The B.A. degree program in journalism and media is designed for students interested in pursuing media-related careers, including multimedia storytelling, print/broadcast/online journalism, public relations, and corporate communications. The program focuses on development of communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical-thinking skills through applied experiences meant to mirror professional environments.

Student Learning Goals

1. Students will develop an appreciation for the values of the role of journalism and media
   in a democratic society, both domestically and globally; will evaluate and assess how values are
   applied by others; and will apply those values to professional work.
   1. Students will identify and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press
      for the United States, and compare to the U.S. system the range of systems of freedom of
      expression around the world, including the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and
      assemble and to petition for redress of grievances.
   2. Students will identify major historical figures and movements, and they will discuss how
      they contributed to the development of journalism and media professions and institutions.
   3. Students will identify and discuss how gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and, as
      appropriate, other forms of diversity in domestic society play a role in journalism and media
      professions, and how journalism and media play a role in societal conceptualizations of
      diversity issues.
   4. Students will identify and discuss the diversity of peoples and cultures in a broader
      global society, and will discuss the significance and impact of journalism and media in that
      broader global society.
   5. Students will identify and discuss ethical principles, standards, and codes of professional
      journalism and media work, and they will apply those ethical principles, standards and codes to
      professional practice, especially in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.
2. Students will demonstrate core communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity skills (the five C’s) in their journalism and media professional practice.
   1. Students will identify and apply theories of mass and mediated communication in the use and presentation of images and information.
   2. Students will critically evaluate and assess information in its truthfulness, use, and effectiveness in public communication messages.
   3. Students will demonstrate creativity in their development of messages and strategies to inform and engage audiences and publics.
   4. Students will develop strategies to work independently and collaboratively in groups to accomplish goals.
   5. Students will conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the journalism and media professions in which they work
3. Students will demonstrate professional skills in the journalism and media professions in which they work, and they will be able to self-evaluate and evaluate others in application of professional skills.
   1. Students will identify and evaluate the information needs of appropriate audiences, publics, and communities they might serve in journalism and media professions.
   2. Students will write correctly, clearly, and effectively in forms and styles appropriate for the journalism and media professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
   3. Students will identify and apply basic concepts of visual communication in developing messages.
   4. Students will critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
   5. Students will apply basic numerical and statistical concepts to their professional work.
   6. Students will apply basic tools and technologies appropriate for the journalism and media professions in which they work.
   7. Students will develop career communication skills necessary to explain the broad value of journalism and media skills as they are applied both within and beyond traditional ournalism/media professions

Scholarships/Awards

Mike Spencer Scholarship; Jeff Owen Journalism Award.

Degree Requirements

See “General Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees at IU Southeast” and “General Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree.”

Note: This is not a re-statement of the University's General Education Requirement but a list of specific General Education courses which are also requirements or pre-requisites for course work in the school/major.

Core Program

Both the Multimedia Journalism and Public Relations tracks under the B.A. in Journalism and Media require a common core of 21 credit hours.

Multimedia Journalism Track

The Multimedia Journalism track requires J303 Online Journalism, a photojournalism course (J344 Photojournalism Reporting, J354 Photojournalism Editing, or J384 Videography), two semesters of Student Media Experience on The Horizon (C327 Writing for Publication or J385 Television News – either may be taken twice), two journlaism and media electives, and J362 Journ Multimedia Storytelling. Note that a for-credit internship in journalism, PR, or a related field may be counted as as a required Journalism and Media elective.

Track Requirements

Electives

Two three credit Journlsim and Media electives are required. Any course with a JOUR-J prefix (3 credits, minimum grade of C) is acceptable.  NOTE:  A for-credit internship in journalism, PR, or  related field may be counted as an elective.

Capstone

Public Relations Track

The Public Relations track requires JOUR-J 321 Principles of Public Relations, CMCL-C 324 Persuasion, JOUR-J 349 Public Relations Writing, CMCL-C 424 Communications Research Methods, SPCH-S 307 Crisis Management, BUS-M 300 Introduction to Marketing, JOUR-J 429 Public Relations Campaigns, and two directed elective courses. Note that a for-credit internship in journalism, PR, or a related field may be counted as the required journalism elective.

Track Requirements

Electives

Capstone

Specific Requirements for Honors Program

Admission to the Journalism Honors Program requires the following: 

The student must be a journalism major with junior standing; the student must have at least a 3.3 GPA in all courses and at least a 3.5 GPA in journalism courses; and the student must have completed 14 hours of journalism courses, including JOUR-C 200, JOUR-J 200, JOUR-J170, JOUR-J210, and one semester of JOUR-C 327 or JOUR-J 385.  Once admitted to the program, honors students will complete a double major in journalism honors and journalism.

Fifteen credit hours, consisting of: 

• JOUR-C 200 Introduction to Mass Communications (3 cr.)
• JOUR-C 327 Writing for Mass Media (The Horizon) OR JOUR-J 385 Television News (3 cr.)
• JOUR-J 170 Wordsmithing (2 cr.)
• JOUR-J 200 Reporting, Writing and Editing I (3 cr.)
• JOUR-J 210 Visual Communications (3 cr.)