Catalog 73 - National University

Course DescriptionsJRN 421: Legal Issues in Journalism(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)This course focuses on the legal aspects of journalismand the ways professional journalists exercisethe rights of the press and free expression guaranteedthem by the First Amendment to the U.S.Constitution. The class will provide students withboth a theoretical understanding of the legal issuesin journalism and practical knowledge of how toapply that understanding in the conduct of theirprofessional work gathering and disseminatinginformation. In addition students learn to managethe responsibilities that such rights entail and torespond to limits on those rights.JRN 430: Reporting for TV News(Prerequisites: JRN 300, JRN 310, JRN 320, JRN 321,JRN 335)This course focuses on what it takes to successfullywrite and assemble reporter packages for broadcastnews programs. The course includes shooting videofor the package, deciding which video pieces to useand conducting interviews to get information andeffective sound bites for the report. In addition towriting and reporting techniques, students will learnhow to perform for TV news, including the mannerof dress, speech and other factors that relate to trust,believability, and likeability.JRN 431: Writing the TV News Script(Prerequisite: JRN 430)This advanced course in broadcast journalism buildson skills developed in JRN 430 (Reporting for TVNews). Students learn to distinguish between writingfor print journalism and for broadcast. Thiscourse covers writing scripts that distinguishbetween the short, clear prose for print as opposedto writing for radio with its emphasis on spokenwords, or TV, which requires weaving togetherwords and visuals.JRN 432: Video JournalismFocuses on what it takes to successfully write, producescripts and do reports for video journalism,including news, documentaries, public affairs andinterview programs and streaming media on theInternet.JRN 495: Capstone Project in Journalism(Prerequisites: JRN 310, JRN 330, JRN 335, JRN 340and concentration classes MUL 335 or HRN 430, JRN431, BRO 330, BRO 340)In this capstone course, students apply the knowledgeand skills gained in other courses by workingin a journalistic environment, such as a newspaper,broadcast or web-based newsroom or multimediafacility. Students work with the program lead facultyin advance of the course to identify their area ofinterest and develop a proposal for either a journalisminternship or a project. Students who choosejournalism projects work on student-developed “inhouse”projects that may include writing stories forthe student newspaper, editing a blog, and composingstories for podcasts, multimedia or broadcastprograms. Grading is H, S, or U only.During an internship, a student will work as anapprentice reporter, copy editor or other news-relatedrole at a qualified news outlet. A qualified newsoutlet must have a memorandum of understandingwith the School of Media and Communication andbe approved by the Office of Academic Affairs thatdefines the organization’s needs and the responsibilitiesof interns. All students assemble a capstoneportfolio consisting of their best work from this andprevious courses and a reflective essay on the internshipor project.JRN 501: Essential Digital CompetenciesGuides students through online tutorials and DVDtraining in four basic areas of journalism: digital394video editing, desktop publishing, image/photoediting, and videography. Students complete onlinetutorials or DVD training in each area in which theylack basic proficiency.JRN 600: Multimedia JournalismTransforms a journalist into a multimedia powerhousewho can produce news, features, and associatedproducts for a variety of audiences. Students gainfamiliarity with the demands of each medium, createnews stories for print, audio, video, and onlinemedia platforms, and learn to move fluidly from onemedium to another.JRN 605: Advanced Feature WritingProvides guided practice in short- and long-formfeature writing for print and online media, as well ascritical experience in composing feature scripts forradio, television, podcasts, slideshows, and Webvideo.JRN 610: Video Journalism(Prerequisite: JRN 501)Provides a thorough knowledge of video use in journalisticcommunication without a TV station’s truck,studio, or edit bay. It teaches students to work asvideo journalists and communicate video news storiesusing a small digital camera and a laptop computer.JRN 615: International JournalismExamines what international reporting has becomeand what lies ahead. It explains theories of internationalpolitics and how they relate to different typesof reporting, while offering students practical adviceon how to function as a foreign correspondent in thenew hyper-technological universe.JRN 620: Producing Online PublicationsProvides students guided practice in every stage ofthe print, broadcast, and online production processes,with emphasis on the convergent and increasinglygrassroots generalist media.JRN 630: Advanced EditingProvides students guided practice in every stage ofediting from the top edit, to the line edit, to proofreading.It offers ample opportunities for practiceworking in print, broadcast, and online media.JRN 640: The Business of JournalismExamines the changing nature of the journalismbusiness, covering the evolution of different businessmodels, from monopoly newspapers to the currentfinancial anarchy of the digital world. It analyzeschanging social models for the distribution ofinformation, and weighs how news is increasinglybeing transmuted into data.JRN 650: Computer-Assisted ReportingProvides skills necessary for journalists to accomplishmore sophisticated, analytical work involvingdatabase management, GIS mapping, statisticalanalysis, and the development of Web applications.Computer-assisted reporting (CAR) is an emergentbranch of investigative and watchdog journalism.CAR allows journalists to utilize various computertools for improved news reporting.JRN 655: Seminar in LawExamines the constitutional, philosophical, and legalbases of free speech and what it means in daily life.The course considers the debate over words thatthreaten people in power, and how the powerfulhave tried to control the press.JRN 656: Seminar in EthicsInvestigates the moral decision-making processesbehind journalistic choices, and the principles onwhich these decisions are based. It examines notonly what a journalist has a right to do but what isright to do. Students consider cases of ethicalbreaches, and discuss how to uphold sound standardsduring reporting.JRN 660: Specialty ReportingTakes students past the foundational skills of beatreporting to the more challenging field of specialtyreporting, in which a journalist becomes an expert ina particular area and builds a body of work aroundit. Offers an overview of the most common types ofspecialties in journalism today.JRN 670: Enterprise ReportingDefines and explores the concept of enterprise, acore component of journalism. News stories covercrimes, meetings, and other one-time events, butenterprise reporters and editors do the bigger-picturework of identifying trends, connecting the dots,investigating inconsistencies, analyzing personalities,and asking the important questions.JRN 680: Capstone ProjectReinforces the knowledge and skills gained in othercourses by working in real-world media outlets.Students work with the program lead faculty inadvance of the course to identify their area of interestand develop a proposal for either a journalisminternship or a project. Grading is by H, S, or U only.LAW – LawLAW 200: Introduction to Law and Legal WritingA lower division introductory course exploring thepractical application of Civil Law and the variousarea of practice. The student will learn rudimentarylegal research and be introduced to the form of legalwriting referred to as “IRAC.”LAW 304: Legal Aspects of Business IA survey of contracts, sales, agencies, personal property,commercial paper and associated topics.Emphasizes prevention of litigation and liabilityarising from business operations.LAW 305: Legal Aspects of Business II(Prerequisite: LAW 304. A sequential course to LAW304.)A survey of business organizations (partnerships,corporations, government regulations), property(real property and leasing, estates, community property),business torts, business crimes and associatedtopics. Emphasizes prevention of litigation and liabilityarising from business operations.LAW 310: LitigationA broad-based overview of the various stages of thecivil/criminal litigation process. Covers the completelitigation process starting from the initial filingof the criminal information and/or civil complaint,progressing through the client interview, motion andtrial phase. Explores the process of court pleadingand discovery, including interrogations, depositionsand the voir dire process. Also covers heavy strategiesand the role of the law office assistant. Studentsmust demonstrate their legal knowledge and understandingof the material through the drafting of acivil complaint, accompanying forms, summons anddepositions.LAW 400: Current Legal IssuesThis course will review contemporary issues includingminority rights, abortion, free speech and criminaljustice with a special emphasis on the affectthese issues have on the business communityLAW 402: The Art of NegotiationA workshop course for pre-legal and pre-professionalstudents to develop the verbal and analyticalskills needed to be effective negotiators in the prac-