Journalism

Course Description

PREREQUISITE Interest in journalism; strong writing skills.
 
OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Heighten student awareness of journalism’s place in school and the community
  • Write news, feature, sports, and opinion articles
  • Design and layout newspaper pages using computer hardware and software
 
DESCRIPTION The course begins with an in-depth look at the history of the American press and the role of the press in schools. Numerous types of media will be analyzed, including: newspapers, television, radio, magazines, and the Internet. Students will learn to gather news through research and interview, write articles in journalistic style, and copyread systematically. The latter weeks of the course are devoted to the elements of design and layout. Students will work individually and in groups to create and design newspaper pages.
 
EXPECTATIONS The students will be able to understand and utilize the principles of journalism. Furthermore, students will realize the role of journalism in the school and society. Students will also become critical consumers of media.