Journalism and Media Studies (B.A.)

This undergraduate program is offered by the School of Professional and Graduate Studies and in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences.

Faculty

Mr. Chaz Muth, Assistant Professor and Director of the Trinity Newsroom (program chair)
Dr. Jamal Watson, Associate Dean and Program Director of Strategic Communication and Public Relations

Description

Journalism is undergoing a comprehensive evolution as a result of technological advances and social media.  The primary focus of journalism is shifting from print and broadcast to digital and online. This ‘interruption’ offers expanding opportunities for students with excellent communication skills. The Journalism and Media Studies program provides students with the in-demand skills journalists and communications professionals currently need to succeed in news organizations, non-profits, government agencies and corporations.  Students learn skills and concepts for effective digital storytelling across media platforms while mastering the most productive ways to use technology.  The Journalism and Media Studies program offers practical courses integrating technique, application, theory and practice. This innovative curriculum marries strong traditions of history, ethics, effective reporting and storytelling with modern tools and methods.  Media industry employers seek graduates who can write clearly and accurately; who think creatively and analytically; who possess a strong liberal arts foundation; and who know how to use technology and can operate professionally in social media spaces. The Journalism and Media Studies degree prepares students for employment in media-related industries and trains them to critically analyze the way the media represents, informs and influences the world. Students who are strong writers and storytellers with passion to educate and engage an audience with words, sound and visuals have a bright future in journalism and media studies.

Every career path is different.  A very competitive field requires industrious self-motivation and willingness to gain practical work experience through internships and other applied experiences, such as the Trinity Times newsroom.   Students in the program take advantage of the many internships and field-based opportunities available in Washington, D.C. Recent internships include prestigious organizations such as CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, National Geographic, other local television stations, the Kennedy Center, lobbying groups, political offices, and public relations firms.

The Journalism and Media Studies undergraduate major consists of 54 credit hours. The Journalism and Media Studies degree program is offered in the School of Professional and Graduate Studies (PGS). In conjunction with PGS, students in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) may declare the Journalism and Media Studies major while meeting the CAS general education curriculum requirements and course pre-requisites.  The program offers flexible evening and weekend scheduling, accelerated 8-week courses, and opportunities for experiential learning.

Students who complete the Journalism and Media studies major may consider pursuing a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Public Relations in the School of Professional and Graduate Studies.

Major Requirements (Total 54 credits)

Required Courses (24 credits)
ALL of the following courses:

JAMS 200 Multicultural Media HistoryThis course explores the political, social and economic history of media in the United States. Students examine the history and development of the press, with particular emphasis on the Black press, and the ways in which minority groups have been portrayed in mass media and how and why those portrayals have changed over time. Students will compare news coverage of mainstream and ethnic news media outlets with special emphasis on stories which concern or affect diverse populations. Students will acquire an understanding of the critical role of ethnic media in news coverage and analysis.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 201 Fundamentals of JournalismIntroduces the fundamentals of news gathering and journalistic writing, including basic newswriting, reporting, and editing techniques. Develops skills of fact-gathering, observation, writing in journalistic style, understanding freedom of information, and ethics. Focuses on rules and styles unique to journalism utilizing the Associated Press Stylebook for news concepts, feature stories, and more.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 230 Newswriting and ReportingEmphasizes the reporting, writing and editing skills that make up the foundations of storytelling across media platforms. Explores techniques used to research and report complex social, political, and economic issues. Outcomes include researching, reporting, and writing stories suitable for publication, under deadline. 3 credits. Prequisite: JAMS 201 Fundamentals of Journalism OR COM 383 Journalism.
JAMS 251 Video Storytelling I: Reporting, Recording and EditingIntroduces fundamentals of journalistic video storytelling; covers basic filming techniques, writing for journalistic video, on-camera interviewing, gathering b-roll for effective video storytelling, video editing using software, and exporting video to multiple formats. Outcomes include shooting and producing one group and one solo project under instructor guidance.
3 credits
Prerequisite: None
JAMS 301 Media EthicsThis course looks at the tough ethical decisions that journalists and other media professionals routinely face. Using real life case studies students will explore fundamental ethical principles, and seek to understand the conflicts that arise when duties and responsibilities of the professionals conflict with their obligations to their employers and/or their audiences. There are often instances in which there is no right or wrong answer but the use of decision-making processes and standards.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 320 PhotojournalismFundamentals of still photography in the print and audiovisual mass media with primary focus on print journalism. Student must have a digital camera. By the end of the course, students will be able:
To analyze, recognize, and evaluate the elements of a good photograph, photojournalistic image.
To develop the technical skills, comprehend the ethical responsibilities, and discern the social, political, and linguistic implications of being a photojournalist.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 399 Journalist in ResidenceSimulates a professional newsroom environment and the experience of producing content for publication on the newsroom platform or for campus media outlets. 3 Credits.
JAMS 499 Capstone ProjectThe senior capstone project draws on what has been learned in the major and is completed in close consultation with capstone faculty members and the program chair. It requires extensive research and writing, but also offers an opportunity for imagination and creative output. This may be done through an extensive research paper, a multi-media reporting project, or a unique project designed by the student. The student's research proposal must be approved the semester before taking the Capstone Project course.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None

Elective Courses (12 credits)
FOUR of the following courses:

BADM 337 Advertising and PromotionStudies promotional activity and marketing communication as they relate to the theory of exchange and the existence of an informational gap between procedures or products (goods, services and ideas) and the potential consumer. The tools of promotion include advertising, personal selling, reseller support, publicity and sales promotion. Decisions about the promotional mix, message, media and their selection and execution are discussed. Formerly MKT 343 Advertising and Promotion.
3 credits
Prerequisite: BADM 231
JAMS 210 Basic Public Relations WritingThis course is designed to teach professional-quality techniques for writing to persuade in multiple public relations formats, including news releases, news advisories, features, backgrounders, pitch letters and other public relations writing formats in a multi-media environment.
3 credits
Prerequisites: JAMS 201
JAMS 220 SpeechwritingThis course examines some of the great speeches in history. Students will write a variety of speeches for other people to deliver, emphasizing the need to adapt to another person's ideas and style.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 302 Multi-media StorytellingThis course emphasizes reporting, writing and editing skills- the foundations of storytelling across media platforms. Students explore the techniques used to research and report complex social, political and economic issues. They will be required to research, report and write stories under deadline and suitable for publication.
3 credits
Prerequisites: JAMS 201
JAMS 310 Advanced PR WritingThis course is designed to build upon the skills and knowledge a student gained in Public Relations Writing I (Basic PR Writing). Students will develop professional-level writing skills with a special emphasis on writing controlled communications, such as speeches, newsletters, pitch letters, public service announcements, brochures and social media tactics, as a part of a strategic communications plan.
3 credits
Prerequisites: JAMS 210
JAMS 311 Social Media, Marketing and CommunicationThis course links communication theory to the practice of marketing and media planning. Students work to analyze current trends in media and marketing while applying skills learned in previous communication courses.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 315 Advanced Public SpeakingPublic speaking has become an important force for molding and shaping society. In an increasingly complex world, the need for articulate public speakers, that is, those who can present appropriate, relevant, and clear ideas to listeners in a direct, open and convincing manner has become even greater. This course is designed to provide the advanced student with specific communication principles and skills necessary for effective public speaking in a variety of contexts.
3 credits
Prerequisites: COM 290
JAMS 340 Broadcast News/Fundamentals of Broadcast Writing, Reporting, and ProducingThis course introduces students to basic television news reporting and production. Students will learn how to write for the ear; the elements of voice and on-camera skills needed to produce audio and video news packages for presentation; examine the decision-making process involved in producing a newscast. Students will write news stories for radio and review television news. By the end of the course, students will be able:
?
JAMS 351 Video Storytelling IIFollows Video Storytelling I by focusing on more advanced filming and interviewing techniques, more diverse writing, and more independent shooting for b-roll and on-camera interviews. Outcomes include the ability to complete all video projects, from shooting to production, self-sufficiently. 3 credits. Prerequisites: JAMS 201 Fundamentals of Journalism or COM 383 Journalism; JAMS 251 Video Storytelling I
JAMS 360 Media and Social ChangeLooks at how past and present social movements (e.g., environmental, civil rights, labor movements) challenge dominant social, economic, and political structures and how they have been portrayed in the mass media. It also examines how current social activists use media technologies to organize themselves and communicate their messages ("I can't breathe" , "die-ins", and "Occupy Wall Street" protests) to wide audiences in order to achieve social change.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 370 Journalism in American FilmThe course is designed to expose students to many of the best known and classic American films about journalism, and to examine how American films have depicted the practice and societal impact of journal ism. Students consider whether popular films depict American journalists accurately or romanticize them. Similarly, students consider whether the image, or the reality of journalistic practice, has changed and the impact film has had on the profession. Students will consider the best and worst of journalism practice as depicted in the films, i.e., for each students to develop a historically informed personal appraisal of the most noble and heroic acts of journalism, as well as the most corrupt and morally reprehensible. And to understand that certain films have had direct impact, either on society, or on the practice of journalism itself.
3 credits
Prequisites: None
JAMS 400 Introduction to PodcastingThis course covers the basic steps to creating content, recording and marketing an audio podcast broadcast. The layout of the basic technology and equipment needed for podcasting is reviewed. The podcasting medium is examined as the distribution of specially encoded multimedia content delivered to subscribed devices via the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) 2.0 protocol. Governing and legal implications are discussed. This course is a prerequisite to the JAMS podcasting studio lab course.

3 credits
JAMS 410 Advanced Reporting and Writing in Hyper-Local NewsroomThis class will give students hands-on experience with traditional and digital journalism, including working in both written and multimedia formats, through the creation and management of a news-based website covering stories in Brookland and the DC area. Students will report; write and edit stories; create video, audio, and graphics; take photos; and learn about the various uses of social media within the journalism field. Students will collaborate on a news-based website that will synthesize learned skills, journalistic practices, and knowledge of information and technology. At the end of this course, students will be able to: analyze and prioritize information gathered for dissemination of news to readers and viewers; effectively use various storytelling tools available to journalists in the digital environment, including traditional short- and long-form reporting, video, photo, audio, graphics, and social media; incorporate social media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others - to report, tell and market stories, and interact with the community; and demonstrate management, editing, and community-relations skills.
3 credits
Prerequisites: JAMS 201
JAMS 418 Gender, Race, and Class in the MediaThis course is to explore how gender, ethnicity, and race are represented in both news media and popular culture. A particular emphasis is on the representation in media images, texts, and sounds, and on the significance of studying race and gender. The course examines the content, treatment, and effects of women and minority group coverage in television, newspapers, magazines, popular music and film. Since their onset, US mass media industries have been enormously powerful conveyors of meaning, both nationally and internationally. Portrayals of ethnicity, race, class, gender and sexual orientation will be discussed. This course will challenge students to critically reflect on issues of poverty, economic inequality, oppression, and power dynamics in US society.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 420 Media LawThis course explores the legal issues that relate to the telecommunications industry, information technology, broadcasting, advertising, entertainment industry, censorship, student publications, the Internet and online services. Students will analyze policies and regulations governing the mass media industry (FCC & FTC) and look at advancing technology issues around intellectual property, First Amendment rights, censorship and defamation become big areas of interest in media law.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 491 Supervised InternshipOn-the-job training in communication through approved field-work study programs. Internships are supervised by the Communication program faculty.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None

Co-Requisite Courses (18 credits)

ALL of the following courses:
COM 265 Introduction to Mass CommunicationIntroduces students to the history of mass communication. Reviews basic mass communication theory with a goal of understanding how media institutions and government regulation influence mass media and the public.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
COM 290 Public SpeakingExamines theory and practice of public speaking. Students will prepare and present informative and persuasive speeches. Audience analysis, research, speech organization, delivery and effective persuasive strategies will be covered.
3 credits
FLC Area I
Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
ECON 101 Microeconomics ITeaches how to think like an economist and make more informed decisions. Builds models of economic activity that provide a framework for understanding the real world. Explores the supply-demand model of competitive markets, followed by other models that show how markets operate when they aren't purely competitive. Assesses the proper role of government in the marketplace and how government can improve welfare when markets fail to be efficient. ECON 101 is a prerequisite for all higher-level economics courses and fulfills the Social Science General Education requirement.
3 credits or ECON 102 Macroeconomics IPresents key variables that summarize an economy. Uses economic analysis to explain why economies grow over time but also exhibit repeated cycles of boom and bust. Explores government-level policies that affect an economy as a whole, and models for analyzing their effects. Fulfills the Civic Knowledge General Education requirement and is required for upper level economics courses.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 is preferred, but students may take ECON 102 first.
PHIL 103 Reasoning and ArgumentationPresents examples of analysis and argumentation in order to examine what constitutes either a deductive and an inductive argument, the notions of validity and truth, the justificatory power of evidence as well as common informal fallacies. The course provides practice in various techniques of argumentation and critical analysis. Formerly PHI 103 Reasoning and Argumentation.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Foundational Skills Area
FLC Area III
Prerequisite CRS 101 - CAS Only
POLS 103 The American Political ProcessOffers an introduction to the American political and governmental system, with emphasis on the processes, institutions, and actors involved in the system. Case studies are used to focus on contemporary issues and their backgrounds. Formerly PSC 123 American Political Process
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
SOCY 100 Introduction to SociologyIntroduces students to the science of sociology and prepares students for upper-level social science course work. Formerly SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area V
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society

Minor Requirements (Total 18 credits)

Required Courses (12 credits)

ALL of the following courses:

JAMS 201 Fundamentals of JournalismIntroduces the fundamentals of news gathering and journalistic writing, including basic newswriting, reporting, and editing techniques. Develops skills of fact-gathering, observation, writing in journalistic style, understanding freedom of information, and ethics. Focuses on rules and styles unique to journalism utilizing the Associated Press Stylebook for news concepts, feature stories, and more.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 230 Newswriting and ReportingEmphasizes the reporting, writing and editing skills that make up the foundations of storytelling across media platforms. Explores techniques used to research and report complex social, political, and economic issues. Outcomes include researching, reporting, and writing stories suitable for publication, under deadline. 3 credits. Prequisite: JAMS 201 Fundamentals of Journalism OR COM 383 Journalism.
JAMS 301 Media EthicsThis course looks at the tough ethical decisions that journalists and other media professionals routinely face. Using real life case studies students will explore fundamental ethical principles, and seek to understand the conflicts that arise when duties and responsibilities of the professionals conflict with their obligations to their employers and/or their audiences. There are often instances in which there is no right or wrong answer but the use of decision-making processes and standards.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
JAMS 320 PhotojournalismFundamentals of still photography in the print and audiovisual mass media with primary focus on print journalism. Student must have a digital camera. By the end of the course, students will be able:
To analyze, recognize, and evaluate the elements of a good photograph, photojournalistic image.
To develop the technical skills, comprehend the ethical responsibilities, and discern the social, political, and linguistic implications of being a photojournalist.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None

Choose one of the following (3 credits)

JAMS 251 Video Storytelling I: Reporting, Recording and EditingIntroduces fundamentals of journalistic video storytelling; covers basic filming techniques, writing for journalistic video, on-camera interviewing, gathering b-roll for effective video storytelling, video editing using software, and exporting video to multiple formats. Outcomes include shooting and producing one group and one solo project under instructor guidance.
3 credits
Prerequisite: None
JAMS 400 Introduction to PodcastingThis course covers the basic steps to creating content, recording and marketing an audio podcast broadcast. The layout of the basic technology and equipment needed for podcasting is reviewed. The podcasting medium is examined as the distribution of specially encoded multimedia content delivered to subscribed devices via the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) 2.0 protocol. Governing and legal implications are discussed. This course is a prerequisite to the JAMS podcasting studio lab course.

3 credits

Choose one of the following (3 credits)

JAMS 340 Broadcast News/Fundamentals of Broadcast Writing, Reporting, and ProducingThis course introduces students to basic television news reporting and production. Students will learn how to write for the ear; the elements of voice and on-camera skills needed to produce audio and video news packages for presentation; examine the decision-making process involved in producing a newscast. Students will write news stories for radio and review television news. By the end of the course, students will be able:
?
JAMS 351 Video Storytelling IIFollows Video Storytelling I by focusing on more advanced filming and interviewing techniques, more diverse writing, and more independent shooting for b-roll and on-camera interviews. Outcomes include the ability to complete all video projects, from shooting to production, self-sufficiently. 3 credits. Prerequisites: JAMS 201 Fundamentals of Journalism or COM 383 Journalism; JAMS 251 Video Storytelling I
JAMS 360 Media and Social ChangeLooks at how past and present social movements (e.g., environmental, civil rights, labor movements) challenge dominant social, economic, and political structures and how they have been portrayed in the mass media. It also examines how current social activists use media technologies to organize themselves and communicate their messages ("I can't breathe" , "die-ins", and "Occupy Wall Street" protests) to wide audiences in order to achieve social change.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
COM 370 Publicity and Media RelationsExamines the role of the publicist in various organizations. Also looks at the basics of media relations, testing and evaluating publicity, and using publicity as a tool. Students are expected to produce publicity campaigns.
3 credits
Prerequisite: COM 250
COM 392 SpeechwritingConcentrates on the preparation of speeches for other people to deliver, emphasizing the need to adapt to another person's ideas and style.
3 credits
Prerequisite: COM 290
JAMS 399 Journalist in ResidenceSimulates a professional newsroom environment and the experience of producing content for publication on the newsroom platform or for campus media outlets. 3 Credits.
JAMS 401
JAMS 410 Advanced Reporting and Writing in Hyper-Local NewsroomThis class will give students hands-on experience with traditional and digital journalism, including working in both written and multimedia formats, through the creation and management of a news-based website covering stories in Brookland and the DC area. Students will report; write and edit stories; create video, audio, and graphics; take photos; and learn about the various uses of social media within the journalism field. Students will collaborate on a news-based website that will synthesize learned skills, journalistic practices, and knowledge of information and technology. At the end of this course, students will be able to: analyze and prioritize information gathered for dissemination of news to readers and viewers; effectively use various storytelling tools available to journalists in the digital environment, including traditional short- and long-form reporting, video, photo, audio, graphics, and social media; incorporate social media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others - to report, tell and market stories, and interact with the community; and demonstrate management, editing, and community-relations skills.
3 credits
Prerequisites: JAMS 201
COM 420 Mass Media LawAnalyzes policies and regulations governing the mass media industry (FCC & FTC). Examines ethics in mass media, and various cases on such issues as privacy and copyright laws.
3 credits
JAMS 430
JAMS 491 Supervised InternshipOn-the-job training in communication through approved field-work study programs. Internships are supervised by the Communication program faculty.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None

Program Policies

Advanced Placement:
Credits earned through AP examinations do not fulfill requirements of the Journalism and Media Studies major.

CLEP Policy:
Credits earned through CLEP examinations do not fulfill requirements of the Journalism and Media Studies major.

Grades in Major Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major.

Pass/No Pass grading:
No course fulfilling major requirements in the Journalism and Media Studies major may be taken Pass/No Pass.

Senior Assessment:
Students will complete a comprehensive assessment in the Capstone Seminar. The comprehensive assessment will include the preparation of a capstone project as approved by the professor. Students must earn a grade of “C” or better on this project.

TELL Policy:
Students may apply a maximum of 12 credits to major requirements earned through TELL.

Transfer Credits:
Transfer credit will be awarded after appropriate program review and approval.

Course Descriptions