Journalism

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• apply the processes of news gathering.
• describe the traditional roles of journalists in society.
• analyze information related to observed events to determine its significance to particular audiences.
• demonstrate interpersonal communication skills by conducting informative interviews.
• compose text using grammar and style in accordance with Associated Press style (when using an AP Stylebook).
• compose a variety of news stories, including coverage of events and meetings, feature stories, and personality profiles.
• compose and revise a simple news story with a compelling lede, adequate sourcing and context, clear transitions, and a minimal number of technical writing errors.
• organize and write news stories in a timely manner for both print and website publications.
• discuss and apply broad libel, privacy, and ethical guidelines to common reporting situations.
• apply news literacy concepts to various media outlets, including news websites.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify the major components of local and state government and describe their interrelationships.
• use public records as a news gathering source.
• explain state and federal laws pertaining to information access.
• describe the essential processes of the judicial system.
• prepare and conduct interviews that produce substantive discussion.
• write and edit news stories that explain complex processes and/or relationships.
• write and edit feature stories that explore personalities and explain conditions.
• utilize the internet as a news gathering source.
• collect and confirm information essential to substantive reporting.
• research and produce in-depth news and feature stories and news and feature packages that include sidebars, fact boxes, and statistical charts.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze the essential and structural processes of mass communication.
• analyze theories that have been developed to understand the effects of mass communication on the behavior of individuals, groups, and on social change.
• explain major terms and trends in media studies.
• describe legal and ethical issues that affect the relationship of the media and society.
• utilize their understanding of the history, economics, and developmental structure of the media to evaluate the evolution of media products and services.
• explain how the media affect our culture, attitudes, governance, and beliefs.
• perform a simple content analysis of a media product.
• describe the role, influence, and impact of new and emerging media formats and the practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with them.
• explain the concept of media literacy and its applications in regard to media messages distributed via analogous and digital channels.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• differentiate among the various approaches of media.
• describe the structure of print, broadcast, and digital media.
• identify media's role as documenter of history and perpetrator of mainstream culture and cultural change.
• analyze key research and theory on attitudinal, behavioral, and social effects of mass media with emphasis on literature that examines social groups and ethnic and racial minorities.
• critically analyze the presentation of social groups and classes in various media.
• evaluate the bias and balance in each form of mass media.
• identify the role minority-owned and alternative media play in building communities and reaching audiences.
• discuss how minority groups can further social change using the education, enculturation, and social mobilization functions of the mass media.
• define how ethnocentrism, prejudice, and racism have shaped the American experience, media content, policy, ownership, and distribution.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• propose, write, and edit saleable magazine articles.
• formulate and plan magazine article ideas and identify the most appropriate places to pitch them.
• critically analyze and identify niche publications, readership, and demographics and propose freelance opportunities.
• plan story ideas and focus and target them to particular publications and platforms.
• collect research and successfully execute interviews.
• tailor a story for different markets, publications, and platforms.
• apply First Amendment law and libel restrictions to professional practice.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• write, edit, and produce news and feature stories for television, radio, and web-based news sources.
• describe the basic structure of radio and television journalism.
• analyze audiences of electronic media.
• develop sources and conduct interviews for produced stories.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• evaluate and assess the role of the PR practitioner in PR firms, corporations, and public information offices.
• research, plan, design, and generate a public relations campaign.
• analyze the use of mass media for PR.
• generate researched and targeted media messages for clients.
• produce researched and targeted press releases, brochures, newsletters, social media posts, and press kits.
• analyze and apply the legal and ethical limits of PR.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• use digital still photography equipment.
• explain terms and procedures typically used in photojournalism.
• analyze ethical and legal issues pertinent to photojournalism.
• explain the role of the photojournalist in the media.
• capture, process, and caption digital still images.
• select images appropriate for use with specific stories.
• assemble a portfolio of digital still images that can be used to obtain career advancement in the professional world.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• use digital still photography, audio, and video equipment, including smartphones and smartphone applications, to create a multimedia project.
• edit a multimedia project using digital still photography, audio, video, and smartphone application software.
• explain terms and procedures typically used in multimedia production.
• explain multimedia editing principles.
• select images, audio, and video content appropriate for use with specific stories.
• assemble a 3-minute multimedia project.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• describe editing and production processes.
• design and lay out a variety of publications.
• demonstrate and coordinate the elements contained in each type of publication.
• convey design principles.
• compare and contrast techniques in photo editing.
• assess the target audience.
• develop a design to convey the correct message.
• evaluate publications for their efficacy, strengths, and weaknesses.
• analyze the legal and ethical issues journalists, photographers, and designers experience.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce beginner-level work suitable for publication.
• apply the basic principles of news judgment to assignments.
• explain the role of the student press as a member of the campus community.
• utilize production processes while working under deadline pressure.
• apply the principles of the First Amendment and other laws appropriate to professional practice.
• apply basic ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity.
• evaluate work for accuracy, fairness, appropriate style, and grammatical correctness.
• develop an electronic portfolio of 10-20 writing, design, photo and/or graphic artwork, or multimedia stories published in the student publications.
• write and report stories that are free of libel.
• produce, edit, and publish photos or manage artwork that takes into account copyright regulations.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce intermediate work suitable for publication.
• apply basic and advanced principles of news judgment to assignments.
• utilize the production processes while working under deadline pressure, including layout, publication and posting to social media.
• apply the principles of the First Amendment and other laws appropriate to professional practice.
• produce intermediate work suitable for publication by researching, reporting, and writing intermediate-level stories, or by taking and preparing intermediate-level artwork and/or photographs and layouts, or by assigning and editing intermediate-level stories, or by writing headlines, planning issues, and designing pages.
• write and report and/or assign and edit stories that are free of libel.
• publish photos or manage artwork that takes into account copyright regulations.
• apply basic and advanced ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.
• develop an intermediate electronic portfolio of ten to twenty assignments that includes work in at least two of these areas: writing, editing, design, photo, artwork, or multimedia assignments published in student publications.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce advanced stories between 800-1,200 words in length; compose headlines, manage artwork, captions and social media content on deadline.
• plan the content section of the publication under their authority, in collaboration with other section editors and the editor-in-chief and managing editor at editorial board meetings.
• manage reporters, photographers, artists, and graphic designers by guiding them during assignments and ensuring they meet deadlines; write headlines and format copy for production or publication, as well as social media, under deadline pressure.
• apply the principles of the First Amendment and other laws appropriate to professional practice.
• adhere to ethical principles and adhere to professional standards while pursuing assignments and editing the works of others.
• develop an advanced intermediate electronic portfolio of 18 assignments that includes work in at least two of these areas: writing, editing, design, photo, graphics, or multimedia assignments published in student publications.
• write, report, and/or edit stories that are free of libel.
• publish photos or manage artwork with respect to copyright regulations.
• play a basic role in management.
• evaluate the work of others for accuracy, fairness, appropriate style, grammatical correctness, and news judgment.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• produce advanced stories between 800-1,200 words in length; compose headlines, captions and social media content on deadline.
• evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy, fairness, appropriate style, grammatical correctness, and news judgment.
• manage the publication; plan and execute a production process while working under deadline pressure.
• develop an advanced electronic portfolio of ten to twenty assignments that includes work in at least three of these areas: writing, editing, copyediting, social media, design, photo, artwork, or multimedia assignments published in student publications.
• play an active role in leadership of the news organization, including making decisions based on the professional and ethical standards of journalism.
• mentor new journalists.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• apply journalistic principles to assignments.
• report and write stories for publication using multiple sources.
• assess and apply the basic skills of layout and design.
• create and prepare photographs or manage artwork for publication.
• create basic headlines for publication.
• develop a basic digital portfolio of up to ten writing, photo, editing, and/or design pieces published in student publications.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• apply intermediate journalistic principles, including story planning, assigning and editing, to assignments.
• report and write in-depth or enterprise stories for publication using multiple sources.
• apply the intermediate skills of layout and design.
• take and prepare photographs and photo essays or manage artwork for publication.
• develop advanced/complex headlines for publication.
• develop online headlines under search engine optimization guidelines.
• develop an intermediate digital portfolio of up to ten writing, photo, editing, and/or design pieces published in student publications.