Journalism

[FALL 2011 curriculum]

Our key mission is that Journalism (J) majors learn to research, report and communicate news and nonfiction stories for different media. Our commitment to the fundamental elements of practical, ethical journalism defines us more than the medium in which we report events, convey information, and tell stories. Because we believe that informed public discourse is the lifeblood of democracy, an essential component of that mission is to train communicators who are well-equipped to practice accurate reporting, responsible analysis, and other traditional values across a broad array of evolving online, audio, video and print media.

Although preparing students for their first jobs is a part of what we do, we are more concerned with the long view, with preparing tomorrow’s media leaders for influential and fulfilling careers. We offer a unified identity focused on two enduring journalistic functions: news and narrative. Both short and long forms of journalism are explored in various platforms. We are more excited about journalism’s future than its past. We enthusiastically embrace the goal of preparing students for an increasingly online multimedia workplace. We are committed to innovation, and to continually re-examining our curriculum, from introductory courses through our capstone courses: Flux, Mosaic, the Oregon Documentary Project and Oregon News. This entails a never-ending process of exploration, from finding new ways to generate stories to experimenting with novel technology platforms and dissemination strategies.

Faculty: Carol Ann Bassett, Mark Blaine, Rebecca Force, Peter Laufer, Scott Maier, Gabriela Martinez, Dan Miller, Dan Morrison, Julianne Newton, Jon Palfreman, Sung Park, Bill Ryan, John Russial, Alex Tizon, Jim Upshaw, Tom Wheeler.

Sequence requirements:

1. J361 Reporting I (Prereq: J standing and completion of the Gateway to Media series)
2. Choose one (Prereq: J361):
        J462 Reporting II
        J483 Journalistic Interview
3. Choose three Pathway courses (these courses must be approved by your journalism faculty advisor):
        J331 Digital Video Production
        J333 Writing for Multimedia
        J365 Photojournalism
        J371 Feature Article Writing I
        J416 Survey of the Documentary
        J419 Editing Theory & Production
        J421 Documentary Production
        J432 Reporting for Electronic Media
        J434 Advanced TV News
        J461 Newspaper Editing
        J463 Specialized Reporting* [Topic] (*Any J463 will count)
        J464 Newspaper Design
        J465 Cyberjournalism
        J466 Advanced Photojournalism* [Topic] (*Any J466 will count)
        J468 Advanced Newspaper Editing
        J472 Feature Article Writing II
        J473 Magazine Feature Editing
        J474 Magazine Industry & Strategies
        J475 FLUX Magazine Production
        J476 Magazine Design & Production

Things you should know about this major:

1. J361 is offered every term. However, the summer J361 course can be canceled if there is insufficient enrollment.
2. Students should discuss their Journalism courses with their faculty advisor. Students must obtain signed approval on their Pathway choices from their faculty advisor before registering for their Pathway courses.
3. Some Pathway courses are instructor-consent courses. Students will be notified before registration begins on what they'll need to do to obtain permission to take an instructor consent course.