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Courses of Study:
Minor
The program is part of the university's larger effort to train students to be critical thinkers and forceful writers. Although there are a few courses that teach specific journalistic skills, the journalism program is not a nuts-and-bolts communications program; rather, it features a strong liberal arts curriculum that grounds students in an academic subject area and gives them the tools to translate and transmit knowledge to a general audience.
In the core courses and electives, students study the history and organization of media institutions; examine the ethical responsibilities of media practitioners; analyze the relationships among the media and other American social, political, and corporate institutions; and learn the reporting, writing, and editing skills needed by the print and broadcast media.
Although some of our graduates advance directly to graduate programs in journalism and communications, and others take jobs in media venues including public relations and advertising, many go on to other vocational areas where the skills and learning affected by the program are found to be highly valuable.
How to Become a Minor
Committee
Maura Farrelly, Director
(American Studies)
Mark Auslander
(Anthropology)
Jacob Cohen
(American Studies)
Thomas Doherty
(American Studies)
Mari Fitzduff
(Coexistence and Conflict)
Ben Gomes-Casseres (on leave fall 2008)
(Economics)
Tim Hickey
(Computer Science)
Janet McIntosh (on leave 2008-2009)
(Anthropology)
Eileen McNamara
(Journalism)
Laura Miller
(Sociology)
Stephen Whitfield
(American Studies)
Requirements for the Minor
A. Core courses: Students must take two core courses, one from a "History/Culture" area, which consists of either JOUR 120a or AMST 137b; and one from a "Writing" area, which consists of either JOUR 15a or JOUR 138b.
B. Ethics: All students are required to take JOUR 110b.
C. Internship/thesis: Students have three options for satisfying this requirement:
1. JOUR 89a, which must be taken in conjunction with a preapproved off-campus internship (with prior approval, students may complete the off-campus internship in the summer prior to taking JOUR 89a).
2. JOUR 98a or b, in which students complete a semester-long independent study with a faculty member of the journalism program and are graded on a single independently researched writing project.
3. The completion of an honors thesis, in which students write a thesis in their major that is on a topic related to the media (a faculty member of the journalism program must serve as an outside reader).
D. Electives: Students must take two electives from the electives course list below. Each elective must be from a different department.
AMST 137b Journalism in Twentieth-Century America
[ ss ]
Examines what journalists have done, how their enterprise has in fact conformed with their ideals, and what some of the consequences have been for the republic historically. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Whitfield
JOUR 15a Writing for Broadcast and the Internet
[ ss wi ]
A hands-on workshop designed to teach basic broadcast news-writing skills, as well as techniques for gathering, producing, and delivering radio and television news. Stresses the importance of accuracy. Issues of objectivity, point of view, and freedom of the press are discussed. Writing assignments will be written on deadline. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Melnicove
JOUR 89a Contemporary Media: Internship and Analysis
Prerequisite: JOUR 15a or 138b.
Brings together students who are independently engaged in various media internships and provides an opportunity for them to exchange their experiences with other students and to discuss and analyze related readings. Students who choose to satisfy the journalism minor's internship option must take this course. Usually offered every semester.
Staff
JOUR 98a Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff
JOUR 98b Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff
JOUR 110b Ethics in Journalism
[ ss ]
Should reporters ever misrepresent themselves? Are there pictures that newspapers should not publish? Is it ever acceptable to break the law in pursuit of a story? Examines the media's ethics during an age dominated by scandal and sensationalism. Usually offered every year.
Ms. McNamara
JOUR 120a The Culture of Journalism
[ ss ]
Examines the social, cultural, political, and economic influences on the practice and profession of journalism. Provides the background and concepts for a critical analysis of the American press. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Farrelly
JOUR 138b The Contemporary World in Print
[ ss ]
Introduces students to the practice of news reporting for print media and links theory and history to the working craft of journalism. Trains students in the fundamentals of news gathering and writing, providing an opportunity to practice those skills in conditions simulating a newsroom. A concern for ethics, balance, and accuracy is stressed in all assignments. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. McNamara
JOUR 103b Advertising and the Media
[ ss ]
Combines a historical and contemporary analysis of advertising's role in developing and sustaining consumer culture in America with a practical analysis of the relationship between advertising and the news media in the United States. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Farrelly
JOUR 104a Political Packaging in America
[ ss ]
Examines the history of political marketing, image making in presidential campaigns, the relationship between news and ads, and the growth of public-policy advertising by special-interest groups to influence legislation. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. McNamara
JOUR 107b Media and Public Policy
[ wi ss ]
Examines the intersection of the media and politics, the ways in which each influences the other, and the consequences of that intersection for a democracy. Through analytic texts, handouts, and contemporaneous newspaper and magazine articles, explores the relationship between policy decisions and public discourse. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. McNamara
JOUR 109b Digital and Multimedia Journalism
[ ss ]
The fast-changing landscape of new information technologies, from the Internet to wireless networking, is redefining the nature and practice of journalism today. This course explores the political, sociological, legal, and ethical issues raised by these new media technologies. The Internet, in particular, is a double-edged sword: It poses both a real threat and opportunity to newspapers and television news, and to the concept of the media's watchdog role in a democracy. It also provides journalists with powerful new tools for news gathering, but often at the expense of individual privacy rights. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Bass
JOUR 112b Literary Journalism: The Art of Feature Writing
[ ss wi ]
Introduces students to signal works of literary journalism. Helps develop the students' own voices by honing and improving students' own work and by critiquing the work of professionals and colleagues. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Feeney
JOUR 114b Arts Journalism
[ ss wi ]
Introduces students to cultural reporting, profiling, and criticism. Students read and discuss the work of notable past and present practitioners with the aim of enhancing their skills as both consumers and producers of arts journalism. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Feeney
JOUR 130b Medical and Science News Writing
[ ss ]
Scientific progress has brought extraordinary medical advances and serious environmental crises. Good medical and science journalism has never been more important in understanding our world and how to fix it. This course is an introduction to the skills needed to cover medical and science news. It focuses on how to report and write daily news stories and longer features. It also explores the ethical, social, and political issues raised by the press coverage of science and medicine. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Bass
JOUR 140b Investigating Justice
[ ss ]
Explores in depth how journalists cover the criminal justice system and investigate cases of potential wrongful convictions. Students observe, analyze, and write about criminal cases, gain insights into the justice system, and consider the intersection of race, class, and ethics. Usually offered every year.
Staff
The following courses are approved for the program. Not all are given in any one year. Please consult the Schedule of Classes each semester.
AAAS 117a
Communications and Social Change in Developing Nations
AMST 130b
Television and American Culture
AMST 131b
News on Screen
AMST 132b
International Affairs and the American Media
AMST 134b
The New Media in America
AMST 135b
Radio in American Culture
AMST 144b
Signs of Imagination: Gender and Race in Mass Media
ANTH 26a
Communication and Media
ENG 60a
Documentary Prose and Film
POL 110a
Media, Politics, and Society
POL 115a
Constitutional Law
POL 115b
Seminar: Constitutional Law and Theory
POL 116b
Civil Liberties in America
SOC 146a
Mass Communication Theory