English

There's no doubt that the traditional newspaper industry is in decline, and that jobs calling for bona fide journalism skills have grown scarcer in recent years. But the world still needs good journalists, maybe now more than ever. We need them to tell, and find, the important stories that—in a world of context-free, entertainment-driven "journalism"—just aren't being reported.

If you want to make a difference in the world of journalism, we believe you should declare our minor. But you should also major in a liberal arts subject such as Literature, Writing, Economics, History, or Political Science that will give you a body of knowledge to write about. We'll train you how to write for the media, but we also want you to learn something about the world while you're at it.

The Journalism Minor will help you learn to think like a reporter: it'll train you to be open-minded enough to hear multiple points of view and to represent those viewpoints objectively in a news story; it'll also help you hold corporate and political powers-that-be accountable for their actions.

The professors who direct the Journalism Minor are committed to the idea that reporters (even citizen journalists) should follow industry standards of truth, verification, and the development of reliable sources, and that they should be held to the highest standards of ethics and excellence in writing.

Journalism is a higher calling. It's about doing the service of citizenship. There may or may not be a career in it for you, and we can't guarantee that journalism will bring you wealth or fame. But what we can offer you is the satisfaction and fulfillment that you'll gain from learning to be a watchdog of the public interest.

An introduction to the media of communications, emphasizing the development and characteristics of print and electronic media and their impact on American society. Note: Students may substitute COM 212 for JRN 200, but if they do so, they must take a second JRN elective.

This is a multimedia course which introduces students to various social media platforms and offers them an opportunity to publish blogs, commentaries, reviews, profiles and other features on the Web. Students will also create Web pages use online resources to gather, write and edit information, use digital cameras to shoot photos/videos and edit them using digital editing software. Typically offered in Spring.

A course designed to develop proficiency in the writing of news stories for daily and weekly newspapers. News values, the structure and style of news, and the preparation of copy in accordance with professional standards will be stressed. Writing Emphasis course.

Instruction and practice in covering public affairs events in the local community, including borough council meetings, municipal hearings, and campus speeches. PREREQ: JRN225 or equivalent.

Practical instruction in the skills for successful feature writing for print and electronic media, with an emphasis on techniques used in personality profiles, critical reviews, column writing, and op-ed pieces.

Instruction and practice in basic sports reporting techniques, including live-event coverage and feature writing, as well as an introduction to routine duties associated with working on the sports desk. PREREQ: JRN 225 or equivalent.

A historical survey of the American press from Colonial times to the present, with special emphasis on the continuing struggle for press freedom and the new journalistic environment created by the emergence of mass media.