Undergraduate Bulletin 2009-2011
Journalism Studies

Admission/Graduation Requirements

• ADMISSIONS POLICY
  • Students must meet with a faculty adviser in the Department of Journalism to be signed into most journalism classes. Students must have completed Journalism 141 to be admitted to any 300- or 400-level journalism classes.
• GRADE POINT AVERAGE REQUIREMENTS
  • A minimum grade point average of 2.5, based on transcripts from all accredited colleges attended, is required. Students transferring to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will be evaluated for grade point average on the same basis as University of Wisconsin Oshkosh continuing students. Students must receive at least a "C" in all prerequisite journalism courses. (This refers to Journalism classes only and does not include courses in other departments to be completed by students majoring or minoring in Journalism).
• UNIT (CR.) HOUR REQUIREMENTS
  • Journalism majors must complete 36 units (crs.) worth of journalism classes including required courses described in a later section.
  • Journalism minors must complete 24 units (crs.).
  • Journalism Professional Internship (Journalism 427) does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
• GENERAL EDUCATION PREREQUISITES
  • Students should complete WBIS 188 or its equivalent during their freshman or sophomore years.
• CONTINUING STUDENT STATUS
  • Majors may take no more than three journalism courses during any term (excluding interim courses). Minors normally take no more than one upper-level journalism course during a term and no more than two journalism courses during any term. Exceptions may be granted by the chair of the department.
• APPEALS
  • All appeals may be initiated through the chair of the Department of Journalism.
• NON-JOURNALISM REQUIREMENTS
  • The Department of Journalism recognizes the standards of and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC), which specifies that journalism majors must earn 80 units (crs.) in courses outside of journalism and mass communications. Those standards also provide that 65 of those units (crs.) must be in the liberal arts.
  • Students who declare the major will have the accrediting requirement checked on their degree audit (STAR). The accreditation check is a graduation requirement for journalism majors.
  • In applying the standard, the department will maintain flexibility in order to consider each student's program and interests. Among courses that will not be considered to be outside the journalism and mass communication area are:
    - All courses offered by the Department of Journalism
    - All courses included in the following lists:
    • Art
      • Art 238 Design I 3 cr.
      • Art 239 Design Fundamentals 3 cr.
      • Art 338 Design II 3 cr.
      • Art 438 Design III 3 cr.
    • Communication
      • Communication 231 Radio-Television Announcing 3 cr.
      • Communication 234 Writing for the Broadcast Media 3 cr.
      • Communication 301 Radio-Television Advertising 3 cr.
      • Communication 313 TV Studio Management (2+3) 3 cr.
      • Communication 320 Television Workshop (1+4) 1 cr.
      • Communication 325 Nonverbal Communication 3 cr.
      • Communication 327 Advanced Writing for the Broadcast Media 3 cr.
      • Communication 425 Seminar in Radio-TV-Film 1-3 cr.
      • Communication 426 Seminar in Radio-TV-Film 1-3 cr.
      • Communication 435 Advanced Video Production 3 cr.
      • Communication 437 Radio-TV Station Management 3 cr.
    • English
      • English 317 Technical Writing 3 cr.

  -Courses in other departments that duplicate the content of courses offered by the Department of Journalism.

  - Courses taken at other colleges or universities, which resemble the offerings above and for which transfer students may receive Journalism units (crs.). Each such course will be assessed by the chair of the Department of Journalism as if the course were offered at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

  - Courses that will count toward the 65 units (crs.) in the liberal arts may be taken in the following departments: African American Studies, Anthropology, Art History, Biology and Microbiology, Chemistry, Communication, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Geography & Urban Planning, Geology, History, International Studies, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology, Public Affairs, Religious Studies, Sociology, Theatre, and Women's Studies.

  While many courses in Communication are considered liberal arts credits, courses in Radio-TV-Film may not count toward the 65 units (crs.) in the liberal arts. The policy is based on a standard of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication that is designed to ensure the student's journalism degree to be appropriately balanced between liberal education and professional preparation.

  Non-journalism internship credits/courses are not considered to be liberal arts credits.

Required Core Courses

Journalism
Journalism 141 Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communication
Journalism 221 Writing for the Media
Journalism 224 Editing
Journalism 412 Law of Mass Communication

(Courses required for the emphases of Advertising, Media Studies, Public Relations, Visual Journalism, and Writing/Editing are listed in Section VI.)

(Required number of journalism electives are listed in Section VI.)

(Non-journalism required courses listed below do not count in the 36 journalism credits.)

All journalism students must take the following:

• Computer Science: Computer Science 125 Worldwide Web Site Development
• History: History 202 Modern United States History Since 1877 3 cr.
• Political Science: Political Science 105 American Government and Politics 3 cr.
• One course from the following list:
  • Business: Business 204 Financial and Managerial Accounting 3 cr.
  • Economics: Economics 204 Principles of Macroeconomics 3 cr. , Economics 206 Principles of Microeconomics 3 cr.
  • Psychology: Psychology 203 Elementary Psychological Statistics
  • Sociology: Sociology 281 Social Statistics 3 cr.
    (Courses completed from the list above cannot be counted to fulfill the requirements of the next section.)
• Two courses from the following list:
  • African-American Studies:
    • 100 Introduction to African American Studies
    • 327 African American Detective Fiction
    • 371 African American Women's Literature
  • Anthropology
    • 122 World Ethnography
    • 232 Cultural Anthropology
    • 274 Language in Culture
    • 340 Culture and Personality
    • 344 Cross-cultural Perspectives on Gender
    • 350 Cultural Methods
  • Art
    • 112 Two-Dimensional Design
    • 321 Art History 1900-1945
    • 322 Art History 1945-Present
    • 324 Art History, Popular Culture
  • Business
    • 198 Introduction to Business
    • 204 Financial and Managerial Accounting
    • 295 Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
    • 374 Market Research
    • 375 International Marketing
    • 377 Consumer Behavior
    • 379 Selling and Sales Management
    • 389 Quantitative Business Analysis
    • 473 Marketing Strategy
  • Communication
    • 241 History of Cinema
    • 347 Race, Class and Gender in American Film
  • Computer Science
    • 115 Using Computers
    • 125 World Wide Web Site Development
    • 371 Computer Graphics
  • Criminal Justice
    • 103 Introduction to the Criminal Justice Process
  • Economics
    • 204 Principles of Macroeconomics
    • 206 Principles of Microeconomics
  • English
    • 204 Introduction to Creative Writing
    • 316 Advanced Composition: Writing about the Social Sciences
  • Environmental Studies
    • 101 Seminar on Environmental Issues
    • 260 Environmental Science
    • 261 Environment and Society
    • 282 Environment, Community, and Values
    • 326 American Environmental History
  • Geography
    • 111 Human Geography
  • History
    • 393 Modern U.S. Cultural and Intellectual History
  • Philosophy
    • 215 Philosophy of Art
  • Political Science
    • 115 International Politics
    • 225 State and Local Government
    • 302 Civil Liberties in the United States
    • 303 Women and Politics
    • 304 Race and Ethnicity in the United States
    • 310 Urban Government
    • 350 Political Behavior
    • 380 Political Parties and Interest Groups
    • 392 Judicial Process in America
  • Psychology
    • 203 Elementary Psychological Statistics
    • 205 Social Psychology
    • 271 Cross Cultural Psychology
    • 280 Cognitive Psychology
  • Sociology
    • 151 Modern Social Problems
    • 281 Social Statistics
    • 307 Propaganda and Public Opinion
  • Theatre
    • 102 Script Analysis
    • 204 Survey of Theatre History
  • Urban and Regional Studies
    • 131 Contemporary Urban Issues
    • 320 Housing
  • Women's Studies
    • 201 Introduction to Women's Studies
    • 303 Women and Politics
    • 307 Discrimination, Gender, and the Economy
    • 316 Gender, Discourse and Power
    • 347 Race, Class and Gender in American Film
    • 350 Women, Race and Class
      

The Major(s), with Emphases and/or Options

1. JOURNALISM MAJOR

   A. Advertising Emphasis

   Recommended for students who have career objectives in advertising and related areas involving market communications.

• Required Units (crs.): 36 units (crs.)
• Required Courses: In addition to the core courses:
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Distribution Requirement: Journalism 211, 239, 250, 312, 327, 341. (Only one of the following two courses 327 or 341, can be counted toward the 9 units (crs.). A course taken as a Distribution requirement does not count again as a course toward the 9 units (crs.) in emphases or 6 units (crs.) in electives.)
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Advertising Emphasis: Journalism 331, 351, 353, 424, 472, 239 or 339.
• Electives: 6 units (crs.) from the department's offerings to meet the 36 unit (cr.) requirement of the major.
  • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be courses from the Advertising electives: Journalism 315, 325, 351, 353, 424, 451, 454, 472.
  • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be journalism courses outside the Advertising emphasis.
  • Classes already taken from the Distribution and Emphasis Requirements do not count again as electives.
• Comments:
  Professional Journalism Internship (Journalism 427) is strongly recommended, although it does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
• Participation in the Student Ad Club, Student Photo Club, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) and/or the student newspaper, the Advance-Titan, is strongly recommended.
• For students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, the department offers Honors: Thesis Journalism 474.

B. Media Studies Emphasis
Recommended for students who have career objectives in management and research in journalism and mass media as well as an interest in pursuing graduate programs in mass media and related areas.

• Required Units (crs.): 36 units (crs.)
• Required Courses: In addition to the Core Courses:
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Distribution Requirement: Journalism 211, 239, 250, 312, 327, 341. (Only one of the two courses in 327 or 341 can be counted toward the 9 units (crs.). A course taken as a Distribution requirement does not count again as a course toward the 9 units (crs.) in emphases or 6 units (crs.) in electives.)
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Media Studies Emphasis: Journalism 312, 341, 371, 380, 457, 472.
  • Electives: 6 units (crs.) from the department's offerings to meet the 36 unit (cr.) requirement of the major.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be courses from the Media Studies electives: Journalism 312, 341, 371, 380, 454, 457, 472.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be journalism courses outside the Media Studies emphasis.
    • Classes already taken from the Distribution and Emphasis Requirements do not count again as electives.
  • Comments:
    Professional Journalism Internship (Journalism 427) is strongly recommended, although it does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
  • Participation in the Student Ad Club, Student Photo Club, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) and/or the student newspaper, the Advance-Titan, is strongly recommended.
  • For students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, the department offers Honors: Thesis Journalism 474.

C. Public Relations Emphasis

Recommended for students who have career objectives in public relations and related areas involving internal and external communications, corporate communications, non-profit organizations and governmental organizations.

• Required Units (crs.): 36 units (crs.)
• Required Courses: In addition to the Core Courses:
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Distribution Requirement: Journalism 211, 239, 250, 312, 327, 341. (Only one of the two courses in 327 or 341 can be counted toward the 9 units (crs.). A course taken as a Distribution requirement does not count again as a course toward the 9 units (crs.) in emphases or 6 units (crs.) in electives.)
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Public Relations Emphasis: Journalism 315, 319, 325, 327, 441, 451, 455.
  • Electives: 6 units (crs.) from the department's offerings to meet the 36 unit (cr.) requirement of the major.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be courses from the Public Relations electives: Journalism 315, 319, 325, 351, 441, 451, 454, 455.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be journalism courses outside the Public Relations emphasis.
    • Classes already taken from the Distribution and Emphasis Requirements do not count again as electives.
  • Comments:
    Professional Journalism Internship (Journalism 427) is strongly recommended, although it does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
  • Participation in the Student Ad Club, Student Photo Club, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) and/or the student newspaper, the Advance-Titan, is strongly recommended.
  • For students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, the department offers Honors: Thesis Journalism 474.

D. Visual Journalism Emphasis

Recommended for students who have career objectives of working to be a photographer and visual journalism professional in newspapers, magazines or other mass media.

• Required Units (crs.): 36 units (crs.)
• Required Courses: In addition to the Core Courses:
• 9 units (crs.) from the Distribution Requirement: Journalism 211, 239, 250, 312, 327, 341. (Only one of the two courses in 327 or 341 can be counted toward the 9 units (crs.). A course taken as a Distribution requirement does not count again as a course toward the 9 units (crs.) in emphases or 6 units (crs.) in electives.)
• 9 units (crs.) from the Visual Journalism Emphasis: Journalism 239, 325, 331, 339, 351, 451.
• Electives: 6 units (crs.) from the department's offerings to meet the 36 unit (cr.) requirement of the major.
  • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be courses from the Visual Journalism electives: Journalism 325, 331, 334, 339, 451, 454.
  • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be journalism courses outside the Visual Journalism emphasis.
  • Classes already taken from the Distribution and Emphasis Requirements do not count again as electives.
• Comments:
  Professional Journalism Internship (Journalism 427) is strongly recommended, although it does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
• Participation in the Student Ad Club, Student Photo Club, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) and/or the student newspaper, the Advance-Titan, is strongly recommended.
• For students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, the department offers Honors: Thesis Journalism 474.

E. Writing/Editing Emphasis

Recommended for students whose primary interest is working with words and seeking a career to be a journalist and content producer for newspapers, magazines, online publishing or other mass media.

• Required Units (crs.): 36 units (crs.)
• Required Courses: In addition to the Core Courses:
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Distribution Requirement: Journalism 211, 239, 250, 312, 327, 341. (Only one of the two courses in 327 or 341 can be counted toward the 9 units (crs.). A course taken as a Distribution requirement does not count again as a course toward the 9 units (crs.) in emphases or 6 units (crs.) in electives.)
  • 9 units (crs.) from the Writing/Editing Emphasis: Journalism 315, 325, 351, 413, 428, 441, 451.
  • Electives: 6 units (crs.) from the department's offerings to meet the 36 unit (cr.) requirement of the major.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be courses from the Writing/Editing electives: Journalism 315, 325, 351, 413, 428, 441, 451, 454.
    • At least 3 of the 6 units (crs.) must be journalism courses outside the Writing/Editing emphasis.
    • Classes already taken from the Distribution and Emphasis Requirements do not count again as electives.
  • Comments:
    Professional Journalism Internship (Journalism 427) is strongly recommended, although it does not count toward meeting the 36 unit (cr.) minimum.
  • Participation in the Student Ad Club, Student Photo Club, Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ) and/or the student newspaper, the Advance-Titan, is strongly recommended.
  • For students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, the department offers Honors: Thesis Journalism 474.