FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (30-)
DIGITAL JOURNALISM: COURSES
30-120. Reporting Fundamentals
Through lessons, labs, case studies, group work, and writing and presentation assignments, students learn the fundamental principles and practices of daily and special assignment and reporting. A classroom-based curriculum taught by professional journalists, “Reporting Fundamentals” complements the hands-on design of the collaborative studios.
30-125. Journalism Today
This fundamental theory unit of the Digital Journalism curriculum introduces students to the history of journalism and the function of journalists in contemporary society. This unit emphasizes the distinction of Digital Journalism from traditional forms. An overview of the major themes, issues and schools of thought informing the field of media studies, “Journalism Today” addresses such topics as: the political, economic, historical, and cultural contexts of communication; policy issues and concerns; communication technology; media representation; the role of media in the social construction of reality; and the broad interaction between journalism and society.
30-140. The Job - Collaborative Studio I
From their first day in DJ at the University of Windsor students think and act as journalists. In “The Job” students each week identify, propose, research and prepare stories with full-time journalists as their mentors. In this collaborative studio course, students work together to solve problems in a flexible learning environment emphasizing realistic on-the-street experiences such as attending trials, news conferences, and public events. (Prerequisites: 30-125)
30-201. New Media Studies
This course introduces students to theories of new media, explores the historical emergence of digital media forms and examines their social, cultural, political and economic implications. Topics may include: “old” and “new” media, convergence, political economy of new media, the digital divide, social networking, participatory cultures and Web 2.0 (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) (Prerequisite: 40-101) (Cross-listed as Communication, Media and Film 40-201)
30-220. Introduction to Online Design and Publishing
This unit concentrates on applying digitally generated content on the web. Here students will learn computer language and software used to build sites and, once the site is built, layer, insert hypertext links, prepare and post clickable maps, historical timelines, photo galleries/slide shows, etc., and their own journalistic projects.
30-222. Introduction to Audio/Visual production
This fundamental production unit is organized around weekly assignments establishing students’ competency in use of audio and video equipment, editing and photojournalism. With an emphasis on electronic news gathering (ENG) the objective is to ensure that all Digital Journalism students have the same basic technical skill set. Students with a particular interest in A/V production can select electives to broaden their competencies in this area and develop a specialization applicable in “Newsroom” and “Professional Studio”.
30-225. Media Law and Ethics
Traditional standards of law and ethics are being re-evaluated as journalists increasingly work in a digital milieu. This unit establishes students’ understanding of the law and ethical issues surrounding matters such as defamation, restrictions on identifying suspects in criminal cases, and intellectual property.
30-230. Writing for Digital Journalism
Strong writing is the cornerstone of a successful journalism career. In this unit students learn the principles of writing news for mainstream and alternative digital media. They apply these principles in the research and preparation of assignments designed to instill clarity, precision and speed.
30-240. Advanced Skills - Collaborative Studio II
In “Advanced Skills” – Collaborative Studio II Digital Journalism students work the field. Each week under the direction of a professional journalist they apply the advanced technical and academic skills acquired in the previous three semesters to develop original independent and collaborative projects suitable for presentation in multiple digital formats. (Prerequisite: 30-140)
30-243. Media Aesthetics
The course provides a basic set of principles and tools to understand the formal qualities of visual signification and the broader contours of visual culture. Students learn aesthetic and technical terms, rules, conventions, and social assumptions used to construct meaning through sound, images, or graphics in stills, film, television and the web. The course offers a grounding useful for both producers and consumers of visual images. (Prerequisite: 40-101 or 40-110 or 40-112). (Cross-listed as Communication, Media and Film 40-243)
30-301. Digital Technologies and Everyday Life
This course surveys critical theories of technology with a focus on how evolving and emerging communication/digital technologies are received and adapted and how they shape practices in various institutional contexts and in everyday life. Topics may include: representations of technology, technologies and the organization/perception of space and time, privacy/surveillance, gender, labour, the environment and technology. (Prerequisites: 40-101 and one of 40-201 or 40-275.) (Cross-listed as Communication, Media and Film 40-301)
30-320. Computer-Assisted Reporting
Digital technology has not only changed journalists’ physical work, it has also changed their intellectual work. In this course Digital Journalism students learn the practices of computer-assisted reporting (CAR), a broad area of investigative reporting that is premised on using a variety of techniques to acquire digital data and information and use it in journalism.
30-340. Newsroom - Collaborative Studio III
In their third year DJ students run the newsroom; they organize a management structure and select, research and report the stories that appear on the University of Windsor’s Digital Journalism website. This two-semester two-credit course requires students to complete a minimum number of stories during the year for the DJ program website, other campus media, local public outlets, community platforms, and/or university units and programs. As with other studio courses, professional journalists guide and evaluate students in this studio. (Prerequisites: 30-240)
30-360. Public Relations, Media and Society
An examination of the historical and contemporary role and influence of the public relations industry on media discourses and the shaping of public opinion. Students will critically explore and evaluate PR techniques and practices. Topics may include: the emergence of the PR industry; PR; the relationship between PR and informational media. (Prerequisites: 40-225 or 40-243 or 40-272) (Cross-listed as Communication, Media and Film 40-360)
30-370. Alternative Media and Digital Activism
This course examines existing theory and scholarship on alternative media and media activism and explores the ways in which activists and citizen group’s use/have used “old” as well as new media and emerging technologies to challenge mainstream media narratives and express alternative views on a range of social and political issues. Special emphasis will be placed on the Canadian context. Topics may include: mainstream versus alternative media framing; historical roots of Canadian alternative media; media reform movements; participatory journalism; culture jamming; the tactics, strategies, aesthetics and goals of alternative/activist media. (Prerequisite: 40-201/30-201 or 40-225.) (Cross-listed as Communication, Media and Film 40-370.)
30-440. Professional Studio - Collaborative Studio IV
The “Professional Studio” is built around a two-semester capstone project. Students advancing to fourth year pitch a single or a multi-part project to faculty and professional journalists who monitor progress and evaluate through e-portfolios. DJ project pitches vary because not all journalists want to report; some want to develop technical specializations, some want to produce, some want to only research. Common to all capstone projects is students’ emphasis on an aspect of their interests in their co-major designation. (Prerequisites: 30-340)