Journalism

College of Humanities
Dean: Nancy McDermid

Department of Journalism
HUM 305
415-338-1689
E-mail: journal@ceres.sfsu.edu
Chair: Austin Long-Scott (Acting)

Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism
HUM 307
415-338-2083

Faculty

Professors—Burks, Johnson, J.T., Kobré, Sellers , Smith, E.

Associate Professors—Long-Scott, Thompson, V.

Assistant Professor—Daley

Programs

B.A. in Journalism
Minor in Journalism

Program Scope

The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism prepares students for careers in journalism. This is accomplished by providing instruction that requires students to develop a working knowledge of the skills, laws, ethics, power, and responsibilities of the news media. A strong liberal arts education also is required.

The main goals of the program's skills courses are to help students become accurate and thorough researchers, precise and graceful writers, technically and aesthetically fine photojournalists. Introductory courses emphasize the need to think and write clearly. Many students choose the major because these skills provide excellent preparation for numerous occupations, not only for journalism.

Writing students are required to take introductory courses in research, reporting, writing, and editing. Photojournalism students are required to take introductory courses in writing and reporting as well as courses in basic photography and news photography. Advanced courses are more specialized—feature writing, depth reporting, public affairs reporting, computer-assisted reporting, magazine writing and multimedia for writers and editors; newspaper, magazine, documentary, and studio photography for photographers. In order to understand the role of journalism in society, students also are required to take courses in journalism ethics, law, history, and ethnic diversity. Students are strongly urged to develop speaking, writing, and listening competency in a second language.

To give students pre-professional experience, the program requires students to work on widely circulated laboratory publications. These publications include a news magazine, a news website, a multimedia webzine, and a department newsletter. These publications are produced by classes and are taken for credit. Consistent with the department's commitment to protect students' First Amendment rights, students have editorial control of the publications.

All students are required to consult with a faculty adviser each semester. They can choose their adviser or have one assigned by the department office. Students are asked to provide advisers with on-going written records of their complete academic record for department records.

Services are available to all journalism students at the department's Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism. Coaching is provided by Bay Area journalists who volunteer to work through the center with any student enrolled in department skills courses. Advanced students may be assigned a professional as a mentor. The privately funded center was established in 1990 to create programs that increase retention rates and job/internship placement of journalism students and to increase ethnic minority enrollment and graduation rates. It conducts special programs for high school students, high school journalism advisers, and for Bay Area journalists. Through the center, department faculty and students and center staff engage in research that consistently has had a national and international impact on journalism, with an emphasis on research about the coverage on ethnic minority people and issues.

The department is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). It is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association and sponsors a student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi.

The faculty includes eight full-time members and a fluctuating number of part-time instructors, most of them active journalists. Faculty encourage and assist students in finding jobs and internships. Students may earn up to three units in JOUR 409 for journalism internships. Consult department office to arrange credit for internships.

Career Outlook

The writing, editing, photography, and multimedia skills taught in the department prepare students for entry level jobs on a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and new media. The critical thinking and clear expression that are taught in department courses prepare students well for jobs in broadcast journalism and in many fields outside journalism. Because of the department's national reputation for excellent preparation of students and for being ethnically diverse, students in the department are recruited from throughout the nation for internships and entry-level jobs in journalism.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN JOURNALISM

To earn the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, students must complete the core requirements of nineteen journalism units and take a total of 34 journalism units. For students in news-editorial and magazine sequences, only six journalism units may be lower division--JOUR 200 and JOUR 221 (plus JOUR 235 for photojournalism students), or their equivalents taken elsewhere. Courses numbered 300 and above are not open to freshmen. The department does not require but strongly recommends students have their own personal computer and modem. Upon enrolling in journalism classes, students are required to sign up for an SFSU e-mail account.

In order to assure that every journalism student's education is as rich and varied as possible, the department has established these requirements:

• A journalism major must complete at least nine upper division units in one of the areas of study approved by the faculty. Majors must have this nine-unit block approved by a department adviser before enrolling in the courses.
• A journalism major must have a minimum of 90 non-journalism units in the 124 minimal overall units required for graduation. These 90 units must include at least 65 units in liberal arts and science courses. Included in these 90 units must be the nine-unit upper division block in a single subject area chosen in consultation with the adviser. The 90-unit requirement is consistent with the department's philosophy that a well-rounded education is crucial preparation for journalism and is consistent with the standards of the national accrediting agency that evaluates journalism education programs. These standards exclude most classes in broadcasting, public relations, and advertising from qualifying as non-journalism units. Journalism majors may take more journalism units than the 34 required.

Online course descriptions are available.

Prerequisites

• For JOUR 221, minimum grade of B in college-level English composition course; passing grade on department writing examination; typing skill of 25 wpm.
• For JOUR 300 and JOUR 330, JOUR 221 or its equivalent taken elsewhere with at least a C+; type minimum 25 wpm. Transfer students must take a department-administered newswriting test and make at least C+. Exam will be given first day of class. (JOUR 330 may be taken at same time as JOUR 300.)
• For advanced writing courses (JOUR 320, JOUR 321, JOUR 420, JOUR 421, JOUR 595, and others that may be offered occasionally), JOUR 300 with at least C+.
• For JOUR 695, JOUR 300 and an advanced writing course with at least a C+ in both.
• For JOUR 335, completion of JOUR 235 (or its equivalent taken elsewhere) with at least C+ in department-administered photojournalism competency test.
• For JOUR 435, completion of JOUR 221, JOUR 300, and JOUR 335 with at least a C+ in each.
• For JOUR 535, completion of JOUR 335 with at least a C+.
• For required laboratory courses (JOUR 480, JOUR 485):

News-editorial sequence students must complete JOUR 300 and an advanced writing course with at least a C+ in both.

Magazine sequence students must complete JOUR 300 and JOUR 595 with at least a C+ in both.

Photojournalism sequence students must complete JOUR 221 and JOUR 235 (or its equivalent taken elsewhere), and JOUR 335, all with at least a C+.

Other Requirements

Students may enroll in only one laboratory course per semester.

Journalism majors and minors must earn at least C+ in all laboratory and skills courses.

Journalism majors and minors must take all journalism courses and the nine-unit upper division non-journalism block for letter grade only.

Sequences

Journalism majors are required to concentrate their journalism courses in one of the three areas listed below. No deviations from these and other requirements are permitted without adviser's consent. Students are not required to select a sequence until they have met prerequisites for laboratory courses.

NOTE: JOUR 235 and JOUR 335 must be taken in consecutive order; either JOUR 435 or JOUR 535 may be taken after successfully completing JOUR 335.

MINOR IN JOURNALISM

This program is not a requirement for any credential or degree but is intended to give students an opportunity to pursue their interests in journalism in an organized way. A total of 22 units is required, approved by an adviser.