Skagit Valley College

Catalog Course Search Details

 Course Title:   Introduction to Journalism & Newswriting

 Title Abbreviation:   INTRO TO JOURNALISM

 Department:    JOUR

 Course #:    101

 Credits:    5

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    5

 CIP:    090102

 EPC:    n/a

 REV:    2018


 Course Description  

The course is designed to develop skill in investigative research and reporting, news-writing, and the basic principles of journalism. This introductory class focuses primarily on researching, writing/reporting skills.

 Prerequisite  

Prerequisite: Completion of English 101 with a C or better.

Additional Course Details

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 55

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0


Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Academic Humanities  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Other Institution Equivalencies Table
Institution Course # Remarks
Bellevue CMST 141
Clark JOURN 101
Everett JOURN 101
WWU JOURN 207

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Identify and describe journalistic and ethical principles and apply them to newswriting;
  2. Brainstorm, evaluate, select, and coordinate news topics as part of a news team;
  3. Apply appropriate interviewing, surveying, and/or online/in-person information-gathering skills to researching and verifying content for news stories;
  4. Construct a basic news story that contains a headline, lead, facts, and, if available, quotations and photos/captions;
  5. Use recognized writing conventions to proofread and revise news stories for flow, style, and completeness;
  6. Cultivate contacts and cover/produce news content related to various beats/pages and develop news stories that reflect them;
  7. Analyze and evaluate newspapers and news stories from personal, campus, local, national, and/or global sources for audience, effectiveness, and accuracy;
  8. Explore and characterize basic newspaper production and journalism careers;
  9. Manage time effectively by meeting copy deadlines and other due dates.

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

1. Information Literacy

Definition: Recognizing when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
1.2 Access the needed information effectively, efficiently, ethically, and legally.
1.3 Evaluate information and its sources critically.
1.5 Effectively integrate and use information ethically and legally to accomplish a specific purpose.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.2 Analyze issues and develop questions within a discipline.
2.8 Describe how one’s own preconceptions, biases and values affect one’s response to new and ambiguous situations.
2.9 Apply and/or create problem-solving strategies to successfully adapt to unpredictable and/or changing environments.

3. Communication

Definition: Understanding and producing effective written, spoken, visual, and non-verbal communication.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
3.1 Recognize, read, and comprehend academic and/or professional writing.
3.3 Demonstrate effective listening skills.

4. Community & Cultural Diversity

Definition: Recognizing the value of human communities and cultures from multiple perspectives through a critical understanding of their similarities and differences.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
4.4 Demonstrate effective communication across differences in human communities and cultures.
4.5 Adapt to and function effectively in communities and cultures different from one's own.

5. Global & Local Awareness & Responsibility

Definition: Understanding the complexity and interdependence of, and stewardship responsibilities to, local and global communities and environments.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
5.1 Understand the impact of their own and other’s actions on local/global communities and environments and how those communities/environments affect them in turn.

6. Individual Awareness & Responsibility

Definition: Understanding, managing, and taking responsibility for one’s learning and behavior in varied and changing environments.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
6.2 Demonstrate standards of professionalism in manner, appearance, and setting appropriate to the context, including the classroom, workplace, and community.
6.3 Apply successful organizational strategies of planning, goal setting, prioritizing, resolving conflict, and managing time to specific goals and/or projects.

10. Technology

Definition: Understanding the role of technology in society and using technology appropriately and effectively.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
10.3 Use technology appropriate to the context and task to effectively retrieve and manage information, solve problems, and facilitate communication.

Course Contents

  1. The Basic News Story
  2. Interviewing
  3. Beat System
  4. Establishing Contacts
  5. Principles of Journalism
  6. Lifestyle Pages
  7. Sports Pages
  8. Editorials & Opinion Pages
  9. Ethics
  10. Role of Student Press in Media
  11. Careers in Journalism