| The journalism program presented a lecture by Steve Brown '83, FOX News reporter, on Thursday, January 27, 2011. The talk was entitled “Here’s what I think…: America’s Pundit-Driven Politics and the Obligations of Today’s Campaign Journalists.” To read more about this lecture, click here. |
 |
Designed to prepare students for the rapidly-changing field of journalism, the new undergraduate program will train students to become multimedia journalists, prepared for employment in broadcast, print, and online media, as the lines that divide these fields virtually disappear. The journalism curriculum includes coursework in multimedia storytelling, newsgathering and reporting, digital media programming, social media, and design for mobile devices.
Journalists today need to be able to tell stories in a way that is appropriate for multiple platforms, oftentimes all in the same day. They need to think visually and graphically so they can generate ideas about how to illustrate their stories. They must understand social media, as news organizations rely more and more on a Facebook and Twitter presence. They need to know how to direct traffic to many pages of the news organizations’ websites, and how to design publications that can be navigated easily.
In addition to technical and multimedia storytelling skills, the journalism major is firmly grounded in the social responsibility theory of the press. Students will study how to provide a truthful, comprehensive and intelligent account in a context which gives meaning; how to provide a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism; and how to act responsibly for the presentation and clarification of the goals and values of society.
Student Learning Goals
Goal 1: Journalism majors will demonstrate knowledge of the role of the news media in a democratic society and of the basics of media law and media ethics in the digital age.Qualifications for the major
Goal 2: Journalism majors will be competent in reporting using both traditional and digital/multimedia tools.
Goal 3: Journalism majors will write news and features in traditional and alternative story forms (e.g., storytelling narratives) and present them in both traditional and digital/multimedia formats.
Journalism majors must have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 2.00, a minimum grade of C- in all journalism courses, and a minimum overall average of 2.00 in all journalism coursework. The performance of all majors is subject to review relative to their continuation in the program, using such criteria as academic record, demonstration of appropriate communication skills, co-curricular activity, interdisciplinary engagement and community involvement. Journalism majors need at least 39 hours of journalism courses (or 36 hours for dual majors) but are limited to a maximum of 54 hours in journalism.
Communication Studies Degree Program
The Communication Studies Department offers an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies, with concentrations in Media Studies, Advertising/Public Relations, and Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. For further details, please visit the Communication Studies and Digital Media Arts websites.
Journalism Curriculum:
1. Core Curriculum Requirements:
See /academics/core.asp for the Core Curriculum requirements. All students complete these requirements as part of their overall Canisius education.
| 2. Major course requirements: (13 courses) | 39 credits | |
| A. Major Required Courses: (8 courses) | ||
| JRN 200 Intro to Multimedia Storytelling | 3 credits | |
| COM 203 Writing for the Public Media | 3 credits | |
| DMA 204 Digital Media Law | 3 credits | |
| JRN 301 News Gathering/Reporting I | 3 credits | |
| JRN 310 Journalism I | 3 credits | |
| JRN 311 Journalism II | 3 credits | |
| COM 351 Media Ethics | 3 credits | |
| JRN 490 Capstone | 3 credits | |
| B. Major Electives (5 courses) | 15 credits |
3. Free electives:
Free electives are courses in addition to the Core Curriculum and major requirements sufficient to reach a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation. Students may graduate with more but not less than 120 credit hours.
Internships and Independent Study
Internships awarding up to a maximum of 12 credit hours may be earned by qualified Journalism majors at approved locations in Buffalo or other cities. The internships are individually arranged, require department approval and are available only to junior or senior candidates with a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 2.50 and a Journalism average of at least 2.70. Internships are taken on a Pass/Fail basis and are counted towards free elective credit. Students are encouraged to plan early to do an internship during their Junior or Senior year.
Opportunity for independent study (three credits) is sometimes available for qualified upperclass students by arrangement with the Communication Studies chair and faculty supervisor.
Dual Majors
Dual majors with Journalism are available with the permission and guidance of both chairs. Students complete a minimum of 36 credit hours of journalism courses. Journalism students are strongly encouraged to consider a dual major. Among the possibilities are digital media arts, communication studies, political science, history, English, and modern languages. Each Journalism and dual major is assigned a department faculty advisor for the purpose of planning an individual program that will satisfy the department’s requirements and the student’s personal goals. Course selections develop from journalism major requirements, prerequisites, recommended sequences and communication electives.
Journalism students who are dual majors and successfully complete 3 or more credit hours in Independent Study or Internships (COM 488, COM 498 or COM 499) are required to complete 33 hours of in-class credit in order to complete the Journalism major (i.e., not 36 or 39 in-class hours).
Facilities
Student Equipment
Students in the Journalism major are strongly encouraged to purchase a laptop computer and several other “tools of the trade” (e.g., audio recorder, digital camera). You will find recommendations for the laptop computer here. Information on other suggested equipment purchases will be disseminated by faculty early in the student’s course of study.
Advisement
Journalism majors are assigned an advisor at the beginning of their freshman year. If you are a transfer into the Journalism major or you do not have an advisor, please contact the Communication Studies departmental office at 888-2115, so that an advisor can be assigned to you. Each student should have an academic advisor. Students should meet with their advisors regularly. Canisius College requires all students to meet with their advisor and obtain their alternate PIN in order to register each semester.
Required Courses: (all 3 credits)
JRN 200 Multimedia Storytelling I
Introduces the fundamentals of digital systems and technologies as they apply to journalism. Through class lecture and hands-on approaches, students will learn software and hardware used for journalistic applications of web design, multimedia, video production, graphics and audio production. 1/3 lecture, 1/3 instruction on various multimedia applications, and 1/3 creating multimedia stories.
JRN 201 Multimedia Storytelling II
Students will explores multimedia storytelling through class lecture and hand-on experience. The student will develop a better understanding of the nature of multimedia journalism using audio, video, graphics, animation and writing to tell news stories. ½ lecture and ½ running class news blog.
COM 203 Writing for the Public Media
Intensive writing assignments employing message-design principles provide opportunities to prepare news, features, press releases, advertising copy and opinion pieces.
DMA 204 Digital Media Law
Introduces a wide range of legal issues in today’s evolving and emerging media, including: the First Amendment, copyright, fair use, libel, hate speech, pornography/obscenity, privacy, commercial speech and national security.
JRN 301 News Gathering/Reporting I
Grounded in the social-responsibility theory of the press, this course covers the fundamentals of journalism: pursuing and producing basic news and feature stories that help people make sense of the world. Exploring everything from traditional methods such as beat development, source cultivation, interviewing and writing to newer approaches such as crowd-sourcing and video, students write and produce stories across a variety of media platforms. Prerequisites: JRN 200 and COM 203 or permission of instructor.
JRN 302 News Gathering/Reporting and Writing II
Focused on the study and practice of advanced journalistic methods vital to the pursuit and production of meaningful news and feature stories, this course builds on techniques explored in News Gathering/Reporting I. Students explore everything from investigative reporting to computer-assisted research and use of the Internet while writing and producing stories across a variety of media platforms. Prerequisites: JRN 200, JRN 201, COM 203, JRN 301 or permission of instructor.
JRN 310 Journalism I
Focuses on writing news and features for print and on-line media, using a variety of storytelling designs (e.g., the narrative, the inverted pyramid, the focus approach) combined with a variety of multimedia presentation methods (e.g., video, audio, slideshows). Prerequisites: JRN 200, COM 203 and JRN 301 or permission of instructor.
JRN 311 Journalism II (formerly COM 366)
Explore the ever-changing and highly competitive inner workings of a newsroom and broadcast news department in the new era of multimedia journalism. Become part of your own news team by learning the process of writing and reporting news. Take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your electronic news-gathering skills and explore new delivery methods. Note that students in this course will collaborate with students in COM 361 - Intro to TV Production - to create video packages for web delivery and multimedia journalism projects.
JRN 342 Narrative Journalism
The advanced study and practice of long-form, literary-influenced journalism, from magazines and nonfiction books such as Team of Rivals and Secretariat to cross-platform, online media outlets such The Atavist, Narrative Magazine and longform.org. Students explore methods of conceptualizing, reporting, researching and writing long-form journalism while working on a literary nonfiction project of their own. Prerequisites: JRN 200, JRN 201, COM 203, JRN 301 or permission of instructor.
COM 351 Media Ethics
Explores ethics across mass media disciplines, through the work of professional communicators—journalists, broadcasters, advertising and public relations practitioners, as well as the new cyber-communicators. Develop practices of making crucial media decisions based on principles and idealism.
JRN 490 Capstone
Culminating experience for Journalism majors in which they synthesize what they have learned in their program of study. Students work as part of a reporting/writing/editing team to produce a publishable multimedia community journalism project.
Elective Courses: (all 3 credits)
JRN 302 News Gathering/Reporting II
Advanced study and practice of all aspects of journalism addressed in News Gathering/Reporting I. Prerequisite: JRN 301.
JRN 322 Feature/Magazine Writing
Profiles and other human-interest features developed for newspapers, magazines, broadcast. Free-lance writing introduced.
JRN 336 Sports Journalism
First-hand exposure and instruction on writing for TV, print, and the Internet, broadcast anchoring and covering games. This course puts the student in front of the camera, computer, microphone and face-to-face with sports journalists and athletes.
JRN 363 Journalistic Editing
Cultivate the skills and sensibilities necessary for shepherding multimedia news and feature stories from conceptualization to publication. Explore how to shape and sharpen journalism across a variety of media platforms. Develop an eye for reporting deficiencies, inaccuracies and potential legal problems.. Explore journalism theory and ethics. Edit for content and style. Write headlines. Design and lay out pages using pagination software. Prerequisite is COM 203 or permission of the instructor
JRN 369 Television Features
Design, write and produce special feature reports, multiple-part series, investigative stories and mini-documentaries. Emphasis on field work.
JRN 380 Special Topics in Journalism
Course focus will vary, and is designed to provide in-depth study of journalism as it applies to specialized topics and content areas that may include: legal, business, health and science, environment, international, investigative, or literary journalism.
JRN 450 Entrepreneurial Journalism
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to launch their own news site or develop such content for a media company. Students will plan and develop a multimedia journalism project, including analyzing market need and competition, writing a basic business plan, creating a prototype, and presenting it for critique by professionals in the field. (Approach can vary, as in Drudge, Huffington, a community website such as BuffaloRising.com, or focus on an area of interest to the student.)
COM 205 Mass Communication and Society
Survey of mass communication processes and the mass media in terms of development, structures, functions, effects and interactive relationships with American society.
COM 325 Media Literacy
Focuses on theoretical approaches and practical skills enabling students to analyze, think critically and produce effective mediated messages in a variety of formats and specialized content areas.
COM 361 Introduction to Television Production
Studio techniques, lighting, sound recording, set design, electronic graphics and editing, production of live and edited programs in studio.
COM 491/492/493 Video Institute I, II, III
Students develop individual, original video projects in service to Canisius College and community/ humanitarian agencies. Travel may be involved for some projects. Registration by permission only.
DMA 205 Digital Graphics
This course will familiarize students with digital graphics techniques, file formats and applications. Students will develop digital image creation skills along with effective workflow habits.
DMA 206 Interactive Multimedia
Examines the types, processes and applications of multimedia content. Emphasis on the production and manipulation of video, sound and animation files to create interactive computer presentations using Macromedia Director.
DMA 340 Writing for Digital Media
Intensive writing assignments employing message-design principles/style guidelines for writing for the web, CDs, DVDs, etc.
DMA 342 Introduction to Web Design
Introduction to the state of the art in on-line multimedia publishing. Working individually and in teams, students learn to publish well-designed World Wide Web documents that communicate effectively.
DMA 363 Print Design
Focuses on critical topics in layout, folding, binding and printing, as well as critical/creative issues in magazine, publication and high-end corporate design.
DMA 370 Designing for Mobile Devices
Students will learn design strategies to deliver content for mobile devices. The target device for this course will be iPhone/iPod Touch and students will develop websites and applications utilizing javascript and css libraries as well as Adobe Flash.
DMA 442 Advanced Web Design
Concentrates on effective website design, practical web programming skills and the understanding of Flash for web development.
FAS 141 Digital Photography
Reviews basic photo skills and handling of film and digital cameras. Scanning film and prints and manipulation of images in Photoshop are all concerns as students develop a personal aesthetic and portfolio. Prerequisites: Intro Photo (FAS 114) or approval of instructor, digital camera.
Media Center