Journalism and Communication Studies
New and Improved!
- Journalism and Communication Studies students will be even more well-prepared to enter, and affect, the rapidly changing world of multimedia journalism.
- The program features industry-standard software to produce journalism that draws on the full range of storytelling possibilities, including narrative animation, interactivity, audio and video.
- Students will also be exposed to more communication-studies courses that explore the many ways various media affect our lives, and how to sort through the constant stream of information that bombards us all.
- They'll also end up with valuable transferable skills that can be put to use in many fields of endeavour, including working in a deadline-driven environment and learning how to use social media and journalistic research skills in professional settings.
Content
Here is a list of the courses.
JRNL 1160 Introduction to Journalism
JRNL 1220 Citizen Journalism
JRNL 2120 Storytelling 1
JRNL 2140 Introduction to News: How We Inform Ourselves
JRNL 2230 Multimedia Storytelling
JRNL 2240 Beyond the News
JRNL 2250 Public Affairs Journalism 1
JRNL 3155 Storytelling 2: Reporting
JRNL 3160 Photojournalism
JRNL 3170 Narrative Nonfiction
JRNL 3260 Media Economics and Entrepreneurial Journalism
JRNL 3270 Advanced Photojournalism
JRNL 4140 Work Experience
JRNL 4160 Journalism Research Methods
JRNL 4240 Social Issues Journalism
JRNL 4250 Public Affairs Journalism 2
JRNL 4260 Computer Programming for Journalists
JRNL 4270 Advanced Storytelling
COMMUNICATION COURSES
COMM 1100 Foundations of Communication Studies
COMM 1110 Television and Social Change
COMM 1200 Visual Literacy
COMM 2100 Media Ethics and Law
COMM 2210 Mapping Media and Cultural Theory
COMM 2220 Communication Rights and Freedoms
COMM 3100 Media and Diversity
COMM 3110 News Media and Influence
COMM 4210 History of Canadian Journalism
In addition to the Journalism and Communication Studies courses, Bachelor of Journalism students have a broad range of courses in Social Sciences, Humanities, and other areas to choose from.
Students must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts framework.
Here's a PDF chart that shows all the requirements for the Bachelor of Journalism, including Journalism, Communication Studies, the BA framework, and electives.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTSNote: Entrance requirements for The Bachelor of Journalism have also changed. These are the new entrance requirements, now in effect.
For admission to the BA program, students must have a grade of 'B' in English 12 (or equivalent) and a grade of 'C' in either Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12. Students may be admitted to the BA program at any point at which admission requirements are met. Students who do not qualify upon initial application to Kwantlen may be eligible for entry to the Qualifying Year. (Students who possess at least a 'C' in English 12 (or equivalent) and a passing grade in Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12 will be able to apply for entry to the BA Qualifying Year.) Students will be admitted to the BA program in the second year provided they have successfully completed appropriate qualifying courses. Other applicants who do not qualify are encouraged to consult an Educational Advisor for the appropriate qualifying courses that satisfy the application criteria.
Registration access to third or fourth year courses is first awarded to students who have completed at least 60 credits of coursework with a cumulative GPA of 2.00, as well as a grade of 'C' in all required courses including the English writing requirement, 2 Quantitative courses, 12 credits of breadth courses, the language requirement, Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent), and all first and second year course requirements for their declared major and/or minor program(s).
Photo: Jeff Groat
JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES
JOURNALISM COURSES (Note: Course descriptions are subject to revision pending final approval.)
JRNL 1160 Introduction to Journalism (back to Course List)
Students will explore how journalism fits in a media landscape that includes both traditional mainstream news sources and alternative information sources such as social networking, YouTube, Twitter and blogs. They will also explore reporting by citizen journalists. Students will explore the ramifications of economic and technological change in the industry. They will also study its impact on journalists and journalism, citizens, human rights, community and democracy.
JRNL 1220 Citizen Journalism (back to Course List)
Students will explore the role of citizen journalism in the dissemination of information. They will explore the investigative techniques commonly employed by professional journalists, including but not limited to court searches and Freedom of Information requests. They will learn how to use many of these techniques to find information important to themselves and their communities. They will discover how tools such as blogging, social networking and search engine optimization can be used to share this information with the larger community. They will learn how to write clearly and concisely. Students will also explore how media law affects citizen journalism, and vice versa.
JRNL 2120 Storytelling 1 (back to Course List)
Students will explore journalistic and other non-fiction storytelling, with an emphasis on the different writing styles and conventions of such genres as narrative, documentary, online, print and broadcast media. Students will analyze a range of non-fiction storytelling and reporting, explore the importance of audience, and create works in a variety of styles.
JRNL 2140 Introduction to News: How We Inform Ourselves (back to Course List)
Students will explore the evolving concept of news and related issues of how a civil society informs itself, through examining the professionalization of the media, the development of objectivity and changes in the late stages of a mass media culture. Students will examine questions such as: What is news? Is objectivity possible? What is the difference in how news is covered and presented by different media operations? What are the effects of citizen journalism, "corporatization" and other ownership models of the media? What is the impact of wide-scale cultural disruption on news coverage?
JRNL 2230 Multimedia Storytelling (back to Course List)
Students will explore the types of multimedia journalism and other non-fiction storytelling made possible by inexpensive hardware and software tools, and the ability to easily publish on the internet. They will explore the role of audio, video and interactivity in creating rich, immersive stories, through profiles, event coverage, journalistic storytelling and other modes. Students will learn storytelling skills and the technical skills (both hardware and software) needed to create effective stories of their own.
JRNL 2240 Beyond the News (back to Course List)
Students will examine what is happening in media areas beyond news, including, but not limited to, health and science, education, sports, entertainment, fashion and lifestyles, and opinion writing. Students will explore the evolving mediascape, which includes traditional media and new-media competitors, and examine differences in writing styles and presentation. They will examine the potential for accessing and providing in-depth information in specialist and niche areas, analyze non-news publications, and develop and publish traditional or non-traditional information projects in their own areas of interest.
JRNL 2250 Public Affairs Journalism 1 (back to Course List)
Students will explore the relationship between journalism and politics, investigate the role of journalism as a public watchdog, and learn about the historical and current practice of journalism as it impacts public policy. They will examine a range of political coverage including: journalistic coverage of politics in the form of multimedia news stories, opinion pieces, editorials and blogs, and strategic use of political communication by governments and political parties.
JRNL 3155 Storytelling 2: Reporting (back to Course List)
Students will learn the essential skills of reporting, including
conducting interviews; writing different types of stories; establishing
connections with reliable sources; finding stories; and writing stories
for a variety of media platforms. They will examine the differences
between news writing and that of feature, column, blog and editorial
writing. Students will critique news coverage of local, national and
international events and develop the ability to recognize and write a
newsworthy story.
Note 1: Students are required to have a digital
audio recorder and hand-held microphone for this course. Specifications
will be provided by the department.
Note 2: This course may include mandatory field trips.
JRNL 3160 Photojournalism (back to Course List)
Students will learn still and video photojournalism basics for print and online publication. They will explore the differences between photojournalism and other types of photography. They will gain practical experience while photographing and/or video-recording subjects in a variety of lighting conditions and locations requiring different techniques. Students will learn basic video-editing, principles of photo layout and use of photojournalism software such as Adobe Photoshop and Soundslides.
Note: Students are required to have a digital SLR camera for this course. Specifications will be provided by the department.
JRNL 3170 Narrative Nonfiction (back to Course List)
Students will explore the world of narrative nonfiction, which marries strong journalism and narrative storytelling. They will learn advanced nonfiction writing techniques and how the nonfiction-publishing industry functions, both online and in print. They will analyze published work, including but not limited to magazine articles, books, memoirs and personal essays. They will learn the art of narrative nonfiction and develop their "voices" as writers.
JRNL 3260 Media Economics and Entrepreneurial Journalism (back to Course List)
Students will explore the economics of existing and emerging media. They will also explore the implications and opportunities for journalists working in traditional and new media. They will learn skills, techniques and technologies needed for developing a professional reputation and personal brand. Students will learn the organizational, business and personal skills needed for freelance employment, and for leading or working as a team member with media start-up companies.
JRNL 3270 Advanced Photojournalism (back to Course List)
Students will expand their photojournalism skills in the use of
professional-standard cameras to produce and publish photographs and
videos. They will explore the legal and ethical aspects of
photojournalism and consider the role of photojournalism in public
discourse.They will learn how to control lighting and other variables in
various locations. Students will learn and apply advanced techniques in
such photojournalism software as Adobe Photoshop and programs for
video-editing and combining still photographs and audio for online
publication. They will produce a portfolio of their work and learn about
freelancing as a photojournalist.
Note: Students are required to have a digital SLR camera for this course. Specifications will be provided by the department.
JRNL 4140 Work Experience (back to Course List)
A work experience is arranged during the seventh semester with newspapers, magazines or online publications in and out of the college area. Students will experience the daily routine used in the preparation of a publication during a four-week industry placement where they will perform the duties of full-time staffers. Following that work experience, they will report back with an assessment.
JRNL 4160 Journalism Research Methods (back to Course List)
Students will learn to use a critical approach in conducting advanced research using electronic databases and other information sources including, but not limited to: social media; blogs; public and corporate websites; Statistics Canada; scholarly journals; and mainstream news media. They will learn about and apply media law and journalism principles of fairness, accuracy and balance in assessing and comparing the validity of various information sources. They will use Freedom of Information (FOI) and Access to Information (ATI) laws to obtain government records. They will use information gathered via various research methods to write original journalism articles.
Note: The Journalism and Communications Studies department strongly recommends students have three quantitative-course credits before taking this course. Check with the department for recommended quantitative courses.
JRNL 4240 Social Issues Journalism (back to Course List)
Students will explore the history and practice of social-issues
journalism, a long-established branch of reporting that ranges from the
work of early social commentators such as Charles Dickens to today's
investigative reporters. They will analyze social-issues journalism,
which combines feature narrative writing, investigative reporting, and
an invitation to change that goes beyond standard journalism. They will
explore the ethics and traditions of social-issues journalism from the
perspective of the public interest. They will be expected to be aware of
political and social issues in their own communities. Students will
compare journalistic and academic-writing styles and write a
social-issues journalism feature on a specific social issue, or an
academic essay about social-issues journalism for their final project.
Note: Students who wish to write a journalistic narrative feature, rather than an academic essay, are advised to take JRNL 3155: Storytelling 2 - Reporting prior to attempting this course as the narrative project requires at least a basic understanding of journalism-specific writing skills and formats. However, all students have the option of writing an academic paper instead.
JRNL 4250 Public Affairs Journalism 2 (back to Course List)
Students will critique and generate political stories at the local, regional, provincial and federal levels, using a variety of information sources. They will learn how to access documents and individuals as sources of information, and how to evaluate and select information for use in news stories. They will consider the watchdog role of political reporting in a democracy, and will examine interactions among journalists, politicians, bureaucrats and non-governmental organizations and lobby groups with diverse interests, from Greenpeace to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
JRNL 4260 Computer Programming for Journalists (back to Course List)
Students will be exposed to and work in a number of programming and
scripting languages (including, but not limited to Flash ActionScript,
JavaScript, HTML and Cascading Stylesheets, and the PHP scripting
language) and programs (such as Adobe Flash) that are used to create
visually rich, interactive media websites and components of those sites.
They will apply a range of skills needed to create and publish
interactives, and to design, develop and deploy database-driven
information applications. They will develop full-featured websites.
Note: This is a hands-on course, which requires basic computer
literacy; however, previous knowledge of computer programming is not
required.
JRNL 4270 Advanced Storytelling (back to Course List)
Students will work as a newsroom team during the semester to report and produce stories for a single-theme on-line publication (a story package). Students will develop the initial concept and identify stories using the full-range of storytelling methods (narrative text, visualized data, video, audio, photography, etc.). They will also learn or deepen skills in storytelling, website design and interactivity. They will produce a final project that will be a rich and interactive website on the assigned topic.
Note: Students are required to have a digital SLR camera and digital audio recorder for this course. Specifications will be provided by the department.
COMMUNICATION COURSES (Note: Course descriptions are subject to revision pending final approval.)
COMM1100 Foundations of Communication Studies (back to Course List)
Students will be given a comprehensive overview of what it means to study communications. They will explore classic definitions and models of communications and trace how these notions have changed with the introduction of new media, new messages, new communicators and a more active and participatory audience. They will explore: communication theories, communication media, the key power players in the realm of communications (particularly in North America) and the role of the audience.
COMM 1110 Television and Social Change (back to Course List)
Students will explore the evolution of North American television programs from their beginnings to the present day, in the context of their impact on and reflection of social change. Students will critically view and analyse the iconic television programs produced since World War Two and consider their role in mirroring and/or affecting society at large from a cultural, political and social perspective.
COMM 1200 Visual Literacy (back to Course List)
Students will critically explore visual-literacy concepts and theories that are applicable to a broad range of media including, but not limited to, web sites, television, newspapers, fine art, advertising, social media, photography, zines, comics/graphic novels and film/video. They will learn how to interpret, negotiate and evaluate effective visual communications through screenings, readings, workshops, exercises and classroom discussion. Students will learn how to 'see' the basic graphic composition of images, such as design elements and principles. They will analyze visual-communication problems, discuss solutions and produce personal projects that reflect their understanding of visual literacy.Note: This course may include mandatory field trips.
COMM 2100 Media Ethics and Law (back to Course List)
Students will learn about the philosophical underpinnings of various approaches to ethical dilemmas, and about current media-related laws. They will consider these theories and laws relative to such issues as privacy, offensive content, freedom of expression, contempt of court and conflict of interest. They will explore these issues as they relate to various communication methods including, but not limited to, social networking, blogs and other interactive media, citizen and professional journalism, and various entertainment media. They will critically examine and analyze content from an ethical and legal perspective and discuss the impact of new technologies on media ethics and law.
COMM 2210 Mapping Media and Cultural Theory (back to Course List)
Students will be introduced to the study of popular culture. They will map the topic in different media, such as television, movies, advertising, video games, animation, music, public art and the Internet. They will also explore how popular culture has aligned itself historically with different goals: cultural, economic, political, and social. They will explore the major organizations and other players involved in communications around the world with particular focus on North America.
COMM 2220 Communication Rights and Freedoms (back to Course List)
Students will consider the role of communication rights and freedoms in the development and protection of all other fundamental rights and freedoms, from basic human rights to democracy. They will focus on the limits and extent of communication rights in Canada including, but not limited to: the right to access meaningful information about how they are governed; the right to protest and dissent; freedom of the press; the protection of private information; and copyright laws protecting intellectual property. Students will also compare communication rights and freedoms in Canada to those of other countries, both democratic and non-democratic.
COMM 3100 Media and Diversity (back to Course List)
Students will examine the media from the perspective of a diverse
audience, with a specific focus on issues such as race, religion, gender
and culture. They will analyze diversity issues in media content for
fairness and balance.
Note: This course may include required field trips.
COMM 3110 News Media and Influence (back to Course List)
Students will analyze how news media and the journalists who work within it are influenced by business and government, and how, in turn, news media and the work of journalists influences public opinion and discourse in the public sphere. Students will examine propaganda and persuasion techniques such as strategic political communication known as "spin". Students will also consider the purpose and effectiveness of journalism ethics and best practices in countering undue and inappropriate influence on the reporting and editing processes.
COMM 4210 History of Canadian Journalism (back to Course List)
Students will learn about the history of journalism in Canada, from the first 18th-century newspaper to the present-day multi-media world. They will examine broad historic trends in Canadian journalism, such as the commercialization of the press in the 19th century, the concentration of ownership in the 20th century, and the effects of new technologies in the 21st century. They will also explore more localized aspects of journalism history, such as regional differences among Ontario, Maritime, Francophone and western Canadian journalism.
