Catalog Description and Prerequisites

ENG 121: Intro Journalism/Mass Media (3) Designed to increase students' awareness of the mass media and its impact on society: development of the media, including writing types and styles; ethical and social problems; study and practice of journalistic writing, analysis of major news media with emphasis upon newspapers. Prerequisite: ENG 103

Course Philosophy

First Amendment rights, particularly the rights of free speech and freedom of the press, are at the core of what democracy in America is all about. Without them, the society we live in and the way we carry out our lives would be notably different. At the same time, the "press" has become much more technologically-driven since the First Amendment was written. Instead of just newspapers, we have a myriad of print publications, radio, network and cable television, and the Internet. The field of journalism has become increasingly complex, with greater impact on all our daily lives.

This course is both a content-driven and skills-driven course. The subject matter will encompass many disciplines: political science, sociology, law, history and other areas that journalism impinges on. At the same time, this is an English course and, thus, requires strong writing and communication skills.

Current Texts/Assigned Reading

Kovach, Bill and Tom Rosenstiel . The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2001.

Class handouts and website readings.

A journalistic biography from a given list.

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