Undergraduate Courses

The following are courses that the Merrill College offers, or has offered in previous terms. To see the current offerings, visit the Schedule of Classes.

JOUR 150 Introduction to Mass Communication (3) This CORE course, open to all majors, is an analysis of the information, values and underlying messages conveyed via television, newspapers, the internet, magazines, radio and film. The course examines the accuracy of messages and explores how media shape views of politics, culture and society. Not applicable toward the journalism major.

JOUR 199 Survey Apprenticeship (1) College-monitored experience in approved journalism organizations and industries. For majors only. Credit will not count toward the journalism degree.

JOUR 200 History, Roles and Structures (3) Introduction to the critical study of journalism from the standpoint of media history and sociology.

JOUR 201 News Writing and Reporting I (3) Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in both ENGL101 and JOUR181; and permission of department. Introduction to news for the print and electronic media, development of news concepts; laboratory in news-gathering tools and writing skills.

JOUR 202 News Editing (3) Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in JOUR 201. Copy editing, graphic principles and processes, new media technology.

JOUR 203 Introduction to Multimedia Skills (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 201. Examining the basics of producing and editing digital photos, video, and audio. Topics inlcude: framing, lighting, and other aspects of composition; sequencing, using wide, medium, and tight shots; and ethical considerations when collecting sound and visuals.

JOUR 240 Advertising in America (3) Survey of history, regulation and organization of advertising; advertising strategies and effects.

JOUR 289i Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools (3)  This interactive "I" Series CORE course, open to all majors, combines multiple technologies to investigate how digital information is produced, used and shared for school, work, and play.  Students engage with social networks, blogs, mobile devices, and multimedia.  Not applicable toward the journalism major.

JOUR 300 Journalism Ethics (3) Examination of ethical problems in news writing and reporting.

JOUR 320 News Writing and Reporting II: Print (3) Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in JOUR 201, JOUR 203. Principles and practices of news reporting; covering news beats and other news sources, including researching a news story for accuracy, comprehensiveness and interpretation.

JOUR 324 News Commentary and Critical Writing (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Journalistic interpretation and analysis; editorial and critical writing.

JOUR 325 Print News Bureau (6) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 and admission to Capital News Service Program. Advanced training in public affairs journalism. Students report state and federal news as part of the college's Capital News Service.

JOUR 327 Urban Affairs Reporting (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Students are immersed in coverage of issues affecting cities, working on a semester-long multi-platform reporting project based in Baltimore. Students will use Baltimore as a working laboratory to report on urban issues. Course meets in Baltimore.

JOUR 328 Specialized Topics in News Writing and Reporting (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Advanced training and practice in writing and reporting news of one specialized field of interest. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits provided the topic differs.

JOUR 328B Specialized Topics in News Writing and Reporting: Sports Reporting and Writing (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320.  Skills course designed to give students a wide-range experience in all aspects of sports journalism, including new media, social media, the history of the craft, reporting, writing, layout and editing.

JOUR 337 Patch U: Hyper-Local News Production (3) Prerequisite: JOUR320 or JOUR360; and JOUR352. The Patch U class is a capstone course on hyperlocal reporting. Students are assigned to specific Patch sites and work with the local editors to cover government, education and community news and write short features.

JOUR 350 Graphics (3) formerly JOUR 373 Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in JOUR 202. Introduction to visual components of news content and design type and typography, printing processes, illustration.

JOUR 351 Advanced Graphics (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 350. In-depth analysis of news graphics.

JOUR 352 Online Journalism (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 202 and JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Reporting and writing online, using Web attributes of interactivity, individualization, immediacy, and multi-media applications.

JOUR 353 Advanced Online Journalism (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 352. Advanced reporting and writing in an online environment.

JOUR 355 Online News Bureau (3) Prerequisites: JOUR 352 and permission of department. Advanced online journalism training. Students work as online reporters, editors and producers for an online newsmagazine. Students also package copy from the print and broadcast news bureaus.

 JOUR 356 Online News Bureau (3) Prerequisites: JOUR 203; and JOUR320 or JOUR360; and permission of department. Opportunities are provided for advanced reporting and writing on health topics, using traditional and multimedia storytelling tools.

JOUR 360 News Writing and Reporting II: Broadcast (3) Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in JOUR 201, JOUR 203. Writing and reporting for broadcast media; production of news stories.

JOUR 361 Television Reporting and Production (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 360. Writing and editing for the broadcast media. Interpretive and documentary news stories.

JOUR 362 Broadcast News Management (3) Formerly JOUR 461. One hour of lecture and four hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite: JOUR 360, Management of a broadcast station's news operations.

JOUR 363 Advanced Television Reporting and Production (3) Formerly JOUR 486. Prerequisite: JOUR 361 or permission of department. Production of a daily television news program.

JOUR 367 Broadcast News Bureau (6) Prerequisites: JOUR 361 and permission of department. Advanced broadcast journalism training. Students report as part of the College's Capital News Service program.

 JOUR 368B Topics in Broadcast and Electronic Media: Broadcast Sports Reporting (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 361.  This course allows students to work on a sports television program that involves writing, editing and producing skills.

JOUR 368P Topics in Broadcast and Electronic Media: Photojournalism I (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 or 360.  The basics of photography and telling stories through images.  An examination of composition, lighting, camera technique and the ethical and legal issues facing photographers.

JOUR 371 Feature Writing (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Research and writing feature articles.

JOUR 372 Writing the Complex Story (3) Formerly JOUR 481. Pre- or corequisite: JOUR 371. Explanatory journalism technique applied to complex subjects (such as science, economics and large scale social change) for books, magazines and newspaper series.

JOUR 380 Science Writing (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 320, JOUR 360 or permission of department. Writing of scientific and technical material for the general audience.
JOUR 389B Broadcasting the Games: Covering Sports in Action (3) Prerequisite: JOUR 262 and JOUR 360; or permission of department.

JOUR 398 Independent Study (1-3) Individual projects in journalism. May be repeated to a maximum of three credits.

JOUR 399 Supervised Internship (1) Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in JOUR 320 or JOUR 360. Supervised internship experience; relation of academic training to professional experience.

JOUR 400 Law of Public Communication (3) Prerequisite: Junior standing. Legal rights and constraints of mass media; libel, privacy, copyright, monopoly, and contempt, and other aspects of the law applied to mass communication. Previous study of the law not required.

JOUR 451 Advertising and Society (3) Prerequisite: Junior standing, plus JOUR 201 and/or JOUR 240. Advertising as an institution with manifest economic purposes and latent social effects. Influences of advertising on people, and related issues of ethics and social responsibility.

JOUR 452 Women in the Media (3) Prerequisite: Junior standing. Participation and portrayal of women in the mass media from colonial to contemporary times.

JOUR 453 News Coverage of Racial Issues (3) Prerequisite: Junior standing. Analysis of news media coverage of issues relating to racial minorities in the United States, with special attention to Hispanics, Asian Americans, African Americans and Native Americans.

JOUR 459 Special Topics in Journalism (3) Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs. Issues of special concern and current interest. Open to all students.

JOUR 462 Professional Seminar in Public Affairs Reporting (3) Prerequisite: Admission to Capital News Service, or permission of department. Explore theoretical and practical issues in the press coverage of governments. Examine the complex press-government relationship.

JOUR 470 Journalism and Public Communication Research (3) Formerly JOUR 477. Prerequisite: A University statistics course. Journalism and public communication research methods used in measuring public opinion and media programs and materials.

JOUR 471 Public Opinion Research (3) Prerequisite: A University statistics course. Measurement of public opinion and media habits; role of the media in the formation of public opinion.

JOUR 472 Computer Assisted Reporting (3) Introduction to computer-assisted (database) journalism; obtaining, manipulating and analyzing complex government data for journalism projects.

JOUR 479 Special Topics in Data Gathering and Analysis (3) Special research topics for reporting and writing. Repeatable to a total of six credits, provided content differs.