Journalism (JRNL)

JRNL 100H - Media History and Literacy. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. A survey of the history, development and role of the media in society, including newspapers, magazines, radio, television, books, movies, recordings and the World Wide Web. The course examines ethical, political, financial and other issues related to mass media. Also included is an introduction to media literacy and critical thinking about the media and their messages.

Gen Ed Attributes: Historical Studies, Democracy and Citizenship (Y)

JRNL 102Y - News Literacy. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. The course teaches students to become discriminating news consumers, helping them recognize the difference between news and propaganda, news and opinion, bias and fairness, and assertion and verification in news reports. It covers the foundation of news from its earliest forms through the current “fake news” controversy. And, it explores the First Amendment responsibilities of the press and how informed citizens are essential to a functioning democracy.

Gen Ed Attributes: Democracy and Citizenship (Y)

JRNL 105X - Global Current Events. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Survey and study of current global news intended to make students familiar with the context and vocabulary necessary to understand the news, the background and history behind news events, and the implications that stem from it.

Gen Ed Attributes: Cultural Intl Diversity (X)

JRNL 140A - Intro Radio/Audio Storytelling. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Introduction to the fundamentals of audio storytelling. Students will learn creative skills through experimentation with the use of sounds, interviews and voice description.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts Course (A)

JRNL 170 - Elements of News Writing. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Foundational course in the elements of news writing, with a focus on the style and conventions of writing for print, online and broadcast media.

JRNL 191 - Special Topics. 1-6 Credits.

JRNL 201 - Diversity in Media. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Examination of how the news media portray different ethnic groups and other diverse populations and how the media's portrayals of diverse groups affect journalists' personal views and professional practices. Students will learn how to portray more accurately and fairly individuals, groups and points of view outside society's mainstream.

JRNL 257A - Beginning Visual Journalism. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. This course provides an introduction to photo and video journalism using digital cameras. Students will learn the basics of editing still images with appropriate software. Students will learn how to take compelling, content-driven photographs using light, composition and depth of field. Students will also learn about capturing quality video, audio and natural sound used to build video sequences. The overall emphasis is on visual storytelling.

Gen Ed Attributes: Expressive Arts Course (A)

JRNL 260 - Sports Journalism. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., JRNL 270. Study and practice of sports journalism in print and broadcast, including its history and its finest examples.

JRNL 270 - Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., WRIT 101 (or higher) or equivalent, JRNL 100H and JRNL 170. Fundamentals of interviewing, reporting, writing and audio editing of news stories for print, online and broadcast media.

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing Course-Intermediate

JRNL 291 - Special Topics. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

JRNL 295 - Special Topics. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

JRNL 300 - First Amendment and Journalism Law. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 270 or consent of instr. Overview of issues related to journalism and the law. Exploration of libel, privacy, prior restraints, access and other First Amendment questions along with ethical problems peculiar to media news gathering.

JRNL 328 - Intermediate Photojournalism. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., JRNL 257A. Students create single photo assignments for newspapers, magazines and online publications. Students also create narrative picture stories and photo essays, one of which is produced in Final Cut Pro, and learn the basics of portable flash units.

JRNL 330 - News Editing. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., JRNL 270. Fundamentals of copy editing and headline writing for print and online media.

JRNL 331 - Intermediate Web Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., JNRL 270. Students learn to produce reporting for different websites and digital news sources, with a special emphasis on using digital technologies to broaden sources for stories. Course will also explore the societal, business and ethical effects of these emerging technologies.

JRNL 332 - Social Media and Audience. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Students learn to identify different and distinct audiences and to identify specific groups and users of information. The will develop research skills and craft content for social media platforms tailored to reach and engage those audiences. Students will learn the basics of audience research and best practices for the major social media platforms.

JRNL 340 - Intermediate Audio. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., WRIT 101 or equivalent, JRNL 270 and JRNL 257A. Use of audio in news, interview and feature programs. Students will research, write, gather audio and produce audio segments and programs using digital audio equipment and studios. Students work with KBGA College Radio to produce daily newscasts for live broadcast.

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing Course-Advanced

JRNL 342 - Multimedia Sports Announcing and Writing. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 257A and JRNL 270. Students learn to research, produce and announce live sports broadcasts for audio and video audiences. They will also write preview and summary coverage for an online audience and use social media for reporting.

JRNL 350 - Intermediate Video Photography. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 257A. Students build digital video storytelling skills while working on weekly deadline assignments as well as an in-depth final project. Students will be introduced to high-definition video cameras and advanced non-linear video editing techniques and build on photojournalism skills introduced in JRNL 257A. Students produce television segments, including Business: Made in Montana, intended to air on MontanaPBS.

JRNL 351 - Intermediate Video Directing. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 350. Students will learn the fundamentals of production and directing of studio-based television/video programming. Students direct commercials, promotions and news content. Students will work with those enrolled in Intermediate Video Reporting & Producing (JRNL 352) to create and produce newscasts.

JRNL 352 - Intermediate Video Reporting and Producing. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JNRL 350. Creation of video news stories and programs including story idea generation, research and interviewing techniques, sound selection, script writing, television anchoring and producing, video photography and editing. Works with Intermediate Video Directing (JRNL 351) to create news programs.

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing Course-Advanced

JRNL 362 - Feature Writing. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., WRIT 101 or equivalent and JNRL 270. Classroom instruction and practical experience in applying feature-writing techniques to the coverage of news, entertainment and sports for print and electronic media.

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing Course-Advanced

JRNL 370 - Public Affairs Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., WRIT 101 or equivalent and JRNL 270. Study and practice of reporting public issues with emphases on news sources, interpretive writing and the coverage of local, state and federal governments.

Gen Ed Attributes: Writing Course-Advanced

JRNL 391 - Special Topics. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

JRNL 392 - Independent Study in Broadcasting. 1-3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered every term. Prereq., consent of instr. and broadcast faculty. Independent study in broadcasting issues of interest.

JRNL 396 - Advanced Journalism Problems. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered every term. Prereq., consent of instr. Independent study.

JRNL 400 - Ethics & Trends in News Media. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., JRNL 300 (for minors) or junior status for majors. Practical ethics case studies from print, online and broadcast media, as well as an examination of the trends that are shaping the evolving news media.

JRNL 410 - Native News Honors Project. 1-3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 270 and consent of instr. In this professional publications class students research, report, write, and design stories about Montana's Native American communities. Students travel to Montana's seven Indian reservations to document in-depth stories under a single theme and produce a newspaper and a multimedia website. Students meet strict deadlines in this capstone course. Satisfies Capstone requirement.

JRNL 411 - Reporting Native News. 1-6 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq. JRNL 370 and consent of instr. In this professional publications class students research, report, write, and design stories about Montana's Native American communities. Students travel to Montana's seven Indian reservations to document in-depth stories under a single theme and produce a newspaper and a multimedia website. Students meet strict deadlines in this capstone course.

JRNL 412 - Montana Journalism Review. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. In this capstone course, students produce a journalistic print and online magazine. The staff includes editors, art director, writers, photographers, videographers, print and web designers and a social media team.

JRNL 414 - Investigations. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 370 or JRNL 352. Introduction to methods and ethics of investigative reporting, emphasizing computer-assisted research and analysis of public records and databases.

JRNL 427 - Advanced Photo & Multimedia Storytelling. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 328. Students discuss, research, photograph, design, write and produce several documentary-style stories and essays using still photography, video, audio, text and graphics.

JRNL 428 - Freelance Photography. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., JRNL 328. Course centers on the technical aspects of digital still and video camera work for freelance assignments. Students produce editorial and adventure portraiture, food illustrations, fashion projects and travel stories. Business and marketing practices will include copyright, branding, usage, pricing, licensing and negotiation.

JRNL 429 - Documentary Photojournalism. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 328 or consent of instructor. Production of an in-depth documentary project involving a social issue with intent to educate and inform. Students study historical and contemporary documentary photographers, then write, shoot and design final projects in book form or produce a multimedia project using stills, video, audio and text.

JRNL 430 - Print & Web Editing & Design. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Introduction to basic graphic design principles including visual hierarchy, typography and color. Students will develop visual design skills as they create logos, resumes, informational graphics, concert and movie posters, book covers, newspaper front pages, magazines and websites. Students learn Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and content management systems.

JRNL 431 - Online Journalism. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., JRNL 270 or consent of instructor. Specialized course that develops a multimedia website or production, often in partnership with other courses. Course introduces students to the basics of website design and organization, explores how the Internet can be used to generate sources for stories and directs students in using multimedia reporting techniques for a web-based news site.

JRNL 432 - Social Media and Audience II. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 332 or consent of instructor. Having learned about the basics of audience research, goal setting and social media engagement in JRNL 332, this course focuses on having students work with real clients to assess their audiences, the goals for reaching them with information and their current social media strategy. Students will then work with the clients to develop and deploy new social media content and strategies.

JRNL 433 - Marketing Your Work. 2 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 270. This course aims to help upper-division students find buyers for their journalistic work in today's rapidly changing information marketplace. Students will study how to identify news markets, how to establish and maintain relationships with editors, producers and publishers; and how to maintain control of their work while maximizing its value.

JRNL 440 - Advanced Audio. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., JRNL 340 or consent of instr. Students will create long-form, in-depth audio programs such as radio documentaries and podcasts on a variety of topics. Students will report, interview, host, and write the programs for a variety of outlets such as radio stations, webcasting and online.

JRNL 470 - Covering Elections. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn of even-numbered years. Prereq., JRNL 370 or consent of instr. Students will provide multi-platform coverage of Montana’s statewide candidates and ballot measures for a network of commercial and public news organizations.

JRNL 471 - Covering the Legislature. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Offered spring of odd-numbered years. Prereq., JRNL 370 or consent of instr. Students will earn 1-6 credits producing coverage of Montana's biennial legislative sessions for newspapers, broadcast stations and the web.

JRNL 472 - Opinion Writing. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., JRNL 370 or consent of instr. Practice in writing editorials, columns, op-eds, and opinion blogs. Examines the evolving role of journalism in moderating and stimulating public discourse.

JRNL 473 - International Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., JRNL 270 or consent of instr. Prepares students to report internationally and to develop global sources for local stories. History and practice of foreign correspondence.

JRNL 480 - Advanced Video Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 352. Teams of students report, write and produce weekly mini-newscasts for online and television audiences. They get experience working on deadline as reporters, photographers, video editors, producers and anchors.

JRNL 481 - Adv Video Photo and Directing. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 351 or consent of instr. Students work as a team in a television control room to record weekly mini-newscasts for online and television audiences. They get experience working on deadline as directors. and they learn to control studio cameras, audio, graphics and video playback.

JRNL 482 - Advanced Video Storytelling. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., JRNL 350 or consent of instr. Teams will generate story ideas about Montana issues, businesses and people. Students will research, write, photograph, interview, edit and create long-form video programs. The programs generated in this course are intended for air on commercial and public television stations.

JRNL 484 - Daily News. 1-2 Credits.

(R-3) Offered autumn and spring, mountain campus in a face to face setting. Prereq., Journalism major, and JRNL 351 or JRNL 352, and consent of instructor. Students will report, write, produce, anchor, direct and technical direct daily television news updates to be made available to commercial and public television stations in Montana.

JRNL 488 - Student Documentary Unit. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. In-depth examination of documentary film history and techniques and production of a video/television documentary on a topic of importance in Montana. Students will research, report, write, photograph, edit and promote the film intended for air on public and commercial outlets

JRNL 491 - Special Topics. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

JRNL 494 - Pollner Seminar. 3-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., Consent of Journalism Director. Seminar on a topic selected by the T. Anthony Pollner Distinguished Professor. Topics will range from journalism history, ethics, practices and performance to current issues in the news media.

JRNL 498 - Supervised Internship. 1-2 Credits.

(R-2) Offered every term. Prereq. Junior status and consent of instructor. Open to students with the appropriate intermediate skills. For each credit, students perform 160 hours of work for news, communications, and media organizations. All internships must be pre-approved by the faculty internship supervisor.

JRNL 505 - Journalism and Society Seminar. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., graduate standing. Discussion and research about current journalism issues related to environmental science and natural resource journalism. Study of relevant traditional and online research methodology. Level: Graduate

JRNL 567 - Press/Broadcast Law. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., graduate standing. Examination and discussion of state and federal court cases affecting the mass media, with emphasis on First Amendment issues. Level: Graduate

JRNL 570 - Reporting. 3 Credits.

Offered autumn. Prereq., graduate standing. Principles of news gathering through records, documents, meetings, observation of events, and interviewing with a focus on coverage of environmental science and natural resources. Producing news and feature accounts for broadcast, print and digital media. Perspectives on reporting standards and practices especially related to natural resource news. Level: Graduate

JRNL 575 - Story Lab. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., graduate standing. Journalism students are paired with UM researchers for a practicum on telling the stories of scientific research for a general news audience. Level: Graduate

JRNL 590 - Methods in Journalism Research. 3 Credits.

Prereq., consent of the graduate program director. Directed individual research and study appropriate to the back ground and objectives of the student. Level: Graduate

JRNL 591 - Special Topics. 1-8 Credits.

(R-8) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics. Level: Graduate

JRNL 592 - Independent Study. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Prereq., consent of instr. Production and direction of studio and remote television programs. Level: Graduate

JRNL 594 - Seminar. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Offered intermittently. A review and discussion of current research. Topics vary. Level: Graduate

JRNL 599 - Professional Project. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered every term. Planning, research and execution of a major project in print, photographic or broadcast journalism. Level: Graduate

JRNL 620 - Covering Native American Issues. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., consent of instr. Researching, writing, photographing and/or editing in-depth special reports on issues that affect the Indians who reside within Montana's borders. Co-convenes with JRNL 410 and JOUR 411. Level: Graduate

JRNL 640 - Montana Journalism Review. 1-3 Credits.

(R-6). Offered spring. Prereq., consent of instr. Intensive laboratory experience in all phases of magazine publication, including writing, editing, layout, design, production and distribution of an annual publication of the School of Journalism. Co-convenes with JRNL 412. Level: Graduate

JRNL 650 - Gr Bcst Newsroom-Editorial. 3 Credits.

(R-6) Prereq., Consent of instr. Students fulfill all duties necessary to produce a weekly television newscast, including reporting, producing, directing, anchoring. Co-convenes with JRNL 480 and JRNL 481. Level: Graduate

JRNL 688 - Graduate Documentary. 3 Credits.

Offered spring. Prereq., Consent of instr., graduate standing. Students conceive, research, report, photograph and edit a television documentary intended for broadcast on Montana PBS. Co-convenes with JRNL 488. Level: Graduate

JRNL 690 - Research in Journalism. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Offered every term. Prereq., consent of the graduate program director. Directed individual research and study appropriate to the back ground and objectives of the student. Level: Graduate

JRNL 691 - Special Topics. 1-9 Credits.

(R-9) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

JRNL 692 - Independent Study. 1-6 Credits.

Offered every semester. Prereq., Consent of graduate director. Allows appropriate independent research in journalism or media/communication issues related to natural resource and environmental issues. Level: Graduate

JRNL 698 - Externship. 1-3 Credits.

(R-3) Offered every term. Prereq., JRNL 570. Practical experience working for news media and other approved businesses, agencies or organizations focused on natural resource issues, industries or scientific research. Level: Graduate

JRNL 699 - Thesis. 1-6 Credits.

(R-6) Offered every term. Research and writing of master's thesis. Level: Graduate