Core Curriculum
At Emory, students co-major or minor in journalism Their other majors range from English and Political Science to Business and Environmental Science. Journalism co-majors and minors take five required courses to learn news writing and reporting in print and electronic media and to study the history, ethics, and law of communications. All students also complete the equivalent of a 10-week internship during summer break or during the school year. In addition to these requirements, co-majors take at least two electives.
Emory College students are required to take three writing-intensive courses after freshman year; two must be completed prior to senior year. Most Journalism classes fulfill the post-freshman writing requirement and carry the designation WR.
The required courses are as follows:
Journalism 201WR: News Reporting and Writing
This is an intensive writing workshop designed to teach specific skills -- reporting, interviewing, editing, hard news and feature writing. The instructor will critique, edit and evaluate students' work intensively.
Journalism 301WR: Advanced News Reporting and Writing
This course builds on the skills learned in JRNL201WR and reflects the fluid state of media today by introducing new concepts, such as podcasting.. The traditional skills include in-depth reporting, fine-tuning writing, developing sources, interviewing, covering beats, and inclusiveness in reporting. The course also adds elements of good broadcast writing, style and reporting to students' repertoire, as well as skills in using digital audio recording and editing. These combinations of skills are increasingly in demand and necessary for journalists, no matter their particular media platform.
Journalism 305: Communication Law
This course will provide a basic constitutional law background for journalism students. In addition to a study of fundamental free speech issues, the course will cover: defamation, privacy, fair trial/free press, reporter's privilege, commercial speech and pornography. Students will be expected to read and to analyze the major Supreme Court decisions in the area. There will be a series of short papers and a final examination.
Journalism 311: Electronic Media
The popularization of the Internet has changed journalism radically, both from the perspective of the newsgatherer and the news consumer. This class will examine the ways in which technology is changing the journalism landscape; from the 24-hour news cycle to ethics to digital content acquisition and distribution. Classes will be a mixture of lecture, discussion and hands-on lab exploring the professional and technical challenges of producing multimedia news. Students will produce Web content with an eye toward the impact of convergence on the business of journalism.
Journalism 430WR: Journalism History & Ethics
This course explores the history and ethics of journalism from the time of the muckrakers to the Internet Age. In class sessions and writing assignments, students will examine the larger forces that shape journalism ethics, such as economics and emerging technologies, as well as day-to-day issues such as accuracy, fairness, conflict of interest, deception, privacy and reporter-source relationships.
Journalism 496: Internship in Journalism
Students report and write for a newspaper, magazine, broadcast outlet or other news medium for the equivalent of 10 weeks (for credit of four semester hours). The requirement may be met by several shorter internships totaling 10 weeks.
Honors
Journalism 495A: Honors in Journalism
Journalism 495B: Honors in Journalism
Electives
Journalism250: African American Images in Media
Students study representations of African Americans in major forms of media including newspapers, radio, television, film and music. They review historical developments over time and trace their progression up to the present. Students analyze the impact of negative portrayals of African Americans in the society at large and assess the effect of those representations on the conditions and self-images of blacks in particular. The class predicts future trends and proposes solutions for the new millennium.
Journalism 340SWR: Arts Writing & Criticism
This course is conducted as a professional workshop. During the semester, students are required to produce a series of critical articles covering a wide spectrum of fields from music to books, dance to theatre and the visual arts. Class sessions and assignments are devoted to nurturing the requisite skills needed to become a successful reviewer or critic. The seminar includes presentations by faculty from Journalism, Dance, Music and Theatre Studies, as well as visiting professional critics.
Journalism 350WR: Covering Ethnic Communities
This course focuses on news coverage of ethnic and new immigrant communities in the United States, with a particular focus on Atlanta. Students in the course examine journalistic coverage of ethnic communities and compare and contrast portrayals in the mainstream English language and in specialized ethnic publications, many of which are written in languages other than English. Students in the course explore the history of the ethnic press and report and write articles about Atlanta's ethnic communities.
Journalism 488WR: Economic and Business Reporting
The class is designed to introduce journalism students to the fundamentals of good business reporting, and business and economics students to the fundamentals of good journalism. The goal is to both appreciate -- and generate -- insightful, accurate and interesting business reporting. Business touches everything from government to sports. For journalists, a good grasp of these basics means a head start. For those already comfortable with the numbers, the ability to write a clean op-ed piece or a reasoned analysis of a complex financial deal means broadened professional opportunity
Journalism 190: Freshmen Seminar
Journalism faculty conducts a yearly seminar for freshmen. Topics include news coverage of American minority group, the media impact on international political crises and news coverage of science.
Journalism 380WR: Health and Science Writing
This is a specialized reporting class designed to introduce students to the basics of science journalism and provide training in researching and writing about science and medicine for a general audience. The emphasis is on news and feature writing, with a secondary focus on basic science concepts, medicine and math.
Journalism 497: Issues in Journalism Research
Students conduct research under the guidance of a faculty advisor into a topic related to journalism history, ethics or a contemporary issue. Students receive instruction in journalism research techniques and will prepare a comprehensive paper discussing the topic and its ramifications for current journalism practices.
Journalism 310WR: Magazine Writing
An introduction to magazine feature writing, this course is conducted as a professional workshop. Students are required to produce two original, non-fiction magazine articles. Class sessions, assignments, and one-on-one consultations are devoted to nurturing the requisite skills, discipline and ethical standards needed to become a successful magazine writer, including how to find, develop and sell story ideas, interviewing and research techniques, writing, rewriting, editing and fact-checking.
Journalism 488: News Video
This is an advanced course focusing on the reporting, writing, shooting and editing of broadcast news stories. Students will learn how to shoot with digital cameras and edit with professional-level Final Cut Pro. Students also will become proficient in recording good broadcast interviews, choosing the best sound bites and writing transitions to strengthen storytelling, and developing voice and delivery to enhance the meaning of written copy.
Journalism 420: Precision Journalism
This course will help students develop strong investigative, analytical and intuitive skills necessary to help land that ideal journalism job or internship. This lecture/lab is designed to help students master the basics of computer-assisted reporting in daily news gathering. Students will gain hands-on experience using software applications to analyze data, conduct background checks and gain a command of the Internet. Students will become knowledgeable and facile in the use of computers and related information and public records.
Journalism 488WR: World Media & Foreign Affairs
There is a strong interplay between the global media and international policy. Through newspapers, television, the Internet and film, students explore this reciprocal relationship and its impact on world events. This course has a special focus on the current international crisis and examines ways that the war on terrorism may be redefining the press role in international affairs. Class sessions encourage students to become critical consumers of news and astute observers of world events.
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