JOURNALISM AT 

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY

 

1.                  OVERVIEW

 

2.                  THE JOURNALISM CONCENTRATION IN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

 

3.                  DESCRIPTION OF JOURNALISM COURSES (ENW) AT FAIRFIELD

 

4.                  OTHER FAIRFIELD COURSES USEFUL TO POTENTIAL JOURNALISTS 

 

 

1.    OVERVIEW

 

Journalism programs at colleges and universities have been under attack for committing a variety of sins, real and imagined. Some of the common criticisms include:

 

·                    Many traditional journalism programs are seen as too practical and too applied, serving as little more than trade schools.

 

·                    In contrast, programs housed in Communication Departments are sometimes criticized as too theoretical. They mandate courses that may be less relevant to journalists (i.e., human communication, interpersonal communication, organizational communication) than other courses in politics, sociology, history, economics and English might be.

·                    Veteran TV newsman Walter Cronkite and others warn that some student journalists spend too much time taking journalism, communication and other media-oriented courses. They should spend more time taking a broad variety of liberal arts classes where they can develop a greater understanding of what to write about, instead of just learning the techniques of writing.

·                    In a scathing overview of the field, Rolling Stone criticized it for attracting too many public relations majors, diluting journalism’s attempt to ferret out the truth, and for allegedly turning the field into little more than a training ground for paid corporate liars.

Fairfield University’s approach to journalism has avoided most of these problems. Like most Ivy League schools, Fairfield does not have a single program housed in a sole department. Instead, through its core curriculum, it mandates the kind of broad liberal arts education stressed by Cronkite. 

Students can take specific courses in news writing, broadcast production, political and government reporting, and many related areas. But instead of focusing solely on a set of technical skills that may soon become outdated, students also are encouraged to take coursework in areas like politics, American Studies, sociology and history so they can learn a body of knowledge and do a better job of communicating it to an audience. They develop the kind of critical thinking skills needed to cope with the inevitable changes in the journalism world. 

Simply put, students don’t just learn how to write and broadcast; they also learn what to write about.

Students can pursue journalism in at least five different ways, based on their interests. 

 

·                    Major in English and take the journalism concentration to complete the major. Contact: Prof. Simon, x2792.

 

·                    Minor in English/Journalism, and major in a related area. Contact: Prof. Simon, x2792.

 

·                    Major in Communication and take journalism courses in English to help fulfill the requirements of the major. Contact: Prof. Ryan, x2566.

 

·                    Complete a dual major in English and a related area (politics, American Studies, communication, sociology, economics, history). 

 

·                    Major or Minor in New Media or Film/Television in the Visual and Performing Arts Department, taking broadcast journalism courses, and add English/journalism courses. Contact: Prof. Mayzik, x2268

 

 

Recommended in all cases: join The Mirror campus newspaper (x2533), The Ham Channel on-campus TV channel (x4118) or WVOF-FM (x4111) and complete a journalism internship.

 

 

2. THE JOURNALISM CONCENTRATION IN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

The Journalism sequence is designed for students interested in strengthening their news gathering ability and pursuing careers in newspapers, magazines, radio/TV news and publishing. Many students interested in careers in public relations also find it useful.

 

English majors can take the normal five literature courses to fulfill their department requirements, plus the five journalism course concentration outlined below to complete their field electives. 

 

English minors can complete the five-course formal English/Journalism minor listed below. Or they can take the general English minor and take whatever journalism courses they wish toward the electives needed.

 

The Journalism concentration includes:

 

Introductory courses; students take both:

·                    EN/W 220 News Writing (must be taken before any other journalism course)

·                    EN/W 222 Journalism Editing and Design(may take any time)

 

Specialized courses; students take at least one:

·                    EN/W 221 Contemporary Journalism

·                    EN/W 320 Writing the Feature Story

·                    EN/W 321 Broadcast News Writing

·                    EN/W 322 Sports Reporting

·                    EN/W 323 Literary Journalism

·                    EN/W 324 Political and Government Reporting

 

Capstone course: students take at least one:

·                    EN/W 345/6 Internship

·                    EN/W 347/8 Independent Writing project



English minors also must complete a fifth ENW course of their own choosing; it can be from the journalism list or any other English writing (ENW) course. .

 

 

3. DESCRIPTION OF JOURNALISM COURSES (ENW) AT FAIRFIELD

 

EN/W 220 News Writing. This introductory course emphasizes the techniques used by reporters to collect information and write stories, primarily for newspapers but also for magazines and broadcast outlets. Students learn how to gather information, interview sources, write leads, structure a story, and work with editors. Students analyze how different news organizations package information, hear from guest speakers, and visit working journalists in the field. Students develop a higher level of “media literacy” and learn how to deal with the news media in their career. Course is open to second semester freshmen. Serves as prerequisite to most other journalism courses.

 

EN/W 222 Contemporary Journalism. This intermediate level course sharpens student news gathering, writing and editing skills and prepares them for the demands of journalism jobs in the 21st century. Students write longer story packages, both in conventional print formats and in HTML language for World Wide Web distribution. Students also discuss libel and ethical concerns that can affect their writing and careers.Prerequisite: News Writing or permission of instructor.

 

EN/W 221 Journalism Editing and Design. Editing skills are in high demand in today’s journalism job market, both for traditional and on-line sources of information. This intermediate level course emphasizes conciseness, precision, accuracy, style, and balance in writing and editing. Students will deepen their understanding of journalistic writing and editing and learn how to package information for an intended audience. The course includes researching and fact-checking, working with photographs and artwork, basic layout and design, headline and caption writing, and on-line editing. Prerequisite: News Writing or permission of instructor