JOUR 295 - Topics in Journalism and Mass Communications

Credits: 3 credits in Fall or Winter; 4 credits in Spring
Planned Offering: Offered when departmental resources permit.

Prerequisite: Prerequisites vary with topic. Study of a selected topic in journalism or mass communications. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Appropriate for non-majors.

Topic in Spring 2012:

JOUR 295: Great Trials in History : The Impact of the Press and Public on Justice (4). Prerequisite: At least sophomore standing. Not open to students who have taken an earlier version as JOUR 180 or 295. Students study historically significant cases against defendants ranging from Socrates and the accused witches of Salem, Massachusetts, to the Scottsboro Boys and the leaders of Nazi Germany. Rich or poor, admired or scorned, defendants in high-profile cases captivate the public because they reveal our potential for good and evil. Often in dramatic fashion, trials expose society’s biases against unpopular ethnic groups or races. Decades later the outcomes of these trials continue to be second-guessed as miscarriages of justice. Using cases of people accused of spying, war crimes and mass murder, the course explores the complexities of the conflict between the freedom of the press and the ideal of a fair trial. Locy. Spring 2012

Topic for Winter 2012:

JOUR 295: Good News, Bad News: Critical Perspectives on Journalism for Non-Majors (3). Prerequisites: Non-Journalism majors only, with at least sophomore standing. Just what is news and what is its value in contemporary society, both in the United States and globally? As citizens and community members we are all daily consumers of news and information. At a time of profound change in news and journalism, this course examines critical issues around journalism from the perspective of the citizen. Through readings, class discussion, conversations with practitioners and analytic writing, students examine the journalistic method and the history of news. Questions to be explored include: Why do we need news? How did news develop? How can we tell if news is both accurate and useful information? What should we expect from the news media? What is the impact of changing technology on both the gathering and distribution of news? What is our own responsibility as consumers and users of news? Smith. Winter 2012 only.