JOURNALISM MAJOR REQUIREMENTS: 46 CREDITS
BA Degree: 120 Credits UNIVERSITY APPROVED MINOR: 18 Credits
03/06/07 update ELECTIVES: 5 Credits
Prescribed Courses: (10 Credits)
___________COMM 160 Basic News Writing Skills: grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage
skills required of journalists.
___________COMM 260W News Writing and Reporting: news and news values, legal and ethical problems
of reporting, writing and reporting news for the mass media
Prereq: ENGL 15 or 30; COMM 160; 3rd semester standing and typing proficiency.
___________COMM 403 Law of Mass Communications: nature and theories of law; the Supreme Court
and press freedom; legal problems of the mass media.
___________COMM 409 News Media Ethics: ethical problems in the practice of journalism; principal
public criticisms of news media; case study approach.
Additional Courses: (15 Credits)
SELECT Twelve (12) credits of courses from one of the following tracks of study. Tracks can be combined but only with the consent of a studentŐs adviser:
Broadcast Journalism Track (12 credits)
Prescribed courses (6 credits)
___________COMM 360 Radio Reporting: reporting, writing, producing, and presenting radio
news programs, focusing on the development of news judgment and writing
skills.
Prereq or concurrent: COMM 260W
___________COMM 465 Television Reporting: television news reporting and production.
Prereq: COMM 360
Select 6 credits from:
___________COMM 283W Introduction to Audio and Video Communications: Introduction to audio and video studio procedures and techniques within the context of human communication.
___________COMM 466 Public Affairs Broadcasting: producing a television magazine program featuring
individually produced mini-documentaries and public affairs interviews.
Prereqs: COMM 383 or COMM 465
___________COMM 475 Issues for Newsroom Managers: newspaper and television management, the state of the industry and topics that prospective employees should know about.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 491 Television News: produce a weekly television newscast.
Prereqs: COMM 360, COMM 465, Approval of instructor
___________COMM 495 Internship: supervised practicum with newspapers, broadcasting stations, public
relations, and advertising agencies.
Prereqs: continuing COMM majors and department approval
Print Journalism Track (12 credits)
Prescribed courses (6 credits)
___________COMM 460W Reporting Methods: techniques in reporting news and trends at local,
regional and county levels.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 467 News Editing: teaches proficiency in editing news copy for content and language precision, evaluating the relative importance of news elements, and writing headlines and captions; provides an orientation in newspaper page design and the editing of photographs and information graphics.
Prereq: COMM 260W
Select 6 credits from:
___________COMM 269 Photo-journalism: photography as a medium for communication; creating
photographs and photoessays for newspapers and magazines; camera and
darkroom techniques.
Prereq: COMM 260W or COMM 320
___________COMM 461 Professional Journalism Seminar: problems of research, content, and form in
journalistic specializations; topics of specialization announced each semester
course is offered.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 462 The Feature Article: reporting and writing the human interest article for
newspapers and magazines.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 464W Editorial Writing and News Analysis: introduces advanced journalism students
to theory and techniques of writing news analyses, editorials, and reviews of
culture and the arts.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 474 Depth Reporting: exploration of strategies for developing in-depth newspaper or
magazine articles, with an emphasis on gathering information and long-form writing.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 475 Issues for Newsroom Managers: newspaper and television management, the state of the industry and topics that prospective employees should know about.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 495 Internship: supervised practicum with newspapers, broadcasting stations, public
relations, and advertising agencies.
Prereqs: continuing COMM majors and department approval
VISUAL COMMUNICATION TRACK (12 credits)
Prescribed courses (6 credits)
___________COMM 269 Photo-journalism: photography as a medium for communication; creating
photographs and photoessays for newspapers and magazines; camera and
darkroom techniques.
Prereq: COMM 260W or COMM 320
___________COMM 469 Photography for the Mass Media: development of an informed and critical
approach to photocommunication; individual and team projects, seminars, and
critiques.
Prereq: COMM 269
Select 6 credits from:
___________COMM 283W Introduction to Audio and Video Communications: Introduction to audio and video studio procedures and techniques within the context of human communication.
___________COMM 467 News Editing: teaches proficiency in editing news copy for content and language precision, evaluating the relative importance of news elements, and writing headlines and captions; provides an orientation in newspaper page design and the editing of photographs and information graphics.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 468 Graphic Applications in Print Communications: issues, concepts, and practice
identified with contemporary design strategies for print journalism, advertising,
and public relations.
Prereq: COMM 260W or 320
___________COMM 475 Issues for Newsroom Managers: newspaper and television management, the state of the industry and topics that prospective employees should know about.
Prereq: COMM 260W
___________COMM 495 Internship: supervised practicum with newspapers, broadcasting stations, public
relations, and advertising agencies.
Prereqs: continuing COMM majors and department approval
ADDITIONAL COURSES (6 credits)
Select 6 credits from
___________COMM 180 Survey of Electronic Media and Telecommunications: the development of
electronic media and telecommunications, emphasizing social, economic, political and
global impact.
___________COMM 205 Women, Minorities and the Media: analysis of historical, economic, legal,
political, and social implications of the relationship between women, minorities,
and the mass media.
___________COMM 261
___________COMM 401 Mass Media in History: relationship of news media to social, economic, and
political developments in the Western world.
___________COMM 405 Political Economy of Communications: structure and functions of American
and other mass communications systems and their relationship to political and
economic systems.
Prereq: ECON 2
___________COMM 408 Cultural Foundations of Communications: examination of oral, scribal, print,
industrial, and electronic cultures; analysis of impact of technology on
communications and social structure.
Prereq: Select 3 credits from COMM 100, 118, 150, 180. 260W, 320 or 370
___________COMM 410 International Mass Communications: the role of international media in
communication among & between nations & people. Complement to COMM 419.
Prereq: Select 3 credits from COMM 100, 118, 150, 180. 260W, 320 or 370
___________COMM 411 Cultural Aspects of the Mass Media: the mass media as creators and critics of
mass culture in American life; relationships between the media and mass culture.
Prereq: 6 credits in the arts or humanities and 3 credits selected from COMM 100, 118, 150, 180. 260W, 320 or 370
___________COMM 413W The Mass Media and the Public: social-level & political theories of the
relationships between media & public; media influences on public opinion; social pressure on the media; political communications.
Prereq: Select 3 credits from COMM 100, 118, 150, 180. 260W, 320 or 370
___________COMM 419 World Media Systems: comparative study of modern media systems of mass
communications in selected foreign countries.
Prereq: Select 3 credits from COMM 100, 118, 150, 180. 260W, 320 or 370
___________COMM 496 Independent Studies
___________COMM 499 Mass Communications Study Abroad: study of mass communication systems
and practices in selected foreign countries.
Prereq: department approval
University-Approved Minor (18 credits):
Students majoring in journalism must take a University-approved minor. By careful planning, students may use General Education requirements and Bachelor of Arts requirements to help fulfill this requirement. In lieu of a minor, a student may take a multiple major or simultaneous degree, as long as it is outside of the College of Communications. Students should consult with their advisor as soon as possible.
STUDENTS MUST SELECT AT LEAST 80 CREDITS IN NON-COMMUNICATIONS COURSES, INCLUDING AT LEAST 65 IN THE LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES.