Undergraduate Prerequisites: COMJO 200; Graduate Prerequisites: COMJO 721. COMJO 502 offers a variety of relevant topics in the field of journalism for undergraduate and graduate students to explore. This course is designed to give students a deeper understanding of a particular topic, allowing them an opportunity to test their skills as a journalist.
FALL 2024 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| B1 |
Baynard |
COM 310 |
R 12:30 pm-3:15 pm |
Topic: Video Magazine Storytelling. In this class students will learn to go past the news releases and press conferences to find context and meaning behind the story and use creative and meaningful ways to tell that story. The students will learn how to find a story and explore it in detail before producing, shooting, and editing a multilayered, well-crafted video story. The class will explore the TV news magazine format through viewing and discussion of various programs and guest speakers who have created or worked on TV magazine programs. The students will create their own online Multimedia News Magazine Program with the stories that they produce as well as create the framework of the online program, Our Times. The prerequisite for COMJO 502 is COMJO 200. |
FALL 2024 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| C1 |
M. McDuffie |
COM 319 |
W 2:30 pm-5:15 pm |
Topic: TV Feature Reporting. The prerequisite for COMJO 502 is COMJO 200. |
FALL 2024 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| D1 |
Abel |
STH 113 |
W 2:30 pm-5:15 pm |
Topic: Science Journalism. The prerequisite for COMJO 502 is COMJO 200. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| A1 |
|
|
F 11:15 am-2:00 pm |
Topic: Newsletter Writing.
Description: It’s always risky to paint news consumers with a broad brush, but it’s a safe bet that the vast majority of them have two things in common: they own a cell phone, and they have an email address. The most important thing we as journalists can do these days is try to reach the audience where they are, which is why newsletters are having a moment.
From longtime stalwarts like Morning Brew and Politico Playbook to newer media businesses like Axios and Semafor, newsletters have become some of the most recognized products offered by large news organizations. They’ve also given a platform to independent journalists who wanted to break away from traditional media or for those who have lost their jobs due to cutbacks.
In this course, we’ll explore what makes a strong newsletter, dive into the analytics and business models behind these products, and learn from the smartest people in the industry about how they developed their writing voice and built their audience. Students will leave this course prepared to write a newsletter for any news outlet, launch their own newsletter, or have a great understanding of why these products are so vital – and popular – right now. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| B1 |
|
SOC B65 |
T 6:30 pm-9:15 pm |
Topic: Audience Engagement.
Description: The ability to report for a digital audience and engage readers with your coverage are two of the most prized skills in newsrooms today. Understanding your audience -- why people read, watch, and listen to what they do -- and being able to connect them to your journalism is often the difference between a story read by millions that delivers a major impact and one that disappears without a trace into the vastness of the Internet.
More specifically, this course will give students a thorough grounding in the principles and skills of digital reporting, audience engagement, multimedia journalism today. They will learn how to nimbly master emerging technologies and report in a way that resonates deeply within their communities. They will come away with not only the core concepts behind these disciplines, but also hands-on abilities that they can use in the real world for internships and full-time jobs. We’ll employ lectures, journalism critiques, guest speakers from around the industry, and real-world assignments to educate our students.
Many newsrooms have developed entire departments dedicated to these skills, which are core to both editorial strategy and company success. They represent not only a growth area in the industry, but also an important potential starting point for eager journalists looking for a foot-in-the-door. As an editor who has worked with college-aged journalists for many years, I’ve always been surprised at how little audience and digital skills they’ve been taught in J-schools. This course would help correct that.
More specifically, this course will give students a thorough grounding in the principles and skills of audience engagement and digital journalism today. They will learn not only the core concepts behind these disciplines, but also develop hands-on abilities that they can use in the real world for internships and full-time jobs. We’ll employ lectures, journalism critiques, guest speakers from around the industry, and real-world assignments to educate our students. |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| D1 |
Abel |
|
W 2:30 pm-5:15 pm |
Topic: Science Journalism |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| E1 |
Blakely |
|
M 2:30 pm-5:15 pm |
Topic: Race & Gender in Sports Media |
SPRG 2025 Schedule
| Section |
Instructor |
Location |
Schedule |
Notes |
| F1 |
|
|
MWF 12:20 pm-1:10 pm |
Topic: Freelancing |
Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.
