J 334 Multimedia Journalism

Description and Objectives

This course examines the multifaceted impact of the Digital Revolution on journalism, with an emphasis on the creation of innovative, multimedia and multiplatform storytelling techniques. The class has two tracks – a seminar, based on readings, lectures and class discussions; and a workshop lab, based on the application of journalistic and technological skills to produce multimedia stories:

The goals of this class are:

To create an intellectual environment that let students to acquire a comprehensive and advanced understanding of the impact of the Digital Revolution on Journalism;

To find and analyze best practices of digital journalism;

To instruct and guide the students with the software tools and journalistic techniques necessary for producing multimedia narratives for the Internet and other digital platforms;

To create a learning environment that nurtures opportunities for the students to produce their own multimedia stories, developing professional skills that are required by news organizations on the Internet.

Grading System

Class Participation: 10%

Mid-term Paper: 20%

Final Paper: 20%

Final Multimedia Project: 50%

Lab Hours

Full lab times are mandatory every week.

Prerequisites

J 310, J 315, J 320D, and J321C with a grade of at least C in each, a score of 45 or better on the Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation (GSP) test, a score of 29 or better on the Word Processing (WP) test, and admission to a Journalism Upper Division sequence.

Please note: Access to a computer and the Internet and the ability to operate both are required for participation in this course. Students will need to spend extra time outside class to familiarize themselves with Web production applications.

Special Components

This course contains a substantial writing component and fulfills part of the basic education requirement in writing.