Course Requirements
Internship Credit
Students in the major may take CMN 394, Advanced Communication Internship or CMN 395, Communication Internship Special Topics (when placement relates to the major) for credit. In order to take CMN 394, students must have completed the three communication core courses (CMN 101, CMN 102, CMN 103), two courses in the chosen major and have fulfilled internship program eligibility requirements.
Open Electives
Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.
JOUR 275
INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM
An introduction to the field of journalism. Instruction and practice in writing and reporting news stories. Students will learn the skills needed to become better communicators and to understand the news in the world around them.
JOUR 278
NEWS REPORTING
This course is designed to go beyond the inverted pyramid of basic news writing and focus on some of the sophisticated newsgathering techniques used by journalists. Story generation techniques will be examined along with interviewing techniques. The course will also explore how databases and documents can enhance a story, including the use of surveys, field experiments and participant observation.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 is a prerequisite for this class.CMN 394
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP
This course is for communication majors and minors who meet eligibility requirements. Students will learn career planning skills, explore the organizations in which they work, gain an understanding of how they contributed to their organizations, and discuss societal and world issues, as they affect their workplaces. Students are required to work 10 hours per week while enrolled in the course. Students must cmplete the Communication Internship orientation workshop. Students registering for a hybrid section must also attend five 2-hour class meetings.
CMN 395
COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP SPECIAL TOPICS
This course is for students who wish to receive academic credit for a second or third internship. Must be a Communication major or minor who has completed CMN 394 or ISP250 and meets eligibility requirements. Must be taken concurrently with an internship. Topics include building and managing a communication career, effective networking, and leadership development.
JOUR 240
BROADCAST JOURNALISM
An introduction to the preparation and presentation skills needed by broadcast journalists. This is a studio course that will allow the gathering and delivery of news and public affairs programming with the development of the critical competencies students must have if they are considering careers in the profession.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 and JOUR 330 are a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 245
NEWS EDITING
This course introduces students to editing and publishing procedures, including proofreading, copyediting and layout for different types of publications, including newsletters, brochures, periodicals and books. Skills in grammar, punctuation, style, organization, design and headline writing are emphasized along with the editor's role in the ethics of the profession, including questions of libel. Students will understand the editor's central role in the newsroom and the flow of a story from a reporter to the public.
JOUR 276
PHOTOJOURNALISM (CROSS-LISTED AS ART 377)
Introduction to the theoretical and technical foundations of photography with exploration of the medium's aesthetic , documentary and narrative purposes. Cross-listed as ART 377.
JOUR 279
FEATURE WRITING
This practicum develops the observational and narrative skills essential to writing feature stories in a variety of journalistic contexts. Students will learn the story telling techniques that emphasize human interest, description and the details of a subject. Instruction will include illustrated lectures, class discussions, writing exercises and critiques.
JOUR 290
JOURNALISM WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS)
This course allows students to sample a range of hands on, practical offerings in journalism that can enhance their knowledge and expertise. Workshop topics can include video camera basics, non-linear editing with Final Cut Pro news print design (including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), and online editing tools (including Word Press). Students may take a maximum of 4 credit hours of JOUR 290 in the major, and a total of 8 credit hours.
JOUR 317
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Students learn advanced reporting techniques while developing projects under the direction of a faculty supervisor. This course is designed to take learning out of the classroom and enables students to develop portfolio pieces while gaining critical real world experiences in reporting.
JOUR 330
WRITING FOR BROADCAST
This course introduces students to the writing and formatting requirements of broadcast journalists. Part of this instruction is to give students an understanding of how writing for broadcast differs from writing for print and the awareness it takes to write copy that supports and strengthens the visuals that viewers will be watching. Strong writing is the backbone of broadcast journalism, and this course gives students a firm foundation in the writing skills that produce broadcast stories worth watching.
JOUR 343
JOURNALISM AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
This seminar analyzes the current condition of American print, broadcast and online journalism in light of their historic past. Journalism's social responsibilities and its functioning as a business are examined across major periods of American history-the colonial and revolutionary press, the early Republican and penny press, the Civil War press and the press of industrializing America, the rise of the tabloid press, and the role of the press in reporting the development of the United States as a world power during World War II and in its aftermath-will be captured.
JOUR 350
RADIO NEWS
Nowhere has the rise of new technologies had a greater impact than in radio reporting. This course gives students opportunities to stream their stories through field and studio productions that connect listeners within communities and around the world. Students will be trained in writing for the ear, and the unique local and international possibilities of radio reporting.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 and JOUR 278 are a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 361
JOURNALISM LAW AND ETHICS (formerly The Press, The Law and Democracy)
This course examines the unique role of the press in providing the information that makes democracy possible. Students will learn the ethical and legal obligations of the reporter and news organizations and the impact that new technologies are having on news gathering and dissemination. The course aims at enhancing student understanding of the social responsibility of journalists in the public life of the nation and its citizens.
JOUR 362
THE PRESS AND THE PRESIDENCY
This seminar describes the current and historic relationship between the mass media and the American presidency, focusing on the connections between press coverage to agenda-setting and public opinion in presidential campaigns. Students will analyze conditions in which press-presidential relations are cooperative or adversarial, including the market forces that have shaped that relationship and the news values that have reinforced it.
JOUR 363
ONLINE JOURNALISM
This course introduces students to the principles and practices of online journalism. Students learn both conceptual and technical skills in multimedia reporting. Although the course provides groundwork in using digital tools to produce online content, the focus is on journalism. As much as possible, assignments will allow students to grasp online journalism concepts and apply them to real-world scenarios.
JOUR 364
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
The course will include discussions and reporting projects that will analyze how investigative story ideas are developed, how decisions are made in the selection and development of investigative stories: how public records and other sources of information are obtained and used in investigative reporting: ethical dilemmas; and the impact of investigative journalism on public opinion and policy with a particular focus on issues of race, diversity and urban affairs.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 365
TELEVISION NEWS I
This is a course in electronic newsgathering. Student teams will shoot and edit stand up news packages. To do this, students will learn the basic elements in developing a broadcast news story--from originating the story idea, researching it, illustrating it, doing interviews, and then packaging the story for air.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 and JOUR 330 are a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 366
MAGAZINE REPORTING
The digital world of reporting and editing has created unparalleled opportunities to reach specific readers with targeted stories. This course introduces students to the opportunities of magazine writing and the strategies used by magazine writers. Writing assignments will strengthen a student's grasp of the resources available to modern magazine writers and the techniques of research and interviewing that are the basis of skilled storytelling.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 and JOUR 278 are a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 367
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING
This course analyzes the impact new technologies and world events are having on foreign correspondents and international reporting. The digital revolution is having a profound effect on the ability of news makers and organizations to compete with governments in worldwide information flows. Access to information has made citizens more inter-dependent while creating extraordinary opportunities for journalists to tell stories that increase the understanding and enlarge the imagination of their readers.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 368
SPORTS REPORTING
Sports reporting is a go-to destination for online, print, and broadcast consumers of sports information. This course gives students an understanding of the social and cultural significance of sports. It trains them to look for themes and details that go beyond the simple score of a contest to the symbolic importance of athletics in the post-modern experience. Students will complete the course with a new appreciation for what makes for strong sports reporting and what accounts for its unique hold on the popular imagination.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 and JOUR 278 are a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 374
COMMUNITY JOURNALISM
Students will examine the work of major news chains that have begun experimenting with local coverage patterns that are informed by community leaders and community organizations identifying what matters in their community. Supporters of this approach claim it is the future for news organizations attempting to fulfill their social responsibility. Critics claim it undermines the independence of the press.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 377
SPECIAL TOPICS IN JOURNALISM
Focuses on a specific topic related to the field of journalism. Included might be such topics as sports reporting, Chicago journalism, tabloid journalism, and Front Page news. See schedule for description of current topic.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 275 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 380
REPORTING FOR GOOD DAY DEPAUL
This course will give students extensive experience doing on-air reporting for the DePaul student television news program, "Good Day DePaul." Reporters will cover breaking news stories, features, and serious enterprise stories. Students must have experience shooting in the field and editing in Final Cut Pro, either through previous television news courses at DePaul, or from other work. Students will be permitted to take this course in two different quarters.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 365 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 383
ONLINE JOURNALISM II
This course builds on what students learned in Online Journalism I. The emphasis is on developing a student-run website made up of stories and sections that utilize interactivity and multimedia features to engage the online audience. Students develop an understanding of a website's structure and how larger sites are built vs. the microsites. The course is designed to simulate the workflow in digital newsrooms.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 363 is a prerequisite for this class.JOUR 385
TELEVISION NEWS II
Television News II builds on the knowledge students have gained in our introductory Television News class in producing news packages for broadcast. Students will develop longer format feature pieces that combine skills in writing, reporting, shooting, narration, editing, and producing. The best of this work should serve as portfolio pieces for students considering careers in broadcasting and related industries. TV News I and Writing for Broadcast are prerequisites for taking this course.
Prerequisites:
JOUR 330 and JOUR 365 are a prerequisite for this class.A&S 491
ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY AND BEHAVIOR
This course concerns theoretical concepts and empirical research relating to administrative behavior in organizations with special reference to educational organizations. Concepts are examined within the typical decisional framework of supervisors, chief school business officers, principles, and superintendents, and similar positions in the helping professions. Assignments are individualized.
Prerequisites:
Status as an Advanced Masters Education student is a prerequisite for this class.DC 120
VIDEO EDITING
Students analyze and assemble dramatic scenes under a variety of conditions and narrative strategies. Editing theories, techniques and procedures, issues of continuity, effects, movement and sound are examined as they relate to the fundamentals of cinematic montage and visual storytelling. This class presents a variety of topics and experiences that are designed to broaden the student's understanding of the art of cinematic storytelling and montage. Work on more advanced projects is integrated into the class as a means to an understanding of advanced editing tools and techniques. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): NONE
DC 220
EDITING I
Students analyze and assemble dramatic scenes under a variety of conditions and narrative strategies. Editing theories, techniques and procedures, issues of continuity, effects, movement and sound are examined as they relate to the fundamentals of cinematic montage and visual storytelling. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): NONE.
DC 210
DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I
This course is a beginning workshop in narrative film production. The course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of cinema, including camera and lens technology, composition, lighting, directing and sound recording. Utilizing digital technology, students will produce several films with an emphasis on visual storytelling and personal expression. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): DC 220
DC 271
INTRODUCTION TO TELEVISION PRODUCTION
An introduction to the basic principles, procedures, and techniques of television production. The course heavily utilizes Digital Cinema's TV studio. Students are organized in teams and create various TV broadcasts. Students learn how to operate TV switchers, TV cameras, sound, and graphic equipment. The course covers the fundamentals of producing, scripting, directing, and editing for television. This course has an additional fee.