Catalog Description: History and political economy of journalism in the United States, from pre – Revolution to the present day. Critical examination of journalism as a profession and its role in democratic governance. Writing – Intensive course.

Detailed Description:  Through classroom discussions, Blackboard posts and responses, academic readings, and videos from YouTube and other sources, this course provides students both the challenge and opportunity to examine the profession of journalism through the lenses of philosophy, history, theory, and practice.

Click here for the syllabus and other course information.

Course Objectives:

• to recognize, articulate, and explore ethical principles of communication that transcend professionalization;
• to assess, analyze, investigate, and organize textual and graphic information critically in an ethically and civically responsible manner;
• to understand the civic nature of journalism, including its history and political economy characteristics;
• to analyze issues and controversies from political, economic, legal and social perspectives regarding the profession and practice of journalism; and, 
• to research, analyze, and write scholarly papers in the areas of media and society with tools used in professional and academic media research.

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Why is journalism important as a profession in society, and as an academic discipline?  

As Robert W. McChesney has said, “Democratic theory posits that society needs journalism to perform three main duties: 

• to act as a rigorous watchdog of the powerful and those who wish to be powerful; 
• to ferret out truth from lies; and, 
• to present a wide range of informed positions on key issues.”  

In this class, you will explore the practices and powers of journalism critically, and examine how these shape our perceptions of the world. The practice of journalism today is much different than it was just 10 years ago – and nearly unrecognizable from its roots as a profession nearly 100 years ago.

We will conduct our explorations the perspective of the political economy of communication. Generally, political economy analyzes institutional and social relations in a society based on the balance of power between various actors, and with an objective to correct identifiable undemocratic imbalances.

The media continue to play a critical role in the maintenance of systems of power – including the power to define democracy itself.   Your perceptions of contemporary America likely may be transformed fundamentally by what you learn in this class, provided you actually engage with the course material, and participate regularly and meaningfully.

Key questions we will address throughout the term include:

• What constitutes “news,” and what are the criteria by which journalists and editors develop story ideas?
• How does the practice of journalism intersect with the exercise of political, economic, and, social power?
• How do the organization, operation, and staffing of news outlets inspire or inhibit stories?
• How does journalism shape our understanding of the world, and what are the implications of multiple narrative “realities”?
• How have evolutions in media technologies changed the definition and practices of journalism?
• What is media literacy, and what the role does it play in the practice and consumption of news?