Dec 03, 2024

2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Journalism, Media Studies Concentration, B.S.

Journalism and Strategic Media
615-898-2814
Katie Foss, program coordinator
Katie.Foss@mtsu.edu

The Journalism major with a Media Studies concentration is designed for students who enjoy discussing, analyzing, and writing about film, television, advertising, and other media. In this concentration, students think about the interplay between media and society, exploring the messages in historical and contemporary media content, as well as examining how and why media influence audience perception and behavior.

Students should check the prerequisites for each course.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Journalism, Media Studies, B.S., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education	41 hours
Major Requirements	47 hours*
Minor	15-18 hours
Electives	14-20 hours
TOTAL	120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the General Education curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill General Education requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.

General Education (41 hours)

General Education requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences.

The following course required by the program meet General Education requirements:

EMC 1020 /JOUR 1020 /RIM 1020 (Soc/Beh Sci)

Major Requirements (47 hours)

School of Journalism and Strategic Media Core (14 hours)

EMC 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours OR
RIM 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours
(may be counted in General Education)
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours
JOUR 2720 - Digital Media Skills 3 credit hours
JOUR 4880 - Professional Development 1 credit hour
EMC 4250 - Mass Media Law 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 4250 - Mass Media Law 3 credit hours
JOUR 3580 - MC Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour) OR
JOUR 4000 - MC Internship 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour)

Writing/Research/Design/Professional (12-15 hours)

Choose two (6 hours):

ADV 3020 - Principles of Advertising 3 credit hours
PR 2040 - Public Relations Principles 3 credit hours
VCOM 2010 - Introduction to Visual Communication 3 credit hours
JOUR 3600 - Digital and Media Literacy 3 credit hours
SPM 2100 - Media and Sports 3 credit hours

Choose 6-9 hours:

Complete at least 6 but not more than 9 hours from the course offerings below:

JOUR 3090 - Reporting 3 credit hours
JOUR 3430 - Radio News Reporting 3 credit hours
JOUR 3530 - Feature Writing 3 credit hours
JOUR 3560 - Podcasting in Journalism 3 credit hours
JOUR 3660 - Strategic Communication Research 3 credit hours
PR 3360 - Strategic Communication Writing for Public Relations 3 credit hours
PR 3400 - Case Studies in Public Relations 3 credit hours
PR 4720 - Crisis Communication in Public Relations 3 credit hours
VCOM 2950 - Visual Communication Applications 3 credit hours
VCOM 3920 - Information Web Design 3 credit hours
ADV 3520 - Special Topics in Professional Issues 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 3520 - Special Topics in Professional Issues 3 credit hours OR
PR 3520 - Special Topics in Professional Issues 3 credit hours

Conceptual Requirements (18-21 hours)

Choose courses from this list to total at least 18 hours or a maximum of 21 hours; at least 9 hours must be JOUR or ADV hours:

ADV 3060 - Issues in Advertising: Sexuality and Gender 3 credit hours
JOUR 2800 - Journalism and Media Topics 1 to 3 credit hours
JOUR 3000 - Journalism and Media in the Movies 3 credit hours
JOUR 3050 - Principles of Health Communication 3 credit hours
JOUR 3070 - Introduction to Social Media Practice 3 credit hours
JOUR 4350 - Children and Media 3 credit hours
JOUR 3650 - Free Expression, Mass Media, and the American Public 3 credit hours
JOUR 3850 - Crime, Gender, and Media 3 credit hours
JOUR 4210 - Mass Communication and Society 3 credit hours
JOUR 4240 - Television, Culture, and History 3 credit hours
JOUR 4510 - Media History and Culture 3 credit hours
JOUR 4700 - Mass Media and National Security 3 credit hours
JOUR 4780 - Media and Markets 3 credit hours
JOUR 4790 - Global News and World Media Cultures 3 credit hours
JOUR 4800 - Seminar in Media Issues 3 credit hours
JOUR 4810 - Global Comparative Media Systems 3 credit hours
JOUR 4820 - Race, Gender, and Class in Media 3 credit hours
JOUR 4850 - Ethics and Mass Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 2100 - Introduction to Human Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 2140 - Introduction to Organizational Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 2560 - Intercultural Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 3220 - Small Group Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 3225 - Gender Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 3650 - Conflict in Communication 3 credit hours
COMM 4200 - Communication in the Global Workplace 3 credit hours
SPM 3100 - Diversity in Sports Media 3 credit hours
Approved School of Journalism and Strategic Media elective 3 credit hours

Minor (15-18 hours)

Selected from outside the School of Journalism and Strategic Media with advisor approval.

Electives (14-20 hours)

Students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media (SOJSM) must complete 50 hours in liberal arts and sciences including General Education requirements and one minor from outside SOJSM. Students must select at least nine hours of liberal arts/social sciences (beyond General Education); at least six hours of liberal arts/social science electives must come from courses at the 3000-level or higher.

Curriculum: Journalism, Media Studies

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Majors must have a C (2.00) or better in all Media and Entertainment courses.

Freshman

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
Humanities and/or Fine Arts (2 rubrics) 6 credit hours
Mathematics 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
JOUR 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
EMC 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci) OR
RIM 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Sophomore

ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours OR
HUM 2610 - World Literatures 3 credit hours
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours
JOUR 2720 - Digital Media Skills 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences 4 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
Minor courses 6 credit hours
Conceptual requirement 3 credit hours
Writing/Research/Design/Professional 6 credit hours

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Junior

HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2040 - Survey African American History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2050 - Survey African American History II 3 credit hours
Writing/Research/Design/Professional 6 credit hours
Conceptual Requirement 12 credit hours
Electives 6 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Senior

JOUR 4250 - Mass Media Law 3 credit hours
Conceptual Requirement 3 credit hours
Conceptual Requirement or elective 3 credit hours
Writing/Research/Design/Professional 3 credit hours
Minor courses 6 credit hours
Minor or elective course 3 credit hours
Electives 5 credit hours
JOUR 4880 - Professional Development 1 credit hour
JOUR 3580 - MC Practicum 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour required) OR
JOUR 4000 - MC Internship 1 to 3 credit hours (1 credit hour required)

Journalism, Media Studies Concentration, B.S.

Academic Map

Degree Requirements

General Education (41 hours)

Major Requirements (47 hours)

School of Journalism and Strategic Media Core (14 hours)

Writing/Research/Design/Professional (12-15 hours)

Choose two (6 hours):

Choose 6-9 hours:

Conceptual Requirements (18-21 hours)

Minor (15-18 hours)

Electives (14-20 hours)

Curriculum: Journalism, Media Studies

Freshman

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Sophomore

Subtotal: 31 Hours

Junior

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Senior

Subtotal: 28 Hours