Courses and Requirements for the Minor

Student working on a project

To complete the minor, students must take at least six Journalism courses, including four required classes. The minor also requires completion of an internship at a news media outlet.

All courses are open to non-minors unless specified otherwise.

The required courses are:

  • JOUR-100 Introduction to Journalism
    Offered in the fall and spring
    This course provides students an overview of the basics of journalism, beginning with how to assess the news value of an event or situation, how to develop story ideas and how to put together a story. Much attention is paid to writing clearly and accurately and developing interviewing skills. The course also introduces students to the changing media landscape and the various multi-platforms available to journalists today. Journalistic ethics are a focus as well. Guest speakers include working journalists from the Washington media community. There will be several short writing assignments and a final project.
    Note: This is the gateway course for journalism minors.
     
  • JOUR-200 Digital News
    Offered in the fall and spring
    This course gives students a firm grasp of the skills necessary to produce online news content as well as an understanding of the forces that are driving the rapidly changing and diversifying online news industry. Students receive a mixture of practical instruction in online news writing, multimedia news production, blog posting, infographics and social media management. Students are also be expected to engage in critical analysis of the journalism profession, contemporary online journalism and the economic, social and technological drivers shaping online news consumption. Assignments include breaking news stories and multimedia elements, including podcasting and video production.
    Prerequisite: JOUR-100 Introduction to Journalism
     
  • JOUR-350 The Media Industry
    Offered in the fall and spring
    This course is for students who are participating in an internship (or have already completed an internship) at a media outlet (print, broadcast or online). This workshop-style course will give students an opportunity to share their experiences with other students engaged in similar journalistic pursuits, while exploring the business of journalism, career journalists and the media world at large. Written assignments will include a semester-long journal and ongoing occasional short pieces and a final media project that includes creating a personal career plan.

     
  • JOUR-490 Journalism Capstone
    Offered in the fall and spring
    Candidates for the minor take this course in the spring of their senior year. This course requires one substantial piece of journalism and one substantial academic paper exploring a critical topic of journalism, studied in its cultural, ethical and/or historical contexts.

Sequence

It’s recommended that courses be taken in the following order to successfully complete the Minor:

  1. JOUR-100 Introduction to Journalism
  2. JOUR-200 Digital News
  3. JOUR-350 The Media Industry
  4. JOUR-490 Journalism Capstone must be taken in a student’s senior year.

The two required electives may be taken at any time.

Electives

The list of electives below is not comprehensive, and not every course is taught each semester. Current lists of courses will be maintained by the registrar. Courses that students wish to count toward their electives that are not on the list must be presented for review to the Minor Director or Asst. Director before the student takes the course.

  • JOUR-361 Feature Writing
  • JOUR-363 Art of Editing
  • JOUR-364 Living Out Loud: Writing for Radio
  • JOUR-365 Covering Sports
  • JOUR-366 Food Writing
  • JOUR-367 Media Law in the Digital Age
  • JOUR-368 Media and Social Justice
  • JOUR-369 The Reported Memoir
  • JOUR-370 Magazine Writing in the Digital Age
  • JOUR-372 The Interview
  • JOUR-373/ENGL-299 Washington Confidential
  • JOUR-374 Video News Production
  • JOUR-376 Covering the White House
  • JOUR-377 Government-Media Relations in the Digital Age
  • JOUR-378 Pop Culture, Race & The Media
  • JOUR-379 Broken News: Journalism & Citizenship
  • JOUR-380 Crime, Justice and the Media
  • JOUR-385 Science and Environmental Justice
  • JOUR-400 Telling the Truth
  • ARAB-213 Arabic Media I
  • ARTS-162 Introduction to Graphic Design
  • ENGL-241 Literary Representations: NYC
  • ENGL-256 Documentary
  • ENGL-282 Creative Non-Fiction Writing*
  • ENGL-294 Writing to be Heard
  • ENGL-458 The Writer’s Perspective
  • AMST-379 Sports Personalities of the 20th Century
  • FMST-350 Film Festival Studies
  • FMST-355 Documentary Film: History and Theory
  • FMST-399 CBL: Social Justice Documentary
  • GOVT-393 American Politics and the Media
  • JUPS-333 Alternative Media and Post-Colonial Communication
  • MUSC-161 Writing About Music
  • MUSC-251 Audio for Documentary
  • MUSC-270 The Music Documentary
  • MUSC-361 Podcasting
  • SEST-601 Media, Public Opinion and National Security