These are the competencies that students who earn a BA in Journalism from our department can expect to develop:
- Understand and apply major concepts and theories to the production, distribution, and reception of images and information.
- Recognize and examine emerging digital technologies and evaluate their potential implications for journalism and public communication.
- Understand and apply laws concerning press and speech, and defend constitutional protections for free expression.
- Identify and understand professional ethical standards and apply them to the pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity.
- Recognize and challenge deliberate misinformation campaigns and apply rigorous standards of evidence to challenge narratives that do not mesh with verifiable truths.
- Demonstrate the ability to relate current events to their historical context.
- Develop a critical understanding of the history and role of journalism and systems of freedom of expression within and outside the United States.
- Write and present correctly, clearly and succinctly in forms and styles appropriate for the professions of journalism and public communication on deadline.
- Evaluate and use digital tools and technologies to gather information and produce quality journalism and public communication across platforms.
- Compose and capture powerful storytelling images, video and/or audio. Be able to analyze and effectively apply tools of visual communication.
- Show initiative in conducting research and gathering and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communication professions and academic traditions in which one works.
- Understand and apply basic numerical and statistical concepts in journalistic and public communication work, and be able to synthesize both quantitative and qualitative information to explain complex events and issues.
Experiential Goals
In addition to these learning objectives, we also encourage students to:
- Pursue and complete as many internships as possible during their undergraduate career.
- Get involved with campus media outlets to ensure they are developing a continuous and varied publication record.
- Engage in academic research with our faculty, especially if the student wishes to pursue graduate education.
- Study abroad in order to gain experience with new cultures.
- Apply for scholarships that fund professional development, conference attendance, unpaid internships, and studying abroad.
- Attend the many events we host over the course of the academic year, wherein we bring in working journalists, academics, and public thinkers to discuss topics that are timely and fundamental to the practice of journalism.