preparation for reporting fairly on persuasion campaigns, without getting spun. The design and execution of political campaigns, marketing campaigns, public relations campaigns. Primarily for senior Journalism majors. Press and Politics How the press covers political campaigns, and how it should. Relationship between politicians and the media; issues such as coverage of presidential campaigns, congressional issues and the legislative process. The ways political campaign organizations try to influence press coverage. 492 Seminars Newsletter Publication and Writing 4 cr The basics of newsletter editing and production, including design and layout, writing, dealing with clients and printers, and using desktop publishing programs. Students produce at least one issue of a newsletter for an on-campus academic department or club during the semester, and will be responsible for maintaining a relationship with their "clients." Magazine Article Writing (both sem) 4 cr Instruction and practice in magazine journalism. Students propose, research, report, write, and revise articles. Readings in current and classic magazine literature. Advanced Nonfiction Writing (both sem) 4 cr Limited to nine students who wish to work on a major nonfiction project with a goal of publication. Social Reporting 4 cr The changes in the American social ladder since roughly 1975, particularly changes in the shape of the middle class. Readings from Whyte, The Organization Man; Friedan, The Feminine Mystique; Harrington, The Other America; and a variety of current portraits of the society. Art and Craft of Nonfiction 4 cr A writing workshop that explores legitimate uses of the imagination in a form governed by fact. Students may write on a variety of topics, but all work must be based on experience and direct observation. Intended for writers who seek to realize both literary and journalistic ambitions. 493 Literary Journalism in the 20th Century A readings and research course covering the classic works of literary jounalism, including Hersey's Hiroshima, Herr's Dispatches, and works by Crane, Reed, Agee, Orwell, Didion, and others. Discussion of memoir, accuracy, fact vs. fiction, and the place of literary jounalism in 20th-century journalistic history. 497 Special Topics Journalist as Novelist, Novelist as Journalist Exploration of similarities and differences in the two visions, with emphasis on what constitutes literature in journalism and journalism in literature. Readings selected from Twain, Crane, Agee, Capote, Wolfe, Hersey, Mailer, Didion, others. Diaries, Memoirs and Journals 4 cr Reading of selected memoirs. Students subsequently write a personal history that combines personal honesty with high literary standards. Readings may include the works of Mary McCarthy, Tobias and Geoffrey Woolf, Russell Baker, and others. Covering Race 4 cr A hard look at history to reveal the complexity, nuance, and ugliness which is the legacy of racism, colonialism, and slavery. That history as a foundation for understanding ourselves and for a journalistic prose that both elevates discourse and enlightens readers. Substantial readings and writings. Journalism
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