Miami University

CURRICULUM

About the Journalism Program curriculum

Miami's Journalism Program, an offering of the College of Arts and Science, integrates print, electronic and digital media in a framework of liberal education. The Journalism Program prepares students for careers in print and broadcast journalism, new media, related professions and graduate studies.

Students interested in becoming journalism majors will first complete the pre-major curriculum before applying for admission to the major. Admission to the major is competitive and includes a grammar and punctuation exam.

New Courses for Fall 2009

Three new, specialized Journalism courses are offered for fall 2009.

  • Reporting on Business develops skills in covering public and private companies, turning numbers into stories, and producing business news that matters.
  • Reporting on the Environment and Science takes you into the field interviewing scientists and naturalists, and producing multimedia journalism on sustainability and other green issues.
  • Capstone on The Military and Media explores how journalists cover the military and wars.

Web Projects

A number of Miami's journalism courses develop news projects for the web. Below is a sampling of recent projects:

Digging Deep Into Local Economies, Education

Learning Curve Logo

Students in the Miami-Whitewater Valley Public Media Capstone in fall semester 2008 explored how education and the economy have re-shaped the heartland. Their multi-media news project, "Learning Curve," debuted to the public in Union County, Ind., and in Middletown, Ohio, in December. View the Middletown presentation on community access TV in an online feed. Read the review of the project in the Middletown Journal.

Students Partner with Ind. Paper for Online Project

Richmond, Indiana, 1948 Fire

Students in Miami's Online Journalism course worked with Richmond, Ind., Palladium-Item newspaper staff in spring 2008 on a multimedia news project commemorating the 40th anniversary of devastating explosions and fire that killed 41 people and leveled part of the city's downtown. Cheryl Gibbs, assistant Journalism Program director, was the project editor. View the April 6 multimedia package. Photo courtesy of Palladium-Item.

 

  • COM/JRN 314: Advanced Electronic Journalism (Fall 2007) reported and produced a video documentary titled "Bursting the Bubble: How Safe Are We?" It examines a variety of safety issues on and off campus. Instructor: Joe Sampson. Click here to view the video.

  • Semester in Washington, D.C. (Fall 2007) took 13 students to Washington, D.C., in fall 2007 to learn about media practices in the nation's capitol and democracy at work. The curriculum segment was followed by eight-week internships at - for Journalism majors - the Washington Examiner and The Hill newspapers, Voice of America and Capitol News Connection with PRI. Click here to learn more.

  • JRN 421: Journalism Capstone: Beat Development (Fall 2007) This senior-level capstone class dug deep into techniques for developing and reporting on a journalism beat like crime or sports. Instructor: Patricia Gallagher Newberry. Click here to see students' work.

  • JRN 421: Journalism Capstone: Compass Magazine (2002-2006) For years, journalism students produced the College of Arts and Sciences magazine, Compass , as part of a semester's curriculum. Instructors were Judi Hetrick, Patricia Gallagher Newberry and Sacha DeVrooman Bellman. Click here for online Compass.

  • JRN 421: Depth Reporting (Fall 2004) In this senior-level seminar, students produced long-form journalism pieces that featured in-depth reporting, and polished storytelling. Instructor: Patricia Gallagher Newberry. Check it out.

  • JRN 421: Ethics Capstone (Spring 2004) With ethics problems abounding from The New York Times to CBS News, students in this senior seminar examined case studies in media gone wild. Instructor: Patricia Gallagher Newberry. Check it out.