An Interdepartmental Program in Journalism

Last updated: September 19, 2022 at 2:34 PM

The Journalism Program examines the purpose and influence of the news media on American—and more broadly speaking, global—society. The program offers students a unique liberal arts approach to the study of journalism, emphasizing the importance of media literacy in modern, democratic societies and challenging students to consider the historical contexts in which our contemporary understandings of the news media’s responsibilities and obligations evolved. A diverse group of scholars and journalism professionals teaches students about the vital role that credible, reliable, and substantive journalism plays in democratic societies. These faculty also help students acquire the traditional and digital research, writing and production skills that are necessary for the accomplished practice of journalism.

In class and in professional environments, students wrestle with the practical and pedagogical challenges of communicating the causes and consequences of issues and events to diverse audiences in print, broadcast, and internet-based formats. The larger, liberal-arts curriculum in which the Journalism Program exists provides students with an opportunity to explore the political, economic, social, religious, and historical roots of the news stories they consume and – in so doing – prepares them to dissect news events as they are happening and repackage them in ways that are useful, meaningful, and accessible to media audiences.

The program is part of the university's larger effort to train students to be critical thinkers and forceful writers. 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, such as law and education.

Learning Goals

Knowledge

Students completing the minor in Journalism will be able to:

Explain the vital role that free, active, and critical news media outlets play in sustaining democracies
Interrogate the leaders and issues that affect the communities to which they belong
Recognize the variety of communities to which they belong
Identify the economic, cultural, and political factors that influence the creation and dissemination of news, both positively and negatively
Articulate the challenges and opportunities presented to the journalism industry by the internet (and realize that new technologies have always presented journalists with challenges and opportunities)
Understand the strengths and limitations of the print, broadcast, and internet media platforms

Skills

Students completing the Journalism minor will, ideally, be able to:

Recognize and formulate sharp, concise, and attention-grabbing lead sentences
Articulate the “news value” of a story in a single, concise paragraph
Critically analyze the news value of the stories they consume
Formulate meaningful and accessible angles on events and on-going issues and pitch those angles to potential editors
Identify relevant interview subjects and conduct concise, directed, and fruitful interviews
Recognize quotes and sound-bites that advance and substantiate a story angle and incorporate those quotes and sound-bites seamlessly into the body of a story
Adjust their writing styles to meet the needs of daily and long-form journalism, particularly with regard to the differences between news and feature stories
Internalize the Code of Ethics that has been formulated by the Society of Professional Journalists and recognize violations of that code when they occur

Social Justice Statement

We certainly believe that anyone graduating from Brandeis University’s Journalism Program has the potential to identify, explore, challenge, and explain issues with the same clarity and insight that characterize the dossiers of award-winning journalists. Our goal for the program, however, goes beyond just creating journalists. We seek to create a cadre of news producers and consumers who will demand that journalists fulfill their obligations to society – and insist that society provide journalists the tools and the freedom they need to meet those obligations. Journalists are obliged to be disinterested but engaged public witnesses who focus light on the hidden and forgotten corners of society and engender a sense of community ownership among the citizens who make up their audiences. In doing this, they are obliged to avoid hyperbole, speculation, and gossip. We hope that some of our graduates will become journalists who meet these obligations. We hope that all of our graduates will become citizens who work to ensure that these obligations are met – and are able to be met – by journalists.

After Brandeis

Roughly half of the students minoring in Journalism choose either to pursue careers in the field immediately after graduation, or else to attend graduate school at places like Columbia, Syracuse, and Northwestern, where they pursue Master’s degrees in Journalism or journalism-related subjects. The remaining Journalism minors tend to pursue careers in Education, Law, Public Relations, and Advertising – fields where professionals are expected to dissect and understand complicated arguments, make clear and concise written and oral statements about those arguments, and take complex ideas or issues and package them in ways that make them accessible and interesting to broad, mainstream audiences.

How to Become a Minor

Committee

Requirements for the Minor

Students are expected to complete a minimum of six courses from the following options:

Core courses: Students must take two core courses, one from a "History/Culture" area, which consists of either JOUR 114b, JOUR 120a, or AMST 137b; and one from a "Writing" area, which consists of either JOUR 15a, JOUR 109b, JOUR 113a, or JOUR 138b.
Ethics: All students are required to take JOUR 110b.
Internship/thesis: Students have three options for satisfying this requirement:
1. JOUR 89a, which must be taken in conjunction with a preapproved internship (with prior approval, students may complete the internship in the summer prior to taking JOUR 89a in the fall).
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 and pre-approve the topic for credit in the minor).
Electives: Students must take two electives from the electives course list below.
No grade below a C- will be given credit toward the minor.
No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

Courses of Instruction

Expand All

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

JOUR 13a Multimedia Storytelling Lab

Yields half-course credit. Formerly offered as EL 13a.

Students at both beginning and intermediate levels of experience pursue projects in photography, podcasting, and video to develop their skills as multimedia journalists. This lab course provides instruction on best practices with equipment and software as well as a forum for workshop and critique. Usually offered every year.
Mark Dellelo

JOUR 15a Documentary Journalism: Reporting and Storytelling for Broadcast
[ ss wi ]

Studies a wide range of documentary journalism, examining the genre with a critical eye. We'll assess scripts and visuals for their journalistic value, underscoring the power of rigorous reporting methods and compelling storytelling choices. Usually offered every year.

Ann Silvio

JOUR 45a Sports Journalism and Innovation
[ ss wi ]

Innovative journalists have found new, impactful ways to cover sports. In this course, students will practice the skills needed to craft meaningful stories across platforms, examine the role of the sportswriter in modern culture, and discuss how the sports media industry has evolved to include new niches and business models. Usually offered every second year.
Jacob Feldman

JOUR 89a Contemporary Media: Internship and Analysis

Brings together students who have held a summer internship in journalism or are interning concurrently with the course. The instructor will work with students one-on-one and in group settings to sharpen the skills they developed as interns and advance to a higher level of producing professional journalism. This course is required for an internship to count toward the journalism minor. Usually offered every year.

Staff

JOUR 92b Contemporary Media Internship

Prerequisite: JOUR 15a or 138b. Enrollment by Program Director permission only.

A directed reading designed for students who are unable to complete JOUR 89a in the fall. Permission must be obtained from the program director a full semester in advance. Usually offered every year.
Staff

JOUR 98a Independent Study

Usually offered every year.
Staff

JOUR 98b Independent Study

Usually offered every year.
Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

AMST/JOU 109b Reinventing Journalism for the 21st Century
[ dl ss wi ]

Technology has transformed journalism into a genuinely multimedia enterprise. This fast-paced course examines innovation at work, from digital storytelling to data visualization, at both start-up and legacy media outlets. It also explores the political, sociological, legal and ethical issues raised by these new technologies and the impact of business pressures on journalism's watchdog role in our democracy. Usually offered every year.
Neil Swidey

AMST/JOU 137b Journalism in Twentieth-Century America
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 137b in prior years.

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.
Eileen McNamara

JOUR 101a The Fundamentals of Journalism
[ ss wi ]

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 year.
Eileen McNamara

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 second year.
Eileen McNamara

JOUR 107b Media and Public Policy
[ ss wi ]

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 year.
Eileen McNamara

JOUR 110b Ethics in Journalism
[ ss wi ]

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. May be combined with an experiential learning practicum (EL 94a). Usually offered every year.
Eileen McNamara

JOUR 111b Advanced Multimedia Storytelling Workshop
[ dl ]

Prerequisite: EL 12b, EL 13a, JOUR 12b, JOUR 13a, JOUR 109B, or JOUR 113A, or permission of the instructor.

In their highest form, podcasts can envelop us in narratives that rival the richness of character and incident in the best documentary films. This course connects these two media and invites students to produce multiple episodes of narrative non-fiction in audio (and optionally visual) storytelling modes, developing a central theme or concept of their own devising. Usually offered every semester.
Mark Dellelo

JOUR 112b Social Journalism: The Art of Engaging Audiences
[ ss wi ]

Students will learn how to use social media storytelling to develop their own voices, sharpen their reporting skills, and reach new communities and platforms. They will also learn the art of tracking and building audiences through engagement tools and will critique the work of professionals and colleagues. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

JOUR 113a Long-form Journalism: Storytelling for Magazines and Podcasts
[ dl ss wi ]

What makes for a great story? This course will examine the hallmarks of successful narrative nonfiction, in both written and audio form. Students will analyze award-winning magazine stories as well as reporting-based podcasts that have injected new energy and financial success into the journalism world. They will learn story structure and techniques to capture and hold the audience's attention. And they will learn by doing, producing their own podcasts and written pieces. his course fulfills the Reporting requirement of the Journalism minor. Usually offered every year.
Neil Swidey

JOUR 114b Arts Journalism: The Making of a Podcast
[ ss wi ]

How do audio journalists cover culture in a world of ever-expanding media options, and find stories that captivate audiences? In this course students will develop their storytelling skills as they work collectively over the semester to produce a podcast that delivers innovative arts, entertainment, and culture coverage. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

JOUR 120a The Culture of Journalism
[ ss ]

Examines the social, cultural, political and economic influences on the practice of journalism. In particular, the course will explore the generational debates around identity, advocacy, and digital disruption that newsrooms around the country are grappling with today, providing the background and concepts for a critical analysis of the contemporary American press. Counts toward History/Culture requirement for Journalism minor. Usually offered every second year.
Ann Silvio

JOUR 130b Science Journalism, the Pandemic, and Disinformation
[ dl ss wi ]

What is the best way to communicate real science in the age of fake news? Students will learn the hallmarks of sound science and medical writing and the dangerous public-health consequences of disinformation and misinformation, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include the growth of vaccine denial and the challenges of interpreting scientific studies while avoiding spin. Usually offered every second year.
Neil Swidey

JOUR 132b Covering the World: International Reporting and Global Affairs
[ ss ]

Explores the evolution of reporting on international affairs and other cultures for an American audience, and how the work of overseas correspondents shapes foreign policy and public opinion. It will examine the challenges facing journalists working in foreign countries and the ethical, cultural, technological, and political factors that influence the U.S. media's coverage of global affairs. Usually offered every second year.
Catherine Elton and Romesh Ratnesar

JOUR 139b Reporting on Diverse Communities in Journalism
[ ss ]

Examines the ways in which news coverage of women and minorities has both shaped our understanding of gender and race in the United States and influenced the tone and content of public discourse on such policy matters as gay marriage, pay equity, and racial profiling. We will consider the implications of the historical under-representation of women and minorities in the nation's newsrooms for efforts to combat cultural stereotyping of blacks, women, ethnic minorities and the GLBT community. Usually offered every second year.

Adriana Lacy

JOUR 145a Opinion Writing
[ ss wi ]

An exploration of opinion writing in all of its journalistic forms. In an era of unverified assertion, this course examines the need for well researched commentary to illuminate public policy. Students will experiment with "voice" and "tone" and learn to write with humor and/or outrage.
Eileen McNamara

JOUR 152a Truth, Fact and Research in Journalism
[ ss ]

Investigates the concept of journalistic truth through immersion into research, fact-checking, and the art of the interview. Working with transcripts, footage, and other sources, students learn how to find the story, leveraging the power of new media and converting information into knowledge. Usually offered every second year.
Ann Silvio

JOUR Core Courses

AMST/JOU 109b Reinventing Journalism for the 21st Century
[ dl ss wi ]

AMST/JOU 137b Journalism in Twentieth-Century America
[ ss ]

JOUR 15a Documentary Journalism: Reporting and Storytelling for Broadcast
[ ss wi ]

Ann Silvio

JOUR 101a The Fundamentals of Journalism
[ ss wi ]

JOUR 113a Long-form Journalism: Storytelling for Magazines and Podcasts
[ dl ss wi ]

JOUR 120a The Culture of Journalism
[ ss ]

JOUR Ethics Courses

JOUR 110b Ethics in Journalism
[ ss wi ]

JOUR Internship Courses

JOUR 89a Contemporary Media: Internship and Analysis

Staff

JOUR 98a Independent Study

Usually offered every year.
Staff

JOUR 98b Independent Study

Usually offered every year.
Staff

JOUR Electives

AMST 36b Television and American Culture
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 130b in prior years.

An interdisciplinary course with three main lines of discussion and investigation: an aesthetic inquiry into the meaning of television style and genre; a historical consideration of the medium and its role in American life; and a technological study of televisual communication. Usually offered every second year.
Thomas Doherty

AMST 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.
Maura Farrelly

AMST 131b News on Screen
[ ss ]

An interdisciplinary course exploring how journalistic practice is mediated by moving image--cinematic, televisual, and digital. The historical survey will span material from the late-nineteenth-century "actualities" of Thomas Edison and the Lumiere Brothers to the viral environment of the World Wide Web, a rich tradition that includes newsreels, expeditionary films, screen magazines, combat reports, government information films, news broadcasts, live telecasts, television documentaries, amateur video, and the myriad blogs, vlogs, and webcasts of the digital age. Usually offered every second year.
Thomas Doherty

AMST 134b Digital Media and American Culture
[ ss ]

Analyzes how the Internet, the Blogosphere, Facebook, Twitterdom, iPhones and iPads (all in all the entire array of constantly expanding techniques for instant (and incessant) information transmission and reception) have affected American Culture--thought, expressive styles, politics, liberties, prose, education, journalism, social and personal relations, values, identities, senses of self, nation, and the globe. In brief: what has been replaced, and with what, and is all this for better or worse? Usually offered every year.
Staff

AMST 135a Photography and American Culture
[ ss ]

Looks at how photography has (and has not) shaped understanding of certain key themes and issues in American history and culture-and how American history and culture have (and have not) done the same to photography. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

AMST/JOU 109b Reinventing Journalism for the 21st Century
[ dl ss wi ]

AMST/LGL 140b Investigating Justice
[ ss ]

Examines methods used by journalists and other investigators in addressing injustices within criminal and civil legal systems. Problems include wrongful convictions, civil rights, privacy protection, and ethical conflicts. Research methods and reporting techniques enhance skills in interviewing, writing, and oral presentation. Usually offered every second year.
Rosalind Kabrhel

ANTH 26a Communication and Media
[ dl ss ]

An exploration of human communication and mass media from a cross-cultural perspective. Examines communication codes based on language and visual signs. The global impact of revolutions in media technology, including theories of cultural imperialism and indigenous uses of media is discussed. Usually offered every second year.
Janet McIntosh

ENG 17a Alternative and Underground Journalism
[ hum ]

A critical history of twentieth-century American journalism. Topics include the nature of journalistic objectivity, the style of underground and alternative periodicals, and the impact of new technologies on independent media. Usually offered every third year.
Caren Irr

ENG 62a Documentary: Techniques and Controversies
[ hum ]

An introduction to documentary, covering major works of nonfiction prose and film. Focuses on the variety of documentary techniques in both media and controversies surrounding efforts to represent the real. Usually offered every third year.
Emilie Diouf

ENG 129a Creative Nonfiction Workshop
[ hum wi ]

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment is by instructor permission after the submission of a manuscript sample. Please refer to the schedule of classes for submission information. May be repeated for credit.

Students will learn how to use a wide range of literary techniques to produce factual narratives drawn from their own perspectives and lives. Creative assignments and discussions will include the personal essay, the memoir essay and literary journalism. Usually offered every second year.
Visiting Writer

ENG 169a Eco-Writing Workshop
[ hum wi ]

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment is by instructor permission after the submission of a manuscript sample. Please refer to the schedule of classes for submission information.

A creative writing workshop focused on writing essays and poems that engage with environmental and eco-justice concerns. Readings, writing assignments, and class discussions will be augmented by field trips. Usually offered every second year.
Elizabeth Bradfield

HIST 118a The History of American Advertising
[ dl ss ]

Considers American advertising from the eighteenth century to the present to understand the growing role of consumerism in our lives. We will begin by examining how the professionalization of advertising and a rise of a new occupation, the advertising agent, created the national market and assisted in the transition of American society from a rural to urban society in the nineteenth-century U.S. We will follow this discussion by identifying the role of advertising in shaping the normative foundations of American identity in terms of race, class, and gender. Finally, we will use advertising as a starting place for researching the ways popular protests emerge under consumer and corporate capitalism. This course will foster the development of incisive analysis and advanced digital literacy skills by exploring a range of primary sources, engaging in structured forum discussions, and conducting independent research. Usually offered every year.
Nataliia Laas

JOUR 45a Sports Journalism and Innovation
[ ss wi ]

JOUR 104a Political Packaging in America
[ ss ]

JOUR 107b Media and Public Policy
[ ss wi ]

JOUR 111b Advanced Multimedia Storytelling Workshop
[ dl ]

Prerequisite: EL 12b, EL 13a, JOUR 12b, JOUR 13a, JOUR 109B, or JOUR 113A, or permission of the instructor.

JOUR 112b Social Journalism: The Art of Engaging Audiences
[ ss wi ]

JOUR 130b Science Journalism, the Pandemic, and Disinformation
[ dl ss wi ]

JOUR 132b Covering the World: International Reporting and Global Affairs
[ ss ]

JOUR 139b Reporting on Diverse Communities in Journalism
[ ss ]

Adriana Lacy

JOUR 145a Opinion Writing
[ ss wi ]

JOUR 152a Truth, Fact and Research in Journalism
[ ss ]

LGLS 116b Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: Constitutional Debates
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who successfully completed POL 116b or LGLS/POL 116b previously.

The history and politics of civil liberties and civil rights in the United States, with emphasis on the period from World War I to the present. Emphasis on freedom of speech, religion, abortion, privacy, racial discrimination, and affirmative action. Readings from Supreme Court cases and influential works by historians and political philosophers. Usually offered every year.
Daniel Breen

POL 116b Civil Liberties in America
[ deis-us ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who successfully completed LGLS 116b or LGLS/POL 116b previously.

The history and politics of civil liberties and civil rights in the United States, with emphasis on the period from World War I to the present. Emphasis on freedom of speech, religion, abortion, privacy, racial discrimination, and affirmative action. Readings from Supreme Court cases and influential works by historians and political philosophers. Usually offered every year.
Jeffrey Lenowitz

SOC 81a Methods of Social Inquiry
[ dl qr ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took SOC 181a in prior years.

Introduces students to qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research. Throughout the course emphasis is on conceptual understanding, with hands-on applications and exercises. No statistical or mathematical background is necessary. Usually offered every second year.
Sara Shostak

SOC 120b Globalization and the Media
[ ss ]

Investigates the phenomenon of globalization as it relates to mass media. Topics addressed include the growth of transnational media organizations, the creation of audiences that transcend territorial groupings, the hybridization of cultural styles, and the consequences for local identities. Usually offered every third year.
Laura Miller

SOC 146a Mass Communication Theory
[ ss ]

An examination of key theories in mass communication, including mass culture, hegemony, the production of culture, and public sphere. Themes discussed include the nature of media effects, the role of the audience, and the extent of diversity in the mass media. Usually offered every year.
Laura Miller

University Bulletin (2022-2023)