JOUR 1210 (COMM 1307). Mass Communication and Society. 3 hours. Principles of mass communication including historical, economic, social, ethical and legal factors influencing the operation and content of the mass media. Impact of new technology in changing the media. A survey of mass communication areas (newspapers, magazines, advertising, public relations, television, wire services, Internet and networks), and careers they offer. Satisfies a portion of the Understanding the Human Community requirement of the University Core Curriculum.
JOUR 2010 (COMM 2327). Principles of Advertising. 3 hours. Economic and social aspects, research, creative functions, media, production, and federal laws affecting advertising; fundamentals of advertising copy, layout and presentation techniques.
JOUR 2200. Computer Applications for Journalists. 3 hours. (1;4) A lab experience with online modules using technology for print and electronic applications for news media, public relations and advertising. Core experience with desktop and web publishing, along with video/audio applications, is coupled with choices of modules covering databases, typography, podcasting, photography/videography and more. In-class modules with professors feature theoretical perspectives on visual communication, ethics and hands-on group experiences with clients and deadlines. Prerequisite(s): passing score on the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation exam; journalism pre-major status; JOUR 1210; consent of school.
JOUR 2310 (COMM 2311). Introduction to Media Writing. 3 hours. (3;2) Fundamentals of writing, reporting and information gathering for a variety of journalism professions including advertising, newspapers, public relations, broadcast and web. Prerequisite(s): passing score on the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation exam; successful completion of two terms/semesters of first-year English; journalism pre-major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 2320 (COMM 2315). News Writing and Reporting. 3 hours. (3;4) Continued practice in news gathering and writing to develop news judgment, craftsmanship and ability to handle complex news stories. Regular campus beat and special assignment reporting. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2310; consent of school.
JOUR 2330. Introduction to Visual Communication for News. 3 hours. Introduction to basic video photography and editing, still photography and editing, and audio recording and editing for use in news and a digital multi-media environment. Instruction in theory and practice of visual and audio storytelling for news programming. Instruction may include the operation of digital video cameras, digital still cameras, voice recorders and video and audio editing software and hardware including non-linear editing systems. Prerequisite(s): passing score on the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation exam; journalism pre-major status; consent of school.
JOUR 2340. News Writing for Broadcast and Web. 3 hours. Theory and practice of writing and editing for radio, television and web-based news. Topics include news judgment, script formats and style for radio, TV and web news. Regular writing assignments, lectures and critiques. Possible hands-on writing for student media including student web sites. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 2420. Principles of Public Relations. 3 hours. Principles, techniques and ethics used in research, planning, communicating and evaluating public relations programs for corporations, PR agencies, non-profits, government, educational institutions, civic organizations and others. A survey of the history and development of the profession in the United States, with emphasis on recent technological changes and challenges in a pluralistic society. Basic PR writing forms introduced.
JOUR 3020. Advertising Concepts. 3 hours. Explores how American culture influenced classic advertisements and affects current campaigns, as well as ethics using advertising literature and course work. Students critically analyze elements within advertisements such as copy, design, and diversity. Exposure to creative briefs and other writing by advertising professionals through account planning projects. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2010; consent of school.
JOUR 3040. Advertising Media and Marketing Strategy. 3 hours. Print, broadcast and web time-buying procedures important to media salespeople as well as to advertising agency media buyers. Assignments in audience research including understanding uses of audience tracking services, identifying media that reach definitive target audiences and using effective media mixes. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 3200. Mass Communication Research Methods. 3 hours. Introduction to quantitative and qualitative methods used to study audiences, contents and effects of mass media, especially focusing on advertising and public relations communication and utilizing social science research skills and statistical analysis. Approaches include content analysis, survey research, focus groups and other experimental studies. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1680; journalism major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 3310. Feature Writing. 3 hours. Analysis of newspaper and magazine feature material, from human interest stories to magazine articles; clinical course to develop writing skills, freelance abilities and interests of journalism students. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; consent of school.
JOUR 3320. News Editing. 3 hours. The editor’s functions in handling news copy from writing to the printed page, web or other news media with emphasis on writing quality and copy editing. Includes headline writing and working with visual media. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320; consent of school.
JOUR 3325. Advanced Writing and Reporting for Broadcast and Web. 3 hours. Advanced news writing, reporting and storytelling for television, web and radio. Includes information gathering, writing, interviewing, working a news beat, developing sources and ideas, editing copy, and learning specific formats. Hands-on experience writing, producing and editing news pieces for student and area media outlets and web sites. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; JOUR 2340; consent of school. Corequisite(s): JOUR 3333.
JOUR 3333. Visual News Storytelling. 3 hours. Focuses on shooting and editing for television with information about how to select audio for radio news, plus audio and video for the web. Extensive hands-on experience with camera and editing equipment. Production of multiple packages and news pieces for student media. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; JOUR 2340; consent of school. Corequisite(s): JOUR 3325.
JOUR 3340. Online Journalism. 3 hours. Focuses on online journalism, including writing and producing stories, interviewing, editing, use of video and stills, and reporting for the web. Developing news stories based on Internet research skills; creating original online newscasts; working with established radio, TV and newspaper news staffs. Focus on principles and practices of enterprise news using Internet resources, as well as methods of developing FOI requests and other data. Includes classes on the technology of inputting information on the web. Extensive hands-on experience producing and writing content for student media web sites such as NTDaily.com. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; consent of school.
JOUR 3410. Public Relations for Non-Profits. 3 hours. Designed for both majors and non-majors. Examines the philosophical and theoretical foundations of public relations and volunteerism in the United States. Students learn to apply these theories to public relations campaigns in the non-profit sector. Strategic communication strategies relating to both internal and external publics are explored, including the unique legal and ethical issues impacting non-profits.
JOUR 3420. Public Relations Writing. 3 hours. Writing-intensive course that focuses on professional-level writing skills needed by new practitioners of public relations. Components include ethics, feature writing, press releases, web writing, multimedia work, client presentations, business formats, message design concepts and theory, and broadcast forms. Editing, grammar, and AP style are discussed. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; consent of school.
JOUR 3700. Photojournalism. 3 hours. (3;3) Instruction in advanced photojournalism skills and methods including discussion of visual communication theory. Ethical and legal limits concerning photographic coverage and publication are discussed and instruction in Photoshop and digital technology is given. Assignments require covering a variety of photographic subjects and problems outside of class. Prerequisite(s): JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; journalism major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 3900. Special Problems. 3 hours.
JOUR 4012. Direct and Interactive Response. 3 hours. Provides a study of the general principles of direct response and interactive forms of communication including the Internet and interactive, virtual and digital techniques. Students combine classroom learning with visits to businesses whose professional experts are industry leaders in this field.
JOUR 4020. Advertising Industry in New York. 3 hours. Introduces students to the industry in a major international advertising center – New York City. Course activities focus on three primary areas of the industry: the advertising agency business, advertisers and advertising media. Students have daily group appointments with members of the New York advertising community. A Shadow Day program allows individual students to meet on specified days with industry personnel in their area of career interest. Offered in New York during summer (3W1) only. Application required to be admitted to the class. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; application required; consent of school.
JOUR 4050. Advertising Copywriting. 3 hours. Advertising strategy and execution (writing) for print, broadcast and other media. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; consent of school.
JOUR 4051. Advanced Advertising Copywriting. 3 hours. Concepting, writing and executing ads and campaigns in a variety of media. Ads are critiqued from concept to final execution. Application required to be admitted to the class. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 4050; application required; consent of school.
JOUR 4052. Advertising Portfolio. 3 hours. Capstone course for advertising students in the creative track. Students work in copywriter/art director teams at a local agency with professional mentors to develop their entry-level portfolios. Class meets once a week at a local agency. Application required to be admitted to the class. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 4050 and JOUR 4051; application required; consent of school.
JOUR 4055. Broadcast Advertising. 3 hours. (3;3) Writing television and radio scripts, followed by actual production of the scripts in a television studio and a sound recording studio. Lectures cover writing, preproduction, production and examples of radio and television commercials. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status and consent of school.
JOUR 4070. Advertising Campaigns. 3 hours. Role of the advertising agency. Factors in an advertising campaign. Creation of an advertising plan and creation of a campaign from scratch, bringing together skills and knowledge from all other advertising courses. Presentation of a campaign. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; for majors JOUR 3020, JOUR 3040 or JOUR 3200, and JOUR 4050; consent of school.
JOUR 4100. Supervising School Media. 3 hours. For journalism teachers who plan to supervise secondary school newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, new media and radio or television outlets. Emphasis on teaching basic journalism courses, staff organization, editorial supervision, advertising sales and media business management. Satisfies a requirement for teacher certification. Prerequisite(s): JOUR 2200 and JOUR 3320; consent of school.
JOUR 4210. Topics in Journalism and Mass Media. 3 hours. Rotating topics. Representative topics include: sports writing, direct advertising, minorities in the media, public relations/advertising research. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Prerequisite(s): consent of school.
JOUR 4220. Leadership in Media. 1 hour. Through lectures, discussions, assigned readings, and reports on readings, explores the theory, principles and techniques of leadership in general and leadership in relation to the media professions specifically.
JOUR 4230. Professional Protocol. 1 hour. Through lectures, discussion, assigned readings and reports on readings, explores the principles and techniques of protocol and etiquette in business and professional settings; preparing for and executing special events; and developing and giving successful presentations.
JOUR 4240. Comparative International Media Systems. 3 hours. Study of mass media throughout the world with special attention to how media institutions contribute to building democracy. Comparison of print and broadcast news systems, the sources and flow of international news and the challenges of globalism. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status or consent of school.
JOUR 4250. Race, Gender and the Media: A Methods Approach. 3 hours. Explores the social construction of race and gender, and evaluates their use in the media. Adapting a research as well as a practical approach to the subject, this course involves students not only in evaluating contemporary media portrayals, but also in composing their own stories involving race/gender topics. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or consent of school. Satisfies a portion of the Understanding the Human Community requirement of the University Core Curriculum.
JOUR 4260. Strategic Integrated Communication. 3 hours. The understanding and application of all strategic integrated communications techniques and principles to real cases, problems and opportunities that result in the most effective and cost-saving use of an organization’s resources. A thorough understanding of successful branding techniques coincides with required shadowing of professionals in the student’s area of interest at corporations, agencies, and non-profits in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; prior completion of at least one upper-level strategic communications course; consent of school.
JOUR 4310. Creative Writing. 3 hours. Explores the art of literary nonfiction writing involving real world experiences. Students learn how to employ imagery, setting, dialogue, sensory detail, and conflict in their narratives; create multi-dimensional characters; animate landscape and place; and structure a piece with a beginning, middle and end tied together with a narrative thread. During workshops, stories are critiqued and students learn how to “go deeper” with their writing. May be linked to the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference or to study abroad and other off-campus opportunities. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320; consent of school.
JOUR 4321. Opinion Writing. 3 hours. Writing for the editorial page: editorials and columns. Writing critical reviews of literature, performing arts and the visual arts. Emphasis on editorials, book reviews and theatrical, musical, dance, film and television performances. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320; consent of school.
JOUR 4350. Sports Journalism. 3 hours. Teaches sports reporting, writing, photojournalism and performance for multi-platform use, including web, broadcast and print. Studies column writing, reporting on competition, ethics in sports journalism, sports entertainment, sports business and the impact of sports in society. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340 and one 3000-level news class; consent of school.
JOUR 4370. Criticism of Mass Media. 3 hours. Course facilitates thought and discussion about some of the major issues facing contemporary mass media, their messages, their audiences and the industry.
JOUR 4410. Reporting of Public Affairs. 3 hours. Police, court, political and governmental news with typical practical news assignments; background and practice in writing specialized stories typically covered in the average American city. Cover city council, school board, county commissioner meetings, some at night. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; consent of school.
JOUR 4460. Public Relations Communication. 3 hours. Writing, editing and producing a wide range of public relations communications materials. Includes copy editing, headline writing, caption writing, use of photos/art, and graphic layout and design. Emphasizes use of technology and production of a final portfolio. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; JOUR 3420; consent of school.
JOUR 4470. Ethics, Law and Diversity in Strategic Communications. 3 hours. Study of philosophical bases for ethical behavior, as well as study of professional codes of ethics for practitioners of strategic communications and other journalists. Examination of mass communication law, including privacy, defamation, copyright, financial disclosure, legal and regulatory compliance. Exploration of tactics and strategies for understanding and working with diverse communities. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; 12 hours of upper-level classes; consent of school.
JOUR 4510. Issues in Media and Ethics in Journalism. 3 hours. An examination of critical management issues, ethical challenges and the ethical decision-making process in today’s changing media. Includes the use of case studies, class discussions and writing to examine the economics currently facing media management, and the ethics in language, visual images, and technology in broadcast news, newspaper reporting and online media. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; consent of school.
JOUR 4620. Mass Communication Law. 3 hours. Legal and ethical problems of mass media: court systems, case procedures, First Amendment concerns, libel, privacy, free press and fair trial, reporting privileges, advertising and public relations law and regulation, pornography, broadcasting regulations, media concentration, media competition and copyright. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; 12 hours of upper-level classes; consent of school.
JOUR 4720. Multimedia Storytelling for News. 3 hours. (3;3–6) Prepares students to work in the newsrooms of the 21st century, using digital and online media with an emphasis on video shooting and editing, creating audio slideshows and generating material for the web. Focuses on advanced photojournalism and broadcast news techniques; instructs students on the proper techniques for gathering sound, shooting and editing video, and how to produce visual stories for the web. Advanced journalism practices including making ethical decisions regarding coverage of a news story, accuracy, writing proficiency, and meeting strict deadlines. Prerequisite(s): journalism major or minor status; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; JOUR 3700; consent of school.
JOUR 4730. Picture Editing and Portfolio. 3 hours. (3;3)Students produce a professional photo portfolio in CD and web format. A variety of assignments executed including images produced in various news categories. Students produce work such as an audio slideshow, design a web site for their online portfolio, and produce a printed portfolio. Ethics and professional practices in the field are covered. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; JOUR 2320 and JOUR 3700; consent of school.
JOUR 4800. Professional Internship. 1–3 hours. Practical experience through employment under the supervision of department chair and professional at the work site. Student must submit bi-weekly reports, work samples and evaluation report at the end of internship; professional supervisor must submit mid-term and final evaluations. Internship and total work and credit hours to be completed must be arranged in advance of enrollment by application to the school. For each hour of credit, student must work a minimum of 100 hours. Different sections scheduled for News and Strategic Communications. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; prior completion of at least one upper-level journalism course in area; consent of school.
JOUR 4810. News or Sports Practicum. 1–3 hours. Supervised, intensive practical experience for journalism students to cover news or sports events on a daily basis. Includes interviewing, writing, reporting, shooting, editing reports for the North Texas Daily, NTDaily.com, NtNewsNet.com, or other appropriate web, broadcast or print venue approved by supervising journalism faculty. Requires a minimum of 100 hours of work for each hour of credit. Prerequisite(s): journalism major status; completion of at least one upper-level course in major; consent of school.
JOUR 4820. History of American Media. 3 hours. Main trends and economic, social, political, and technological factors and people that produced the institutions and traditions of the American mass media; emphasis on the changing roles of media and the impact of new communications technologies in the 21st century.
JOUR 4850. Magazine Production. 3 hours. Study of American magazines; production sequence of a publication, composition and printing methods, layout problems, writing to fit, cost-quality factors, rewrite, copy reading, styling, writing, titles, blurbs, captions and fitting galleys into layouts. Prerequisite(s): journalism major; JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340; consent of school.
JOUR 4900-JOUR 4910. Special Problems. 1–3 hours each.
JOUR 4951. Honors College Capstone Thesis. 3 hours. Major research project prepared by the student under the supervision of a faculty member and presented in standard thesis format. An oral defense is required of each student for successful completion of the thesis. Prerequisite(s): completion of at least 6 hours in honors courses; completion of at least 12 hours in the major department in which the thesis is prepared; approval of the department chair and the dean of the school or college in which the thesis is prepared; approval of the dean of the Honors College. May be substituted for HNRS 4000.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2010 — Copyright © 2010 University of North Texas
Page updated:
July 27, 2010
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