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Journalism

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses

American River College provides a strong introduction to both general studies and a journalism or mass communication major. You can begin with a course in news writing and reporting, and an introduction to the mass media. Both these courses are accepted by the California State University campuses which offer a bachelor's degree in journalism.

The campus newspaper, The Current offers valuable experience in writing, editing, photography, design and desktop publishing. Your portfolio can help you earn scholarships and internships--powerful assets to starting a career.

ARC also offers an associate in arts degree in journalism. This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level work in community journalism and for successful transfer to a university.

Degrees Offered

A.A.-T. in Journalism and Mass Communications
A.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication

Dean Carina Hoffpauir
Department Chair Rachel Leibrock
Phone (916) 484-8101
Email askhb-LAC@arc.losrios.edu

Associate Degrees for Transfer

A.A.-T. in Journalism and Mass Communications

The Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer provides students with a major that fulfills the general requirements of the California State University for transfer. Students with this degree will receive priority admission with junior status to the California State University system.

The Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer (A.A.-T.) may be obtained by the completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA, including (a) the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program outlined below (earning a "C" or "P" or better in these courses), and (b) either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education Breadth Requirements.

Students interested in transferring to a CSU campus to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Journalism should meet with a counselor to confirm the courses required for lower division preparation in the major.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2024

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
JOUR 300	Newswriting and Reporting	3
JOUR 310	Mass Media and Society	3
JOUR 410	College Media Production I	3
A minimum of 3 units from the following:		3
JOUR 301	Advanced Newswriting and Reporting (3)
JOUR 351	Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques (3)
JOUR 360	Photojournalism (3)
JOUR 361	Multimedia Journalism (3)
JOUR 411	College Media Production II (3)
A minimum of 6 units from the following:		6
ARTPH 300	Basic Film and Darkroom Photography (3)
COMM 311	Argumentation and Debate (3)
COMM 361	The Communication Experience (3)
ECON 302	Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
or ECON 304	Principles of Microeconomics (3)
ENGWR 302	Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking (3)
or ENGWR 482	Honors Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking (3)
JOUR 320	Race and Gender in the Media (3)
JOUR 350	Writing for Broadcasting/Podcasting (3)
POLS 301	Introduction to Government: United States (3)
or POLS 481	Introduction to Government: United States - Honors (3)
PSYC 330	Introductory Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (3)
STAT 300	Introduction to Probability and Statistics (4)
or STAT 305	Statway, Part II (6)
Total Units:		18

The Associate in Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications for Transfer (AA-T) degree may be obtained by completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, including (a) a minimum grade of "C" (or "P") for each course in the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program, and (b) either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

analyze content of newspapers, magazines, and online media.
demonstrate an understanding of basic news, feature writing, and reporting in print and on-line media.
critique his or her own journalistic work and the work of others.
apply knowledge of grammar and AP style to create mass media products that conform to journalistic conventions.
produce news and feature articles and/or news and feature photographs for publication in a newspaper or on-line publication.
apply principles of audience and journalistic ethics to writing and photography, especially as the student's journalistic work relates to gender, ethnicities, and culture.
demonstrate understanding of the fundamentals of mass media theories, concepts, and practices as they relate to gender, ethnicity, and cultural constructs.

Career Information

The Journalism AA-T degree prepares students for careers in print, broadcast, and online news media.

Associate Degrees

A.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication

This program offers comprehensive training for careers in journalism and communications. Students learn how to create journalistic content for a variety of media platforms, including print, broadcast and online. The program covers news writing and reporting, public relations writing and techniques, photojournalism, and multimedia journalism. It also offers instruction in design and production for both print and online media products.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2024

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
JOUR 300	Newswriting and Reporting	3
JOUR 310	Mass Media and Society	3
JOUR 320	Race and Gender in the Media	3
JOUR 351	Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques	3
JOUR 361	Multimedia Journalism	3
JOUR 404	Editing and Production	3
JOUR 410	College Media Production I	3
JOUR 411	College Media Production II	3
JOUR 412	College Media Production III	3
A minimum of 2 units from the following:		2
JOUR 420	College Media Production Lab I (0.5 - 3)
JOUR 421	College Media Production Lab II (0.5 - 3)
Total Units:		29

The Journalism and Mass Communication Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus general education requirements, plus sufficient electives to meet a 60-unit total. See ARC graduation requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

write and edit news, features, editorials, and press releases that adhere to professional journalistic standards for a variety of outlets.
conduct research and evaluate information using appropriate methods.
analyze and evaluate media materials for credibility, fairness, accuracy, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
apply journalism ethics and law appropriate to professional practice.
complete journalistic assignments on deadline.
create multimedia to accompany text news and feature stories in a variety of formats.
design, develop and lay out pages for different types of publications using a variety of software programs and applying visual design principles.
identify and explain the processes, elements, history, theory, and effects of journalism and modern mass media in society.

Career Information

This program is designed to train students for entry-level positions as reporters, writers, editors, producers, photographers, designers, copy editors, and fact checkers for newspapers, magazines, broadcast outlets, websites and other media platforms. It also trains them for entry-level communications/public relations positions that include writing, editing, photography, and/or page layout and design duties. Some career options may require more than two years of college study. This program prepares journalism/mass communications students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions.

Journalism (JOUR) Courses

JOUR 299 Experimental Offering in Journalism

Units:0.5 - 4
Prerequisite:None.
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This is the experimental courses description.

JOUR 300 Newswriting and Reporting

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or 312 AND ENGWR 300, OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU
General Education:AA/AS Area II(b)
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 110
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course covers evaluating, gathering, and writing news in accepted journalistic style for different types of media. Topics include personal interviews, along with research, fact-checking and coverage of speeches, meetings, and other events. In addition, the role of the reporter and the legal and ethical issues related to reporting are examined.

JOUR 301 Advanced Newswriting and Reporting

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:JOUR 300 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 210
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course covers the development of advanced skills of reporting, interviewing, writing, and editing in the range of work handled by a general assignment or beat reporter. It emphasizes in-depth research, critical analysis, and story format. It also introduces editing and advanced feature and editorial writing.

JOUR 310 Mass Media and Society

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area V(b); CSU Area D; IGETC Area 4
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 100
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

The course is a survey of the mass media. It covers the history, philosophy, structure, and trends of mass media, as well as the theories that help to explain its effects on social institutions. It includes an exploration of media literacy, economics, technology, law, ethics, and social issues, including cultural, gender and ethnic diversity.

JOUR 320 Race and Gender in the Media

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area V(b); AA/AS Area VI; CSU Area D3; CSU Area D4; CSU Area D7; IGETC Area 4C
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course examines the roles of gender, ethnicity, race and social class as represented and documented in the mass media. These issues are analyzed within the context of media content, development, policy, and ownership, including stereotypes, equity and diversity, representation, and the role of alternative and community media. Critical thinking is emphasized through the review of mass media, focusing on the contributions of diverse groups to mass media and mass communication as an agent, gatekeeper and documenter of social change. Critical thinking will be emphasized in this course.

JOUR 340 Writing for Publication

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:Eligible for ENGWR 300.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course introduces writing non-fiction for publication. Emphasis is on analyzing online and print magazines; finding ideas; writing a query letter; developing a saleable magazine idea and article; researching and interviewing; as well as organizing, writing and marketing an article. Field trips may be required.

JOUR 350 Writing for Broadcasting/Podcasting

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course introduces the theory and technique of writing for the broadcast media. It includes reporting for radio and television news, writing and storyboarding commercials and public service programming, and an introduction to production techniques. It is recommended for students as preparation for work in broadcasting, instructional media, and related fields.

JOUR 351 Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 150
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is a study of public relations (PR), including planning PR campaigns, preparing client messages for newspapers, magazines, radio, broadcast and online outlets, and working with reporters to position stories. It examines public relations techniques in business, education, entertainment, social service, and other fields. It also covers crisis PR.

JOUR 360 Photojournalism

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 160
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an introduction to the theory and technique of telling stories with pictures. The role of the photojournalist in the media, pertinent ethical and legal issues, and professional standards are emphasized. Topics include digital still camera operation, composition and lighting, digital image processing, news judgment, and accuracy. Also covered are environmental portraits, photo stories, and feature, sports, and breaking news photography.

JOUR 361 Multimedia Journalism

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 360 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 120
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an introduction to the theory and technique of combining still images, audio, and video to create multimedia photojournalism content for distribution via broadcast media, social media and the internet. The course introduces basic creative concepts and technical elements of capturing and editing video, audio, and still images to create visual media projects. Students will explore the creative and technical production possibilities of merging visual media and the various software used to edit this content. Students will receive hands-on experience with one or more of the following: smartphone cameras, mirrorless cameras, and HDSLR camera video capture techniques and accessories used in video and audio production. Students will complete a final visual media project.

JOUR 404 Editing and Production

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:JOUR 300
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course provides instruction and practice in editing and design, including page makeup, copy editing, photo editing, legal/ethical issues and production methods for newspapers, magazines, and other publications. It also includes preparing, planning, and organizing publications.

JOUR 410 College Media Production I

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 300 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 130
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course focuses on instruction in writing and producing student news media, primarily the publication, The Current, a journalistic product for distribution to a college-wide audience. Topics will include: researching, reporting, and writing articles; taking photographs or managing artwork and participating in editing, caption writing, and layouts; editing articles, writing headlines, and planning packages in conjunction with editors for publication. Ethical and legal aspects of communication are also covered. This course prepares students for transfer work in journalism or entry-level jobs in the field. This course is required for the A.A. degree in journalism and is part of the A.A.-T Journalism degree. JOUR 420 is the optional lab component for this course.

JOUR 411 College Media Production II

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 410 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
C-ID:C-ID JOUR 131
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

During this second-semester course, which builds on experience learned in JOUR 410, students are instructed on writing and producing student news media, primarily the publication, The Current, a journalistic product for distribution to a college-wide audience. It focuses on intermediate writing and production skills in the following areas: researching, reporting, and writing, taking photographs or managing artwork, and participating in editing, caption writing, and layouts; editing articles, writing headlines, and planning packages in conjunction with editors for publication.

In this second-semester course, students may serve in leadership roles, by learning to participate in editorial meetings in which issues are planned; research, assign, and edit assignments of reporters and photographers for publication;

Ethical and legal aspects of communication are also covered. This course prepares students for transfer work in journalism or entry-level jobs in the field. This course is required for the A.A. degree in journalism and is part of the A.A.-T Journalism degree. JOUR 421 is the optional lab component for this course.

JOUR 412 College Media Production III

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 411 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This third-semester course builds on the experience gained in JOUR 411. It focuses on advanced intermediate writing and production skills, using the school newspaper The Current, as a practical laboratory. The course provides the opportunity to work in at least three of the following areas: researching, writing, and editing articles for the publications; taking photographs and/or managing artwork and creating graphic illustrations; developing multimedia stories, designing pages or posting to the website and social media. Students will learn to conduct editorial meetings in which issues are planned; research, assign, and edit assignments from reporters and photographers for publication; and manage production. Ethical and legal aspects of communication are also covered.

JOUR 413 College Media Production IV

Units:3
Hours:36 hours LEC; 54 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 412 with a grade of "C" or better
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

In this course, which builds on the experience gained in JOUR 412, instruction is provided in leadership for students who function as editors-in-chief and managing editors using The American River Current as a practical laboratory. Students will plan publication issues and manage section editors, reporters, graphic artists and/or photographers on staff. Students will lead staff meetings in which they plan the vision and content of issues; research and suggest story ideas to section editors; manage section editors and staff; and manage the production of every aspect of each issue of the publication. Ethical and legal aspects of communication and media are also covered for students who serve in top leadership roles.

JOUR 420 College Media Production Lab I

Units:0.5 - 3
Hours:27 - 162 hours LAB
Prerequisite:None.
Corequisite:JOUR 404 or 410
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This lab course provides inexperienced journalism students with instruction in writing, editing, photography, multimedia, design, and computer-based publication. This includes one-on-one and small-group instruction in publication software, such as Adobe Creative Suite programs, and Web content management systems.

JOUR 421 College Media Production Lab II

Units:0.5 - 3
Hours:27 - 162 hours LAB
Prerequisite:JOUR 420 with a grade of "C" or better
Corequisite:JOUR 404 or 411
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This lab course provides experienced journalism students with instruction in writing, editing, photography, artwork, design, and computer-based publication, as well as instruction in staff management and leadership. This includes advanced lessons in publication software, such as Adobe Creative Suite programs, and Web content management systems.

JOUR 495 Independent Studies in Journalism

Units:1 - 3
Hours:54 - 162 hours LAB
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

Independent Study is an opportunity for the student to extend classroom experience in journalism, while working independently of a formal classroom situation. Independent study is an extension of work offered in a specific class in the college catalog. To be eligible for independent study, students must have completed the basic regular catalog course at American River College. They must also discuss the study with a professor in journalism and secure approval. Only one independent study for each catalog course will be allowed.

JOUR 499 Experimental Offering in Journalism

Units:0.5 - 4
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This is the experimental courses description.