The Journalism Program is dedicated to educating students in the discipline and values of an independent press and its role in a free and democratic society. Students will learn and practice truthful, verified, and comprehensive reporting to tell stories in a range of media for the public interest. We value journalism that gives voice to a full range of voices, a practice that requires cultural competence of its practitioners. In the spirit of Pro Humanitate, we also support independent journalism locally and beyond through the work of our faculty and students.
Contact Information
Journalism (JOU)
JOU 270. Introduction to Journalism. (3 h)
Fundamentals of news reporting, news writing, and news judgment. Digital skills introduced and practiced. Intensive in-class writing.
JOU 278. News Literacy. (3 h)
Exploring the difference between news and propaganda, news and opinion, bias and fairness, citizen reporting and professional journalism with a goal of training more discriminating and thoughtful producers and consumers of news. Included: historical context of the news industry.
JOU 310. Editing. (3 h)
Fundamentals in copy editing and headline writing as it applies to print and online journalsim. Applying grammar, adherence to Associated Press style, and use of photos, lay-out and news judgment to improve news and feature stories. Intensive in-class editing. P - JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 315. Beat Reporting. (3 h)
Fundamentals in indentifying and developing news and feature beats. Emphasis on interviewing skills, source development, story identification and writing for print and online. Digitals skills such as blogging, photography, video production, and social media practiced. Highly interacative. P - JOU 270.
JOU 320. Community Journalism. (3 h)
Students leave campus to report on a Winston-Salem neighborhood, producing stories for public audiences in a range of media focused on the people and places that create community. P - JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 321. Environmental Journalism. (3 h)
Learn to report on issues related to the environment, from climate change to science to local land-use policy, and produce stories in a range of media. Explore questions at the intersection of climate change, geopolitics, science writing, news coverage, community activism, racial justice, and multimedia journalism, with specific topics and projects determined by the instructor in any given semester. May be repeated once with permission of the instructor.
JOU 322. Investigating Innocence, at the Intersection of Journalism, Narrative and the Law. (3 h)
Learn to write like a journalist and think like a lawyer by investigating and writing about an ongoing case of a wrongful conviction under review by the law school’s Innocence & Justice Clinic. Law students and undergraduates work together with instruction by professors in law and journalism. Also listed as WRI 322. P-POI.
JOU 330. Podcasting. (3 h)
Introduction to audio storytelling. As the world of podcasting and nonfiction audio grows rapidly, students will learn the building blocks and best practices of audio journalism, including sound editing, and interviewing, and story, and will discuss what journalism means in these changing times.
JOU 331. On the Air with WFDD. (3 h)
Learn the fundamentals of audio reporting including interviewing techniques, writing for radio, beat coverage, audio recording and editing, and social media to produce stories for broadcast on the local NPR affiliate WFDD. P-JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 335. Multimedia Storytelling. (3 h)
Provides concepts and applied skills related to digital news production, digital research, use of search engine optimization and analytics, social media as a reporting and branding tool, navigating content management systems, visual storytelling and web publishing.
JOU 340. Magazine Writing. (3 h)
Learn and practice the skills needed to produce magazine stories for publication. Focusing on a single topic of their own choosing, students learn advanced principles of interviewing, document research, story structure, character development, and explanatory journalism as they read and analyze some of the best magazine stories written over the past thirty years. Also listed as WRI 344. P-JOU 270.
JOU 345. Sports Journalism. (3 h)
Introduction to the world of sports, the lives of athletes and the influence both have on American culture and college campuses. Students will keep a blog, conduct regular interviews, conver on- and off-campus sportings events, write opinion cloumns, produce multimedia stories and profile Wake Forest athletes. P - JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 350. Writing for Public Relations and Advertising. (3 h)
Principles and techniques of public relations and applied advertising and marketing. Students use case studies to develop public relations and advertising strategies. Also listed as COM 117.
JOU 355. Broadcast Journalism. (3 h)
An introduction to the theory and practice of broadcast journalism. Topics will include ethics, technology, and the media as industry. Projects will address writing, producing, and performing for radio and television. Also listed as COM 215.
JOU 370. International Reporting. (3 h)
Students explore a part of the world as journalists do, interviewing, observing, and exploring to produce stories that shed light on the people, culture, and issues that define that place. P - JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 375. Special Topics in Journalism. (1-3 h)
Study and practice of new trends, innovations and subject matters in journalism. May be repeated once for credit, provided the topic has changed. P - JOU 270 or POI.
JOU 380. Deep Dive. (1.5 h)
Provides an intensive exploration of a specific topic in journalism in such areas as photojournalism, investigative reporting, and race and the media. Varies by semester and instructor.1.5 h, may be repeated once with permission of the instructor.
JOU 390. Internship. (1-3 h)
Practical experience in journalism. Students work with a faculty adviser. Cannot be repeated except with approval of the director.
JOU 395. Individual Study. (1-3 h)
Independent study with faculty guidance. By prearrangement.