Journalism and Mass Communication (Jl MC)

Courses Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Jl MC 101. Mass Media and Society
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Communication models and their application to the mass media; the mass communication process; organization, characteristics and responsibilities of the mass media; media-related professional operations.

Jl MC 110. Orientation to Journalism and Communication
(1-0) Cr. R. F.S. Orientation to career opportunities, emphasis areas, and requirements in the advertising and journalism and mass communication curricula.

Jl MC 201. Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media
(1-4) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: English 105 (or testout) and either a score of 26 or higher on the ACT-English examination or satisfactory performance on the English Usage Test administered by the School before registering for the course. Majors in advertising and journalism must complete Jl MC 201 with a C+ in order to fulfill the Continuing English Proficiency Requirement. Students should note that this course is a prerequisite to Jl MC 202 and Jl MC 206. Generating story ideas, exercising news judgment and gathering information via interviews, observation and documentary sources to produce news and informational material for a variety of media. Emphasis on analyzing and organizing facts, as well as accuracy and principles of good writing.

Jl MC 202. Intermediate Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media
(1-4) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Majors in Jl MC who select 202 must complete the course with a C+ in order to fulfill the Continuing English Proficiency Requirement. Students should note that this course fulfills prerequisite for JL MC 308, 344, 346, 347, 349, 499. Covering standard news assignments and beats for student print publication. Enhancing and refining skills in developing sources and generating story ideas; information-gathering techniques, reporting and writing. Includes segments on local government and judiciary. Primarily designed for students interested in writing for newspapers, magazines, and online media.

Jl MC 205. Publicity Methods
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Engl 105. Communication and publicity fundamentals and the use of media for publicity purposes. Preparing releases for print and broadcast; basics of publication layout. Publicity campaigns. Not available to Jl MC and Advrt majors.

Jl MC 206. Reporting and Writing for the Electronic Media
(2-3) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Majors in Jl MC who select 206 must complete the course with a C+ in order to fulfill the Continuing English Proficiency Requirement. Students should note that this course fulfills prerequisite for Jl MC 308, 344, 346, 347, 349, 499. Researching, organizing, and writing for audio, video, and film media. Basic principles of news, information, and entertainment programming, content, and structure.

Jl MC 220. Principles of Public Relations
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Sophomore classification. Public relations in business and other organizations, functions, processes, and management; attitudes, public opinion and persuasion; tools of the public relations and corporate communications practitioner, management of change in contemporary society.

Jl MC 301. Audience Identification, Research and Analysis (Same as Advrt 301.)
See Advertising.

Jl MC 306. Electronic Media Production
(2-3) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: C+ or better in Jl MC 201. Creation of short video productions using basic equipment and procedures in the studio.

Jl MC 308. Video Field Production Techniques
(2-3) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 206, 306. Basic field techniques in single-camera video, directing, shooting, editing, and writing.

Jl MC 310. Fundamentals of Photojournalism
(1-3) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 201 or permission of instructor. Basic photojournalism and photo techniques. Includes camera operation, lighting and composition, lens and depth of focus, and photo reproduction techniques for print, broadcast, or computer-mediated applications. Basic use of digital imaging and editing software.

Jl MC 315. Multimedia Production
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 342L or 343L. Concepts and principles for evaluating, constructing, and designing information for the World Wide Web and other computer-mediated communication systems. Explores the use of computer-generated animation and graphics, audio and video. Issues of ethics and ownership of work pertinent to the new media are discussed.

Jl MC 321. Public Relations/Corporate Communications Techniques
(2-3) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 201, 220, and Advrt 301, 342 and 342L or computer publishing proficiency recommended. Development and creation of public and corporate relations materials. Computer applications used in production of press releases for print, broadcast and online media, annual reports and desktop publishing of creative materials.

Jl MC 341. Contemporary Magazine Publishing
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Sophomore classification. Analysis of magazine industry and of specific audiences served through print and online magazines. Editorial procedures and policies. Advertising, circulation, and history of the industry. Individual study of magazines.

Jl MC 342. Visual Principles for Mass Communicators
(2-0) Cr. 2. F.S. Prereq: Sophomore classification. Understanding of the visual message. Visual perception, design syntax, design elements and how they fit in the visual communication of mass media.

Jl MC 342L. Laboratory in Basic Visual Principles
(0-2) Cr. 2. F.S.SS. Prereq: Credit or enrollment in 342. Introduction to desktop publishing, beginning techniques of layout in a step-by-step process; application of visual principles to simple print projects.

Jl MC 343L. Laboratory in Intermediate Visual Principles
(0-2) Cr. 2. S. Prereq: 342L or equivalent computer proficiency. Application of more advanced features of desktop publishing and other document-enhancing software. Production of newsletters, multi-page brochures and other documents.

Jl MC 344. Depth Reporting and Writing
(2-2) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 202 or 206. Developing and writing comprehensive news features and magazine articles.

Jl MC 346. Public Affairs Reporting
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 202 or 206. Reporting on government, business, and other institutions; identification of and access to public records; investigative reporting techniques; developing major stories on public agencies and issues for print and broadcast media.

Jl MC 347. Science Communication (Dual-listed with 547.)
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 202 or 206 for Jl MC majors; Advrt 334 for Advrt majors. Nonmajors welcome, but by permission of instructor. Reporting and writing about science and technology subjects for the general audience. Outlets for stories include print, broadcast, and online media. Story topic choices for students include reporting about basic and applied sciences as well as ethical and policy issues related to science and technology. Topics from A to Z, anthropology to zoology.

Jl MC 349. Print Media Editing
(1-5) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 202 or 206. Grammar, punctuation, usage, syntax and logic. Editing newspaper, magazine and online copy. Headline, title writing and visual presentation. Use of computer editing technology.

Jl MC 353. Information Presentation and Performance
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 306. Presentation style for the electronic media. Exploration of techniques for the narrator, announcer, news anchor, and interviewer/host.

Jl MC 354. Advanced Studio Production
(2-3) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 206; 306. Detailed application of studio television techniques; producing, directing and asset management during production of live information programs.

Jl MC 355. Advanced Reporting and Writing for Visual Media
(2-3) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 206; 306, 308. Video news techniques; reporting with electronic newsgathering equipment, writing news scripts, editing scripts and video, producing news and public affairs programs.

Jl MC 390. Workshop
Cr. 1 each time taken, maximum of 3. SS. Offered as elective credit only. Check School for course availability. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.
C. Basic Desktop Publishing
D. Intermediate Desktop Publishing
E. Photojournalism
H. Advanced Desktop Publishing
I. Advising Publications
J. Publications Practicum
Q. Teaching High School Journalists
R. Computer Applications for Journalism 
S. Online Journalism

Jl MC 401. Mass Communication Theory
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Sophomore standing. Theory and research in mass communication processes and effects; the scientific process; methods of measuring, evaluating and reporting mass communication research.

Jl MC 406. Media Management (Dual-listed with 506.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Junior classification. Decision-making functions of media. Basic media market analysis, media organization and management, circulation and audience development, technological developments affecting management decisions, and relationships with labor and regulatory agencies that affect media operations.

Jl MC 424. Public Relations Campaigns (Dual-listed with 524.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: 220, 301, and 321. Development of public relations and corporate communications campaigns for business and social institutions. Projects involve budgeting, media selection, campaign strategy, and creative execution.

Jl MC 449. Advanced Print Media Editing
(1-5) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 342, 342L, 349. Continued emphasis on grammar, punctuation, usage, syntax and logic. Editing of complex stories. Publication design, story selection and play; fairness, accuracy, balance. Editorial management and decision-making. Use of computer editing technology.

Jl MC 453. Electronic Media Technology, Public Policy, and Responsibility
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2003. Prereq: Junior classification. Issues and policies affecting the historical and contemporary development of electronic media and their technologies.

Jl MC 454. Critical Analysis and History of the Moving Image
(3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered 2002. Prereq: Junior classification. Evolution of motion picture and television content and other visual technologies. Theories and techniques for evaluating and critiquing film and video.

Jl MC 455. Advanced Field Production
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 206; 308. Research, writing and production of informational video projects (documentaries, corporate, and instructional videos). Theory and practice.

Jl MC 460. Law of Mass Communication
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.SS. Prereq: 201; and 6 credits in social science. First Amendment law, libel, privacy, obscenity, contempt, copyright, trademark, the Federal Communications Act; laws affecting advertising, legal publication, and other business activities of the media, including the Internet. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Jl MC 461. History of American Journalism
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Sophomore classification. Role of the mass media, including advertising and public relations, in shaping the social, economic and political history of America; impact of change in these areas on the development, traditions, and philosophies of the media. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Jl MC 462. Media Ethics, Freedom, Responsibility
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S. Prereq: Junior classification. Media ethics and performance; functions of the media in relation to the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government; agencies of media criticism; right to know versus right to privacy. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Jl MC 464. Journalism and Literature
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Sophomore classification. A study of journalism’s impact on literary writing and literature’s impact on journalism, as seen through the works of such American author/journalists as Ernest Hemingway, Walt Whitman, Theodore Dreiser, Truman Capote, Joan Didion. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Jl MC 474. Communication Technology and Social Change (Same as T SC 474.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Junior classification. Examination of historical and current communication technologies, including how they shape and are shaped by the cultural and social practices into which they are introduced.

Jl MC 476. World Communication Systems
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: Junior classification. World communication systems and media factors determining flow and volume of news. Impact of information and entertainment content on world societies. Comparative analysis of role and impact of traditional, mass media, and converging media.

Jl MC 477. Ethnicity, Gender, Class and the Media
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: Sophomore classification. Portrayals of ethnic groups, genders, and classes in the media in news, information and entertainment; the effects of mass media on social issues and population groups. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Jl MC 490. Independent Study in Communication
Cr. arr. Prereq: 12 credits in Jl MC or Advrt (or a combination), and completion of a proposal form. No more than 6 credits of 490 may be used toward a degree in journalism and mass communication or advertising. Independent studies are research-based. Students may study problems associated with a medium, a professional specialization, a philosophical or practical concern, a reportorial method or writing technique, or a special topic in their field. Credit is not given for working on student or professional media without an accompanying research component.

I. Media Studies

A. Book Publishing
B. Electronic Media Studies
C. Magazine
D. Newspaper

II. Professional Specialization

E. Advertising
F. Communication Technology
G. Education
H. Honors
I. Media Management
K. Public Relations
L. Visual Communication

III. Problems and Methods

M. Contemporary Issues
N. Ethics and Responsibility
O. Special Communication (Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences, Engineering, Science)
P. International Communication
Q. History and Literature
R. Law
S. Public Opinion
T. Research Methods
IV. Technique and Style
U. Documentary
V. Persuasion and Criticism
W. Public Affairs Reporting
Y. Internet Issues and Applications

Jl MC 498. Seminar in Journalism and Mass Communication
Cr. 1 to 3. Seminars or one-time classes on topics of relevance to students in journalism and mass communication.

Jl MC 499. Professional Media Internship
Cr. 3. Prereq: Jl MC 202 or 206 or Advrt 301, junior classification and adviser’s formal approval of written proposal. Required of all Jl MC and Advrt majors. A 400-hour internship in the student’s journalism and mass communication or advertising specialization. Satisfactory-fail grade, based on employer evaluation and student report. Available only to Jl MC and Advrt majors.

Courses Primarily for Graduate Students, Open to Qualified Undergraduate Students

Jl MC 501. Theories of Mass Communication
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 6 credits in social science. Examination of major areas of research activity and theoretical development related to organization, functions, and effects of mass communication.

Jl MC 502. Communication Research Methods
(3-3) Cr. 4. S. Prereq: 501. An examination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, including legal, participant observation, historical, survey, content analysis and experimental research.

Jl MC 506. Media Management (Dual-listed with 406.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 6 credits in social science (economics highly recommended). Decision-making functions of media. Basic media market analysis, media organization and management, circulation and audience development, technological developments affecting management decisions, relationships with labor and regulatory agencies that affect media operations.

Jl MC 510. Strategies of Communication
(3-0) Cr. 3. S.SS. Prereq: 501 or equivalent social science theory. The process of developing professional communication and persuasion strategies, with emphasis on problem definition, behavioral specification of objectives, situation analysis, strategy formulation, and justification through application of communication theories and research results.

Jl MC 520. Public Relations Theory and Methods
(3-0) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 501. Theories and research methods applied to the study and practice of public relations.

Jl MC 521. Theories of Visual Communication
(2-2) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 6 credits in social science and permission of instructor. Introduction to the study of picture-based media (film, television, photography, advertising, etc.). Exploration of theoretical concepts of vision and perception, visual literacy, visual language, visual persuasion/manipulations, and the cultural implications of visual images.

Jl MC 524. Public Relations Campaigns (Dual-listed with 424.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 520. Development of public relations and corporate communications campaigns for business and social institutions. Projects involve budgeting, media selection, campaign strategy, and creative execution.

Jl MC 547. Science Communication (Dual-listed with 347.)
(2-2) Cr. 3. S. Prereq: 202 or 206 for Jl MC majors; Advrt 334 for Advrt majors. Nonmajors welcome, but by permission of instructor. Reporting and writing about science and technology subjects for general audiences. Outlets for stories include print, broadcast, and online media. Story topic choices for students include reporting about basic and applied sciences as well as ethical and policy issues related to science and technology. Topics from A to Z, anthropology to zoology.

Jl MC 561. Media and Society: Interrelationships
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 6 credits in social science. Media functions in a democratic society; conflicts between the media and social institutions; ethical and social controls on the media.

Jl MC 574. Communication Technologies and Social Change (Same as T SC 574.)
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. Prereq: 6 credits in social science. Personal, organizational, and social implications of the use of communication technologies. Includes theories and empirical research across the continuum of perspectives, from techno-utopianism through an anti-technology stance.

Jl MC 576. World Communication Systems Development
(3-0) Cr. 3. F. World communication systems and other social, political and economic factors determining flow, character and volume of news. Impact of media information and entertainment content on nations and societies. Comparative analysis of role and impact of traditional modes of communication, the mass media and computer-mediated systems.

Jl MC 590. Special topics
Cr. arr. Prereq: Permission of instructor.

A. Media Studies
B. Professional Specialization
C. Research Problems and Methods
D. Technique and Style
E. Specialized Communication

Jl MC 591. Professional Internship
(0-6) Cr. 2. F.S.SS. Prereq: Permission of instructor. Supervised internship experience. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

Jl MC 599. Creative Component
Cr. var. Prereq: Approved proposal.

Courses for Graduate Students

Jl MC 601. Introduction to Graduate Study in Journalism and Communication
(1-0) Cr. R. F. Prereq: Graduate classification. Overview of advanced study in journalism and communication, with special emphasis on requirements for obtaining the master of science degree.

Jl MC 650. Seminars in Mass Communication
Cr. 1 to 3 each.

A. Audiences and Effects
B. Communication Technology
C. Professional Communication
D. Development Communication
E. Evaluation Methods
F. International Communication
G. Mass Communication History
H. Mass Communication Law
I. Media Management
J. Research Methods
K. Society and Mass Communication
L. Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication
M. Visual Communication
N. Broadcast Communication
O. Communication Theory
P. Computer Mediated Communication