Download A BA in Media Studies (Fall 2015)

New SPS/CAS Program Proposal
B.A., Media Studies (128 credits) (Fall 2015)
(In the near future offer, a B.A., in Digital Journalism and Emerging
Media (128 credit hours)
Informal Landscape Analysis
“The challenge for journalism educators is that media organizations don’t know what they need the
academy to teach young journalists. And there is anxiety over the internet as the savior and villain of
journalism.” – Finberg, Poynter Institute
“It is important to take advantage of collaboration with other disciplines, not to be content to offer
technology courses on their own. Technology curriculum without relevance to storytelling and
information sharing will only serve to confuse and frustrate students who are forced to make those
connections on their own.” – Cindy Royale, Nieman Lab, Harvard University
“Schools need to adapt to the new reality and teach new journalists to engage with their communities
using every tool at their disposal, including, of course, the Internet. Journalism with no engagement, is
pretty much like hospitals with doctors and medicine but no patients.” – Eric Newton, the Knight
Foundation
“Students need to be ready to shoot, edit, write, use social media, and work quickly…and most of them
aren’t. In general it’s difficult to find people talented enough to perform all of those skills well.” – Adam
Bagni, WJAR
“A journalism curriculum is often too stagnant and the process to change it too bureaucratic. It needs to
be more fluid and quickly adaptable to the times. This takes professors who are truly on the cutting
edge of the field.” -Margaret Looney, the International Journalists’ Network.
I attended a conference, the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communications, this
summer in which Howard Finberg, Director of Training Partnerships at the Poynter Institute for Media
Studies, called for a rethinking of Journalism Education with an emphasis on innovation. He says
students may find the answer to a successful business model that traditional media continues to
struggle with.
There is a major ‘disruption’ occurring in the news media, caused by technology and social media, that
has forced the industry to refigure the old business model but most are not sure what that is. The
Poynter Institute asserts that Journalism and Communications enrollment is high, while traditional hiring
by legacy media organizations is at an all-time low. Poynter believes that without innovative
educational programs Journalism degrees are in danger of becoming perceived as irrelevant. This is
reflected in the elimination of journalism programs or the incorporation of journalism into the wider
communications curriculum in many universities. (Poynter, 2013) “Let me emphasize this critical point:
I worry about the future of journalism degrees [and programs] more than I worry about the future of
journalism-and by extension, journalism training.” (Finberg 2013) The real disruption that colleges and
universities face is that degrees are declining in value—even while education and training remain
important to an individual’s future. College administrators face the same dilemma as their news industry
counterparts. Trading tuition dollars for digital or e-learning dimes might be the only way to survive.
Those who don’t innovate in the classroom will be left behind. (Finberg 2013)
Finberg posits that “the same disruptive forces that battered the media industry are threatening the
economics of private and public universities. The traditional media players were slow to recognize how
their business model was going to be undercut by technology, how the internet would transform a
precious commodity into something with little or no value. News was a valuable commodity because it
was scarce. The Internet turned scarcity into abundance by providing news outlets and news platforms
for consumers to access news and information. The same thing, I believe, is about to happen to
education.”
More and more parents, students, government officials and education pundits are questioning the
wisdom of spending six figures for an education that doesn’t provide a clear economic return. This is
not just a journalism education issue. It is a broader challenge, which questions the value of a college
education.
But journalism isn’t going anywhere. Though there has been a major ‘interruption’ of the business
model journalism continues to attract students. Students are increasingly finding jobs helping
traditional media and other industries move into the digital and social media space. When news
happens, statistics show the public still flocks to traditional/legacy media for details and analysis.
Digital media are very important for raising awareness, but the authoritative interpretations of issues
are still provided by journalists. And Journalism majors possess talents that can be used in a variety of
industries, including oral and written communication skills, research, blogging and comfort in using
social media.
Trinity is uniquely positioned to provide a Journalism Major with a strong liberal arts education
foundation, with flexible hours and affordable tuition with financial help and incentives.
A professionally oriented undergraduate study of Journalism can offer students:
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A dynamic curriculum rooted in the best ethics of the communications professions that
is up on innovations essential to gathering and disseminating news.
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Student scholarly productivity that anticipates and answers important questions of the social
role and impact of journalism.
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Professional quality productions that define the best practices and fulfill the needs of an
underserved people.
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A portfolio of published work that can serve as a marketing tool for employment
Current Career Opportunities in Communications, in Non-profit organizations, and Digital Journalism &
Emerging Media companies.
If a student sees herself as a good writer and storyteller with a passion is to educate and engage an
audience with words, sound and visuals, there’s a career in media studies and digital journalism for:
•Network news operations such as CBS and CNN
•Local newsrooms across the country, from NYC to LA and everywhere in between
•International news media such as the Shanghai Media Group
•Sports media such as ESPN, MSG, Comcast, NFL Films, NBA Entertainment
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Communications Specialists for non-profit organizations and government agencies
Social media specialists
Web writers
They can also work as:
•Anchors—news and sports
•On-air reporters—news and sports
•Producers—news, sports and web
•Multimedia journalists
•Writers—news, sports and web
•Meteorologists (after completing additional training)
Additionally, Media Studies and Digital Journalism training is also good for careers in:
•Law
•Public relations
•Magazine and other journalism fields
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Some Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG)
A true Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort,
and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it
has achieved the goal so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot
for finish lines. - Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, “Building Your Company’s Vision” HBR, SeptemberOctober 1996
In 12 months, Trinity Washington University’s SPS Undergraduate Program will be the place to go for a
B.A. in Digital Journalism and Emerging Media.
In 12 months, SPS will establish an Advisory Board of industry leaders to oversee the PR & Journalism
concentrations
In 12 months, a select group of Trinity undergraduate and graduate students will join Howard, D.C. and
American University by participating in the NBC 4 semester-long 3-credit class which engages students in
all aspect of broadcast news and management with a class.
In 12 months, Trinity Washington University will have a student-run online media presence starting with
the rebirth of the Trinity Time, a revised Year Book; and a new venture to provide hyper-local news
content to the University and the Brookland community at-large, to include but not limited to
community news, development, school news, business expansion and innovation as well as trends and
crime reports.
In 12 months, Trinity will expand its visibility locally and nationally with the advent of several new
student activities and student chapters of:
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The Alliance for Women in Media (formerly AWRT, American Women in Radio and Television)
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Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
•
Black Public Relations Society of America
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The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
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The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
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The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ),
In 24 months, SPS and CAS will share a media lab in the new Academic center with the capability of 8
digital video editing stations and the capability of creating digital technologies including video and audio
news segments.
Assessments and Outcomes
A student successfully completing a BA in Digital Journalism and Emerging Media should be proficient in
the concepts characterized by the basic values and competencies listed below:
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Understand the tenets of press freedoms and responsibilities, publication law and ethics across
platforms.
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Recognize the value of interactivity by identifying the appropriate multimedia tools and
technologies for telling a story or aspect of a story, such as hyperlinks, photojournalism, video, audio,
informational graphics, mapping, data visualization, blogs and social media.
•
Develop analytical skills that show your ability to think critically, independently and creatively
about issues, events and trends in news locally, nationally and internationally.
•
Recognize the impact of professionals and institutions on communications in the past and
present by explaining evolutionary roles of journalists at newspapers, magazines, radio and television
stations and Internet sites.
•
Application of techniques to research, interview and report news stories of varies lengths and
types in the appropriate platform using the applicable technology.
•
Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions,
audiences and purposes they serve.
•
Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity,
appropriate styles and grammatical correctness
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Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts. Be able to go behind the numbers to explain
measurable changes and add context to your stories by computing basic math calculations, interpreting
statistics and using spreadsheets for basic database reporting.
•
Be able to work comfortably in high-pressure environments by meeting deadlines for spot-news
stories within 24 hours and other stories with longer lead times
•
Reflect diversity in your reporting by interviewing a variety of sources that reflect differences
such as race, ethnicity, geography, age religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, socioeconomic status and political affiliation.
BA in Media Studies (Fall 2015)
( Digital Journalism and Emerging Media – Fall 2016)
Objectives for the Major:
Objective: Provide experiential education that promotes civic engagement to empower
underrepresented communities locally while raising the University’s/Department’s public profile.
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Year 1 – Expand student-produced, hyper-local news coverage of the Brookland area particularly, and
the Washington region in general.
Year 1 - Recruit co-curricular professional student organizations for journalism , NABJ, Women in Media;
PRSSA for Public Relations and related groups for Advertising.
Objective: Ensure that Trinity graduates are media literate while increasing the
Year 1 – Develop and test a Media Literacy course intended to make students more critical consumers of
news and persuasive messages and capable of discerning what is credible and what is perilous.
Year 2 – Advocate for adoption of the Media Literacy as a core course for the University.
Objective: Forge stronger ties to alumni to keep the curriculum current and encourage financial support
for the department efforts.
Year 1 – Obtain a list of alumni sorted by major; determine current professional activity, level of
previous engagement with the University.
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Solicit support for an alumni engagement campaign
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Recruit alumni to critique portfolios and projects of Capstone courses
Year 2 – Match high-achieving students with high-achieving alumni mentors.
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Solicit alumni in co-curricular activities and student news, advertising and public relations
organizations.
Ongoing assessments and recommendations:
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Continue updating learning outcomes to reflect newest trends and best practices in the
communications disciplines, industries and professions
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Possible ways to revitalize the curriculum based on the newest trends and industry best
practices at both the graduate and undergraduate levels
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Learning from the mistakes of other institutions that underwent curriculum revisions,
restructuring and fundraising
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A plan for the school to be better positioned to increase enthusiasm for “private giving” because
of the quality of students
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Consider possible interdisciplinary collaboration
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Develop interdisciplinary courses with CAS English, History and SPS Business & Health disciplines
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Foster additional student-run media, research and creative productions
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•
Increase international research and internship opportunities for students and increase the
research and creative productions completed by all students
Future Tracks for the B.A., Digital Journalism & Emerging Media
Tracks: Business; Travel, Food and Fashion Reporting; Health News; Political
And a B.A. in Digital Public Relations
EQUIPMENT NEEDS (I have now come to realize we will not be able to acquire ANY equipment needs
during the first year of the program so am revising the major to Media Studies and postponing Digital
Journalism until we can acquire digital resources)
This is not a complete assessment but at the very least will need
Budgetary Recommendations
A media lab equipped with 5 digital Canon XA 10 cameras (ranging in price from $1600 each)
5 professional mics
2 light kits
5 tripods
One Go Pro (Special Angle camera – for sports reporting – Trinity home games - $349)
6 High Speed I-MAC Computers /editing stations – ( $1299 each)
equipped with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Editing software ($299 each)
(Note: Suggest we require grad students to have their own hard drives for project storage (would need
to have hard drives for undergrads)
6 – 8 high quality audio recorders with mics for audio storytelling
A B.A. in Media Studies (Fall 2015) (128 Credits)
(original idea - Digital Journalism & Emerging Media Curriculum (now
considering for Fall 2016)(128 Credits)
Media studies will include an overview of all types of journalism platforms, print online, broadcast and
television and cable. Journalism has undergone a comprehensive evaluation of its curriculum, with the
primary focus shifting from print and broadcast to digital and the many ways in which journalists can tell
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stories in the current landscape. Students are encouraged through new courses to develop varied skills
and to be fully immersed in digital journalism—and to develop the entrepreneurial skills that are
necessary today. The new curriculum aims to marry the strong traditions of ethics and a commitment to
storytelling and reporting with modern tools and methods.
Proposing a Core of Courses that includes the following:
ENG 107 – College Composition
MATH 109 – Foundations of Mathematics
FNAR 101 – History of Art
HIS 132 – 20th Century History of the United States
PHIL 245 - Ethics
COM 290 – Public Speaking
COM 225 – Intercultural Communications
Propose: A course in Geography
Propose: A course in Political Science (instead of sociology)
DJEM 101 - Introduction to Multimedia Skills (3 credits) the first course in the Journalism major the
basics of producing, editing digital photos, videos, and audio.
Multicultural media history
Writing for the Media
Advanced Reporting and Writing
Introduction to Broadcast News
Special Topics: Entrepreneurship, Blogging for Profit
Digital Media Innovation Lab
Multimedia Storytelling
Law and Ethics
Intermediate Multimedia Journalism – Editing and writing online, Web coding; creation of news and
feature packages for the Internet
Supervised Internship
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Directed Study
TV and Digital News Producing and Presenting
Students will learn writing, information gathering story selection and positioning of local and national
stories, under deadline and will rotate among weather, sports, producing and on-camera news
presentation roles. Students also post stories on the Internet and participate in on-set tapings of
complete news programs.
In Summary: This may be a bold and ambitious plan, but I believe that with bold and ambitious levels of
achievement you can make a plant to turn ambition into reality…
Suggested marketing appeals:
MA, Strategic Communication and Public Relations
“Elevate your career in communications and distinguish yourself from your professional peers by earning
a Master of Strategic Communications and Public Relations. Our applied curriculum—taught by industry
leaders and trendsetters and influential practitioners who bring real-time challenges into the
classroom—emphasizing strategic thinking, ethical practices, and the integration of digital and
traditional media. Our graduates do more than lead, they create lasting effects on the industry and
beyond.
BA, Digital Journalism and Emerging Media
“Journalists have never before encountered so many opportunities. Traditional print and broadcast
media outlets now incorporate many interactive media tools such as blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, and
Twitter. Today, a journalist needs to write well and be an adaptable communicator, able to transition
fluidly from one medium to the next. With a B.A. in Digital Journalism and Emerging Media, a student
who sees herself as a non-fiction storyteller with a passion is to educate and engage an audience with
words, sound and visuals, then there’s a career in her future as a digital journalist.”
Statement of Need
This program would serve Trinity’s strategic plan by facilitating enrollment growth. It serves Trinity’s
mission to advance principles of equity, justice and honor while offering the integration of liberal
learning with professional preparation is in line with the professional aspirations of students interested
in careers in Journalism, although they may be preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist….
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