422 Arjona Building
  337 Mansfield Rd
  U-129, UConn
  Storrs, CT 06269

  Phone: 486-4221
  Fax: 486-3294

  Advisors

Students should sign up for an advisor in their fourth semester. To get an advisor, see Tricia Bukowski in JHA 422 or call her at 486-4221. She will do the paperwork for you. If you need guidance before you are assigned an advisor, please feel free to make an appointment with any faculty member.

All majors should complete a detailed plan of study with their advisor by the beginning of the fifth semester. Majors are encouraged to meet with their advisors to make changes in the plan or for other advice as the need arises. Students who are facing academic or personal difficulties are urged to seek assistance from their advisor as soon as possible.

All majors must attend one of several group advising sessions held during the registration period each semester. Questions concerning courses for the next semester are answered at that time. Advisors do not schedule individual appointments for that purpose. For more information read about Course Selection.

Back to Menu

 

  Broadcast Journalism

Students planning to pursue a career in broadcast journalism need the same training in reporting, writing, ethics and law that all journalists require. Those areas are covered by the major's required courses. In addition, broadcast-journalism students should take Journalism 240W (Radio and Television Newswriting) and Journalism 297 (Supervised Field Internship). They should also consider the following courses: Communication Sciences 105 (Principles of Public Speaking), Drama 254 (Introduction to Television) and Drama 257 (Fundamentals of Television I). They also are urged to participate in campus radio and television stations, WHUS-FM and UCTV.

Back to Menu

  Course Selection

The department holds group counseling sessions each semester to advise majors about selecting courses for the next semester. The times and dates of those sessions are posted in the department and announced in classes. Faculty members do not do individual counseling at that time.

Back to Menu

  C Requirement

Students are urged to become familiar with computers of all types, not just the Macintosh computers used in the Journalism Department. They should become acquainted with the university mainframe and with the university's PC and Macintosh labs as soon as possible. To do so, and to fulfill the college's C requirement, students may wish to take Computer Science 101 C (Computers in Modern Society), Statistics 100V (Introduction to Statistics I) or Statistics 110V (Elementary Concepts of Statistics). [V courses count as both C and Q courses.]

J231 C (Copy Editing II) also fulfills the C requirement, but students should be cautious about relying on it to do so. Enrollment is limited and it is often taken in a student's last semester. A student who did not enjoy Copy Editing I and does not wish to continue, or who is unable to get into the course, could be in a perilous situation in his or her last semester.

Back to Menu

  Computer Labs

The Journalism Department computer labs (JHA 437 and 433) are for teaching purposes and are not available for general use. To protect against viruses, students may not bring disks into the lab or remove them from the lab.

There are two Macintosh computers in the Journalism Library (JHA 419) that are equipped with basic word processing software. Students may use them any time the library is open.

There are several Macintosh labs around campus that are open for student use. The largest and best equipped is in the Computer Center in the Math-Science Building. There are also mainframe and PC labs throughout the campus. The largest are in the Computer Center.

Back to Menu

  Dual Majors (one of which is outside the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

A student who wishes to complete a second major in another of UConn's schools (such as Business or Fine Arts), must pursue a dual degree, not a double major. The student receives two bachelors degrees. (Double majors receive one degree.) A student may complete a dual-degree program in five years. Students should contact their faculty advisor for detailed advice.

Back to Menu

  Double Majors (within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

The Journalism Department strongly urges its students to complete a second major in addition to journalism. A thorough knowledge of an additional field, such as political science or economics, is invaluable for a journalist. This type of preparation now can make a significant difference in future opportunities and success. Students should match their second major to their interests -- urban studies, computer science, a foreign language, or an individualized major in environmental science are all excellent choices for the right student.

A student can complete a double major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in four years.

Students who have two majors must have an advisor in each department and must fulfill all of the requirements of each department. Students must designate one of the majors as the primary major. The designation is for purely bureaucratic reasons. The department that is the primary major handles paperwork. After a student has an advisor in both departments, he or she must also register as a double major at the Liberal Arts and Sciences Advisory Center in Wood Hall.

In many cases, each department will accept the courses in the other major to fulfill the related-courses requirement.

Back to Menu

  Job Experience

It is very important that all students get experience before they graduate. There are several ways to do this: summer jobs, part-time jobs, freelancing, a fulltime job through the Co-operative Education program, or a credit-granting internship through the Journalism Department. Students are urged to get as much experience as possible. Many choose to work in the news departments of The Daily Campus, WHUS or UCTV.

Back to Menu

  Magazine Journalism

Students planning to pursue a career in magazine journalism need the same training in reporting, writing, ethics and law that all journalists require. Those areas are covered by the major's required courses. In addition, students should take Journalism 212W (Feature Writing), Journalism 213W (Magazine Writing), and Journalism 297 (Supervised Field Internship).

Back to Menu

  Preliminary Plan of Study

All students must complete a preliminary plan of study at the beginning of their fifth semester. The plan reviews the courses that have been completed and helps chart the courses for the junior and senior years. To fill out a preliminary plan of study, make an appointment with your advisor.

Back to Menu

  Prerequisites

Many of our courses are sequential. Because of that, rules regarding prerequisites are strictly enforced. J200W (Newswriting I) and J201W (Newswriting II) are the fundamental reporting and writing courses. J200W is required for all advanced writing and reporting courses. J201W is required for all advanced reporting and writing courses except J240W (Newswriting for Radio and Television).

The following courses have prerequisites:

All W courses J201W J202 J212W J213W J230W J231C J235 J240W J245 J250 J297

prereq: English 105 prereq: J200W prereq: J102 prereq: J201W prereq: J201W; J212W is strongly recommended but not required prereq: J201W prereq: J230W prereq: J201W prereq: J200W prereq: J201W prereq: J200W, which may be taken concurrently prereq: J200W, J201W, J220W

Back to Menu

  Q Requirement

Students should begin to work on fulfilling their Q requirement in their freshman year, while their high school course work is still relatively fresh in their minds. Students who had difficulty in math in high school sometimes choose to delay this requirement, which makes the transition to college-level mathematics that much more difficult.

Back to Menu

  Related Courses

In addition to 24 credits (at the 200s-level) in the major field, students must complete 12 credits (at the 200s-level) in a related field. The field should be something that will provide useful background for a journalist. Obvious choices are political science, history and economics. Students who have a special interest may wish to pursue other fields, such as art, music, marine biology, computer science, Latin American studies or dozens of others. The courses do not all have to be in the same department, but they must compose one field of knowledge. For example, if a student is interested in someday writing about urban problems, he or she might find related courses in sociology, political science, economics and history. The choice of courses should be discussed with the faculty advisor. They become part of a student's plan of study. For more information, read about Double Majors.

Back to Menu

  Required Journalism Courses

All majors must complete J200W (Newswriting I), J201W (Newswriting II), J202 (Journalism Ethics), J220 (Law of Libel and Communications) and J230W (Copy Editing I). J102 (The Press in America) is a prerequisite for J202. (J102 may be used to fulfill the Western Culture section of the Group V requirement.) In addition, all majors must complete three 200-level Journalsim courses in order to fulfill the requirements of the major.

Back to Menu