Goals of the Journalism Minor:

Students seeking a minor in journalism will experience a curriculum that synthesizes the conceptual and theoretical foundations of journalism as well as the professional skills needed for success. The program has four goals:

• To develop journalistic ability to interview, collect and interpret information into a story using a variety of media. This also involves the development of different types of news and reporting formats including but not limited to: basic skills, features, editorials, sports, investigative and enterprise.
• To develop an ability to think critically and independently.
• To develop breadth of knowledge in various fields informing journalism such as science, politics, economics and social issues.
• To develop an ethical framework and understanding of the journalism field.

At the end of this program, students will be able to:

• Present a portfolio that includes stories in a variety of news and reporting formats and involving various print and electronic media.
• Present a variety of the news and reporting formats pieces that demonstrate critical thinking standards of accuracy, clarity of writing, depth and fairness.
• Present news and reporting pieces with precision and accuracy from the perspective of a discipline.
• Develop a personal philosophy on journalism ethics.
• Demonstrate using ethical techniques and considerations in news and reporting pieces.

Minor Program Requirements

To minor in journalism, students must complete 28-30 hours including the Journalism Core and the Journalism Cognates.

Journalism Core (19 hours)

Journalism Cognates (9-11 hours)

and 6-8 hours from the following:

Course Descriptions

• JRNL 190: Basic Reporting. Students will focus on the basics of writing for print and electronic media, including the “Five Ws,” the “Inverted Pyramid,” interviewing and note-taking. Students interested in working on The College World, the student newspaper of Adrian College and/or exploring a career in journalism are encouraged to take this course. (Fall, spring as needed)
• JRNL 238: Introduction to Journalism. Students will explore journalism through reading, writing and historical research. This course provides an overview of basic writing techniques used by journalists, including information gathering, interviewing, reporting and writing; and reviews the journalistic process through discussion, reading newspapers, viewing on-line news sites and films and hands-on activities, including the use of Twitter and other social media. Journalism 1 seeks to provide an overview of journalism past and present and encourage students to look at where journalism as a discipline and a profession is headed in the future. This course prepares students for the next level of journalism study and helps them begin to better focus their writing skills for the real world activity of reporting for print, electronic and broadcast media. (Fall, spring)
• JRNL 306 Community Journalism. Practices common to local journalism and the journalist within the community. Students participate in a variety of activities geared to train them to become reporters for a community newspaper. Writing for print and electronic media with an emphasis on beat reporting including local government, schools and law enforcement. Pre-requisite: JRNL 238 and /or permission. (Spring)
• JRNL 310, Narrative Journalism. Focused study on the narrative form of journalism, past and present; topics may include literary journalism, magazine journalism and story-telling. Pre-requisites JRNL 238 or permission. (Spring)
• JRNL 405 Journalism and Social Media. Journalistic practices common to the use of Facebook, Twitter, Storify, Tumblr; using “crowdsourcing” and other social media and implementing within the context of traditional journalism. Focus on historical and ethical perspectives of social media and trends in use of social media as a journalistic tool. Pre-requisite: JRNL 238 and 306 or permission. (Fall)
• JRNL 415 Focus on Journalism. Students will explore a variety of topics including various techniques involved in reporting on specific disciplines, including law, politics, ethics, sciences, business, and the economy. Prerequisites JRNL 238 or permission (Fall)
• JRNL 396/CJ 396 First Amendment. Uses Supreme Court cases and other materials to explore all the constitutional rights afforded under the First Amendment. This course will include discourses on free speech theory, the interplay between a free press and democracy, and the extent to which religious institutions and government are constitutionally compatible. (Fall)