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Undergraduate Catalog

2010 - 2011

BA in Communications: Print Journalism Emphasis
(43 hours*)

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This is a limited-enrollment program requiring departmental admissions approval. Please see the college advisement center for information regarding requirements for admission to this emphasis.

The Discipline

Journalism is a mass media process that provides factual and relevant information for democratic decision making, community building, and public deliberation. Students will acquire skills in effective interviewing, analytical thinking, and lucid writing and storytelling. To develop a wide understanding of the world and the processes that make society work, students are encouraged to earn more than 60 percent of their credits in other departments. Students will become familiar with methods of writing that target mass audiences and help citizens work through community problems and issues. With contemporary journalists working for newspapers, magazines, and new media, students will be offered courses in media law and ethics, journalistic research methods, feature writing, in-depth reporting, publication design, new media, media processes, and public opinion. Journalism students may choose either a traditional news-editorial track or qualify for a news design and new media track.

Career Opportunities

In the exciting field of journalism, traditionally there has been the allure of working in a profession that has its finger on the changing pulse of society. Whether serving as reporters on radio, cable, online, daily newspapers, the community press, or in the magazine field, journalists find themselves rubbing shoulders with important people and recording important events.

A career in journalism implies not only skill with words, but the ability to make sound judgments and to ferret out facts. In addition to the obvious careers as reporters and editors, students often find their journalism skills in demand in a variety of other areas.

Many find the challenge of recording the drama of real life both satisfying and enlightening. Because of television, journalism has changed in recent years, but even though there has been a decline in the number of daily newspapers, an explosion of special interest magazines and online publishing has opened up jobs for writers and editors. These changes call for greater skill in writing and multi-media storytelling to be able to visualize the world in an interesting way. Overall, one of journalism's great satisfactions has been the sense that one can make a difference in the world and bring about changes for the better.

Program Requirements    |    View MAP

  1. Complete one course from the following:
      WRTG 150 : Writing and Rhetoric. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      WRTG 150 : Writing and Rhetoric. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      OFFERED: Honors also.
      WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
      DESCRIPTION: Processes of writing, reading, and research with an emphasis on argumentation and rhetorical analysis.
      NOTE: Fulfills General Education First-Year Writing requirement.

      PHIL 150 : Reasoning and Writing. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      PHIL 150 : Reasoning and Writing. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      OFFERED: Honors also.
      WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
      RECOMMENDED: Recommended for philosophy majors and minors.
      DESCRIPTION: Informal grammar, logic, and rhetoric as tools for reading and writing. Library research.
      NOTE: Fulfills GE First-Year Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

      Note: Students must receive a B grade or better to be eligible to apply for admission to the program.

  2. Complete the following core courses:

  3. Apply to the major.

  4. Complete the following:

  5. After consulting with a faculty advisor, complete one of the following tracks:

  6. After consulting with an advisor, complete an internship in conjunction with 4 hours of the following:
      COMMS 496R : Academic Internship. (1-9:Arr:Arr)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      COMMS 496R : Academic Internship. (1-9:Arr:Arr)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
      WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
      PREREQUISITE: Major status; prerequisites satisfied; clearance by the Communications Department.
      DESCRIPTION: Professional field experience.

      Note: A C– grade or better in the following prerequisite courses must be achieved before the internship experience:

        News editorial track: Comms 308, 321, 420.
        News design track: Comms 308, 365, 428.

  7. Complete one course from each of the following three clusters (nine hours total). Courses must be taken in order (from cluster 1, then 2, then 3):
    • Cluster 1: Media, Family, and Society:

    • Cluster 2: Principles and Philosophy:
        COMMS 301 : Mass Media History and Philosophy. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 301 : Mass Media History and Philosophy. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Historical and philosophical development of today's media. Approaches may include theories of media change, social responsibility, economic factors, and influential pioneers.

        COMMS 360 : Communication Management Principles and Theory. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 360 : Communication Management Principles and Theory. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Management principles and theory, emphasizing responsible management benefiting organizations and their stakeholders. Approaches may include crisis communication, media or agency management, and programming.

        COMMS 406 : Media and the First Amendment. (3:3.0:0.0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 406 : Media and the First Amendment. (3:3.0:0.0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall
        PREREQUISITE: COMMS 300; Major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Advanced understanding of media law, policy, and regulation of free speech and press. Approaches may include Freedom of Information, rights of press, government control, and legal precedents regarding the First Amendment.

        COMMS 480 : Media Ethics and Moral Reasoning. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 480 : Media Ethics and Moral Reasoning. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Comms 300 or instructor's consent.
        DESCRIPTION: Advanced application of moral reasoning and understanding of ethical issues in mass communication. Approaches may include current cases and issues, professional practices, and philosophical foundations of ethics.

    • Cluster 3: Global Communication and Diversity:
        COMMS 381 : International Media Systems. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 381 : International Media Systems. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Communications or international relations major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Comparison of media systems in countries and regions outside the United States. Approaches may include media systems analysis, normative theories of the media, and cultural values and norms.

        COMMS 382 : Issues in Global Communication. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 382 : Issues in Global Communication. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Communications or international relations major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Issues relating to communicating in a global village. Approaches may include global information and policy, cultural imperialism, intercultural interaction, and multinational communication strategies.

        COMMS 481 : Gender, Race, and Class in the Media. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 481 : Gender, Race, and Class in the Media. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: Applying critical theory to the interaction between media and underrepresented groups in society. Approaches may include stereotypes and portrayals, access to media, participation, and media ownership.

        COMMS 482 : Media and World Religions. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        COMMS 482 : Media and World Religions. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:On Demand
        PREREQUISITE: Major or minor status.
        DESCRIPTION: The interaction of media, world religions, and beliefs. Approaches may include media coverage and portrayal of religion, religions' use of media, conflict between the two, and communicating across religious cultures.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill university core requirements.



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