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  • Journalism
    College of Journalism and Communications
    JOUMMCPGY

    Journalism courses train professional journalists in newspaper and magazine reporting, writing, editing, layout, graphics and photography. Students should also refer to college course offerings in advertising, public relations, technical communications and telecommunication.

    Students not admitted to this college must have a 3.0 overall grade point average to enroll in journalism courses other than MMC 1000, MMC 2100, PUR 3000 and RTV 2100.

    JOU 1001 Introduction to Journalism
    Credits: 1.
    Overview of journalism in its many forms. A series of professional journalists introduce the news and information business. Offers preparation for a career in journalism.
    JOU 2040 Writing Mechanics
    Credits: 1.
    Prepares media writers for professional work, with a focus on mastering the basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling.
    JOU 3101 Reporting
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 2005 or MMC 2005 and JOU 3109C with minimum grades of C.
    Instruction and practice reporting and writing basic news stories. Emphasizes style, clarity, accuracy and responsibility in handling news. (WR)
    JOU 3109C Multimedia Writing
    Credits: 3. Prereq: ENC 1102 and one of the following: JOU 1001 or JOU 1100 or MMC 2604 or PUR 3000, with minimum grade of C.
    Introduces news and public relations writing and the use of multimedia tools in gathering and disseminating information. Learn how to use multimedia tools for journalism work, interviewing techniques, AP style and the elements that make a story newsworthy. Consists of two hours of lecture and a three-hour lab each week.
    JOU 3110 Applied Fact Finding
    Credits: 3. Prereq: JOU 3109C with minimum grade of C and JM designation.
    Instruction and practice in researching and solving complex news problems. Emphasizes enterprise, documentation and use of multiple sources, using standard reference works and public records.
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    JOU 3184 Beat Reporting
    Credits: 3. Prereq: JOU 3101 and JOU 3110 with minimum grades of C.
    Experience in reporting on a number of beats of significant public interest. Emphasizes responsible coverage of law enforcement, courts, schools, city and county government, health and the environment.
    JOU 3212 Magazine Design
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3109C and JOU 3220C with minimum grades of C.
    Discover the principles and practice of design for various types of magazines. Learn how to use typography, photographs, illustrations and layouts to match graphic style to content for specific target audiences.
    JOU 3213 Design
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3109C and JOU 3220C with minimum grades of C.
    Design of various forms of print media. Emphasizes basic principles of design. Use of typography and photographs together.
    JOU 3220C Visual Journalism
    Credits: 3. Prereq: JOU 1100 with minimum grade of C and JM designation.
    Learn how words and visuals work together to tell a story. Develop the skills to interpret and evaluate photographs, maps, charts, interactive graphics, websites and motion graphics. Learn and apply basic design principles. Gain proficiency in Photoshop, InDesign and other software.
    JOU 3305 Data Journalism
    Credits: 3. Prereq: JOU 3101 or instructor permission.
    Experience data journalism by using tools such as spreadsheets, databases, and mapping programs to acquire, clean, and analyze data, and by performing basic data visualization. Focuses on using tools to find meaningful patterns in data and to report those patterns accurately.
    JOU 3346L Multimedia Reporting
    Credits: 1. Prereq: JOU 3109C with minimum grade of C; Coreq: JOU 3101.
    Learn to use digital tools in reporting for Internet news sites and other online media. Focuses on the tools to gather audio and visual material that helps to tell a journalistic story.
    JOU 3601 Photographic Journalism
    Credits: 3; Prereq: junior standing in college.
    Study and practice of photography as a major component of print journalism. Emphasizes basic color picture-taking; electronic scanning; selection and use of photographs; ethical, historical, legal and stylistic aspects. Cameras and some supplies provided.
    JOU 3920 Professional Practice
    Credits: 1; Prereq: junior standing in college.
    Explores both traditional job-seeking methods as well as digital job hunting. Covers best practices in how to prepare for an interview and how to reach out to and search for employers online. (S-U)
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    JOU 4004 History of Journalism
    Credits: 3.
    Gain media literacy and become an educated consumer, critical thinker and researcher of/about the media. Learn about research methods, media-business models and the connections between the media and economics.
    JOU 4008 Journalism Studies
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 4201 with minimum grade of C and instructor permission.
    Origin, development and potentiality of print and broadcast media. Analyzes the evolution of standards, policies, methods and controls.
    JOU 4111 Advanced Reporting
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3110 and JOU 3184 with minimum grades of C, or instructor permission.
    Produce quality news and feature stories for publication. Gain experience enhancing your news gathering and writing skills. Produce clips for your portfolio and as possible entries in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program.
    JOU 4121 Journalism Research
    Credits: 3. Prereq: MMC 2100.
    Introduces the methods or research commonly used by newspapers and magazines and the typical types of studies (readership/circulation, typography/makeup, readability and accuracy). Approaches material from a newsroom perspective, including use of statistical techniques as reporting tools.
    JOU 4123 Investigative Reporting
    Credits: 3. Prereq: JOU 3110 and JOU 3184 with minimum grades of C and instructor permission.
    Learn to develop and execute an investigative reporting project employing various story platforms. Investigate a data-driven topic of public interest over the course of the semester; melding both primary research and in-depth interviewing.
    JOU 4181 Public Affairs Reporting
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101 with minimum grade of C and JOU 3110.
    Instruction and practice in basic public affairs reporting; emphasizes responsible coverage of courts, schools and city and county government.
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    JOU 4201 Editing
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101.
    Fundamental instruction and practice in essentials of news editing. Includes copy-reading, headline writing, makeup, technology and typography.
    JOU 4202 Advanced Editing and Design
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 4201 with minimum grade of C and instructor permission.
    Career newspaper editing; emphasizes creativity in editing, layout and design, color, decision making, news selection and judgment, technology and production, and publication trends.
    JOU 4214 Advanced Design
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101 and JOU 3411 with minimum grades of C and instructor permission.
    Advanced design and production of various forms of print media. Emphasizes advanced principles, picture editing, typography and use of other design elements.
    JOU 4301 Literary Journalism
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101.
    Study and practice in literary journalism. Students may select a specialty and may work in writing or in writing and photography together.
    JOU 4302 Public Opinion and Editorial Analysis
    Credits: 3; Prereq: senior standing.
    Public opinion as a force in government and daily life; introduces persuasive writing as a practical means of influencing public opinion.
    JOU 4308 Magazine and Feature Writing
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101.
    Preparation of features and articles for publication in newspapers and magazines coordinated with study of magazine editing problems. Supervised marketing of pieces produced.
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    JOU 4311 Advanced Magazine Writing
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 4308 with minimum grade of B and instructor permission.
    Advanced writing course in which students create article ideas, research and write magazine-length nonfiction articles and submit them for publication.
    JOU 4313C Sports Reporting
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3101.
    Instruction and practice in reporting sports with special emphasis on game coverage and interviewing techniques. Includes features, sidebars, advances and press conference coverage. Opportunities for publication of stories.
    JOU 4342 Reporting and Writing for Online Media
    Credits: 3; Prereq: MMC 3260, and JOU 3101 or RTV 3303.
    Explore ways to adapt reporting practices to online media. Develop original journalistic stories in chunks and link them in usable structures that readers can navigate according to their own choices. Students focus on writing and on editing their own work as a necessary part of the process of writing. Emphasizes information design, not graphic design. Students produce both individual and group projects.
    JOU 4447C Applied Magazines
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3411, JOU 4201 and JOU 4308 with minimum grades of C and instructor permission.
    Provides experience in editing and publishing a magazine.
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    JOU 4510 Magazine Management and Publication
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 4201, JOU 3411 and JOU 4308.
    Provides knowledge and training in magazine writing, editing, design, production and administration for magazine sequence majors. Stresses organization, concept, audience, budget, printing, advertising, circulation and promotion of magazines.
    JOU 4603 Specialized Journalistic Photography
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3601 with minimum grade of C or instructor permission.
    Journalistic still photography emphasizing technical proficiency. Specialized techniques and equipment stressed. Emphasizes color portraiture, studio products, lighting, flash and related skills. Assignments prepared using digital scanning. Students furnish some 35mm equipment and most supplies.
    JOU 4604 Advanced Photographic Journalism 1
    Credits: 3; Prereq: ARH 2002, JOU 3601 and a 3JM designation.
    Primary concern is portfolio-quality single story-telling pictures and multiple picture packages, including picture stories. Introduces computer page layout. Deadline pressure emphasized; overview of picture editor duties; trends; social implications; portfolio preparation. Assignments involve computer programs. Students furnish supplies, most 35mm camera equipment and flash.
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    JOU 4605 Advanced Photographic Journalism 2
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 4604 with minimum grade of C and instructor permission.
    Continues JOU 4604 with emphasis on the picture story, layouts and the study of historical figures in photojournalism. Pays particular attention to magazines, color and new developments in the profession. Duties of the picture editor covered in-depth. Prior knowledge of computer scanning and layout programs expected. Portfolio preparation concluded. Terminal course in the sequence. Students furnish supplies and most equipment.
    JOU 4700 Problems and Ethics of Journalism in Society
    Credits: 3; Prereq: 4JM designation.
    Reading, analysis and planning in current and projected issues in journalism, both in their professional and societal aspects.
    JOU 4905 Individual Problems in Journalism
    Credits: 1 to 3; Prereq: at least 10 credits of journalism in the upper division and department permission.
    Students and the instructor concerned choose a problem or project which gives the student actual experience in his or her major field.
    JOU 4910 Journalism Undergrad Research
    Credits: 0 to 3, can be repeated with change in content up to 6 credits; Prereq: JOU 3109C with grade of C or better.
    Provides firsthand, supervised research. Projects may involve inquiry, design, investigation, scholarship, discovery, or application, depending on the topic. (S/U)
    JOU 4930 Special Study in Journalism
    Credits: 1 to 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
    Variable content provides opportunity for study in academic areas of journalism, such as the literature of journalism and other fields within the province of the college.
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    JOU 4940 Journalism Internship
    Credits: 1 to 3; Prereq: minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of specialized courses in journalism appropriate to the internship. Must have department approval to receive credit.
    Student and instructor select an appropriate work area related to the field of journalism for on-the-job training. Student works a minimum of 100 hours on the job for every credit to be received. Progress reports and summary required. (S-U)
    JOU 4950 Applied Online Journalism
    Credits: 3; Prereq: MMC 3260 with minimum grade of C; one or more of JOU 3601, JOU 4341 or MMC 4341L with minimum grade(s) of C, and instructor permission.
    A senior-level course that brings together the work of the preceding news courses into actual experience and newsroom training in the preparation and handling of news copy, pictures and syndicated materials. Special section offered for electronic publishing.
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    MMC 1000 Introduction to Mass Communication
    Credits: 3.
    Introduces the various mass communication media, with special emphasis on their roles and responsibilities to society and the public.
    MMC 1009 Introduction to Media and Communications
    Credits: 1.
    Introduces the tools, resources and academic and extra-curricular activities offered by the College of Journalism and Communications. Includes lessons on the history and organization of the college and academic and career preparation.
    MMC 1702 Rock 'n Roll and American Society
    Credits: 3; can be repeated once with a change in content: Rock 'n Roll and American Society Part 1 and Rock 'n Roll American Society Part 2.
    Studies the role of popular music in American culture. Not a music course but a look at the effects of recorded sound on popular culture. Part 1 emphasizes rock 'n roll and its impact from 1954-1970. Part 2 covers 1970 to the present.
    MMC 2121 Writing Fundamentals for Communicators
    Credits: 3.
    One-third of the course is to ensure students have sufficient skill in grammar and punctuation to write with clarity. In two-thirds of the course, students put principles of good writing into practice with short writing assignments that have real-world applications.
    MMC 2265 Technology, Change and Communications
    Credits: 3.
    Explores how technologies of communication affect societies and interact with changing institutions such as art, economy, education, entertainment, government and religion. Compares the adoption and uses of newer digital technologies and earlier technologies, including alphabets, paper, the printing press, photography, the telegraph, radio, TV and the Internet.
    MMC 2604 Mass Media and You
    Credits: 3.
    Examines roles and effects of contemporary mass media on modern societies. Considers rights, responsibilities and ethics of media, explores relationships between governments, audiences and media companies and reviews economic, political and social determinants of media content.
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    MMC 3007 Media Literacy
    Credits: 3.
    Provides a broader understanding of media's impact on today's society. Examines media's cultural context and review the potential effects, uses and constructs of media messages. A variety of exercises aid in developing skills for critical analysis and evaluation of media.
    MMC 3030 Personal Branding for Communicators
    Credits: 1; Prereq: 3JM designation.
    Professional development course that stresses how to communicate and connect as professionals. Emphasizes mastery of writing, speaking, presentation and employment-seeking skills, working with media, handling media interviews and using social media to establish a professional identity.
    MMC 3203 Ethics and Problems in Mass Communications
    Credits: 3; Prereq: 2JM designation and ADV 3008, JOU 1001, PUR 3000 or RTV 3001 with minimum grade of C.
    A cross-disciplinary introduction to ethics-relevant situations faced by media professionals. Topics include professional standards of conduct, audience representation and engagement and issues associated with the production, presentation and delivery of messages that reflect the best interests of audiences, clients and stakeholders.
    MMC 3254 Media Entrepreneurship
    Credits: 1; Prereq: sophomore standing.
    Introduces media entrepreneurship with a focus on how digital technologies are transforming industries. Students work in teams to develop new digital media businesses. Develop and pitch ideas, explore market analysis, develop business and financial plans and study social media strategies.
    MMC 3260 Communications on the Internet
    Credits: 3; Prereq: 3JM designation or instructor permission.
    History, development and current state of online communications from teletext to the World Wide Web. Focuses on how online services relate to mass media in the past, present and future. Analyzes content methods, audiences and income sources. Create online projects related to mass communication.
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    MMC 3420 Consumer and Audience Analytics
    Credits: 3; Prereq: Junior standing.
    Provides practical analytical skill-sets, benefiting those who plan careers in analytics/research, social media, media business, advertising/marketing and public relations.
    MMC 3614 Media and Politics
    Credits: 3.
    Provides an understanding of the role of the media in the political system. Topics include televised debates, political advertising, political journalism, Internet and alternative media.
    MMC 3703 Sports Media and Society
    Credits: 3; Prereq: sophomore standing.
    The relationships between sports, athletes, media and audience. Includes the evolution of sports media from the early sportswriters to the day when athletes control their own messages via Twitter. Covers the various mediums (newspapers, magazines, books, radio, TV, online, forums, blogs and social media) in terms of their history, function and impact.
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    MMC 4200 Law of Mass Communication
    Credits: 3; Prereq: 4JM designation.
    Understanding the law, which guarantees and protects the privileges and defines the responsibilities of the mass media. Includes problems of constitutional law, libel, privacy and governmental regulations.
    MMC 4302 World Communication Systems
    Credits: 3.
    Theoretical bases of world mass media systems, international channels of communications, analysis of press and broadcasting systems by regional and national categories.
    MMC 4341L Advanced Online Media Production
    Credits: 3; Prereq: JOU 3601 and MMC 3260.
    Advanced skills in appropriate technologies for producing online journalism. Sophisticated design of navigation interfaces for online information; screen/page design and site structure planning; web video, audio, photos and animation; web forms and databases. Emphasizes professional techniques and standards. Several software packages used; students must be able to take initiative in learning. Students complete a final portfolio project.
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    PGY 3610 Survey of Photojournalism
    Credits: 2; Prereq: 3JM designation.
    Not open to photojournalism majors. Introduces still photography; selection and use of photographs in the print media; legal, historical, stylistic, ethical and technical aspects. Picture-taking minimal compared to JOU 3601. Shared cameras provided.
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descriptions: journalism