Journalism Program

Our program offers engaging courses on a variety of topics, ranging from multimedia journalism, sports reporting and opinion writing, to the history of advertising's relationship with the news industry and the challenges journalists face in packaging international news for an American audience.

As a minor in journalism, you will complete:

• Two core courses in history/culture and writing.

• One course in ethics.

• An internship, independent study or senior thesis.

• Two electives on a wide range of topics.

Students can request approval from the Journalism Director to do a senior writing project rather than an internship. However, because of the importance the program places on experiential learning, students will need to make a persuasive case why they are unable to complete an internship. If a request is granted, the student will take Independent Study (JOUR 98a or b). They will work with a faculty member to design their own course of study and spend one semester researching and writing a paper.

If you would like to explore an area of journalism as it relates to your disciplinary interests and professional plans, consider writing an honors thesis in your major on a topic related to the media. Recent theses include:

• “Trafficking With Images: Journalism, History and the Image of Columbia in the United States” (History of Ideas)

• “The Right to Privacy and the Freedom of the Press: A Balancing Act” (Politics)

• “Media Crisis: Health Care Coverage in the 1960s and the 1990s” (American Studies)

In our interdisciplinary program, you’ll be taught by professors from a variety of departments, including sociology, American studies, anthropology and economics. You’ll also learn from visiting professors who are practicing professionals in print and broadcast news.

Here are just a few examples of the dedicated scholars and practitioners you will work with:

• Maura Jane Farrelly, associate professor of American studies, covered religion in America for the Voice of America for four years, working out of their Washington, D.C., and New York bureaus. Before that, she was a general assignment reporter for Georgia Public Radio in Atlanta, where she also freelanced for NPR, the BBC and Public Radio International.

• Eileen McNamara is the author of “Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World” (Simon & Schuster, 2018). A former reporter and columnist for The Boston Globe, she won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary and contributed to the coverage of the clergy sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston. Her writing continues to appear there and on Cognoscenti, the commentary pages of WBUR.org, Boston's National Public Radio station.

• Mark Dellelo is a filmmaker and educator working at the intersection of the performing arts, the visual arts and storytelling. He teaches multimedia storytelling and is an expert on digital media technology, motion picture production, filmmaking and film as narrative.

• Ann Silvio is a journalist, storyteller, and digital media executive with 20 years of experience at legacy news organizations. Most recently, she was a story coach for young producers at a news startup, and for the past decade, she was a senior producer at 60 Minutes. Silvio founded and led 60 Minutes' digital arm, an editorial team that churned out original features for digital platforms and transformed the culture of one of journalism's most respected newsrooms.

• Neil Swidey is a bestselling author and award-winning Boston Globe Magazine writer and editor at large. His book "Trapped Under the Sea" was named one of the best books of the year by Amazon and Booklist. He’s also the author of "The Assist," named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, and a coauthor of "Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy." His writing has been featured in "The Best American Science Writing," "The Best American Crime Writing," and "The Best American Political Writing."

Want to see how the world of journalism really works? Most journalism minors do. Our students have secured one-semester internships at many of Boston’s print and broadcast institutions, including the Boston Herald, The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, WGBH public television and the Boston affiliates of ABC, CBS and NBC.

During the semester of your internship, you’ll also take the course Contemporary Media: Internship and Analysis (JOUR 89a), which will enable you to engage with other students doing media internships. 

You can hone your skills and gain a sense of community by joining student clubs and publications like The Justice, The Brandeis Hoot and WBRS.