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JEM Major & Minor Requirements

Undergraduate major requirements vary according to year of admittance.

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Journalism and Electronic Media:, 2019-2020 2015-20162016-20172017-20182018-2019, 2019-2020


JREM 175 – Intro to Journalism & Creative Media

History of all media and overview of all media platforms. Students are introduced to theories and research in media and society. Students not only learn about the broad scope of journalism and media but will also gain experience with on-campus media.


JREM 200 – Multimedia Writing

Students will be introduced to basic storytelling structures and approaches across media platforms. The writing intensive course also emphasizes instruction in grammar, structure, AP style, and media practices.

Satisfies General Education Requirement: (WC)

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 175 or Public Relations 270.


JREM 220 – Scriptwriting for Creative Works

Introduction to creative scriptwriting for broadcast/cable television productions or streaming series. Includes copywriting for commercials. Scripts are expected to be pitch-ready by the end of the semester.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 175 and 200.


JREM 230 – Multimedia Reporting

Students will cover a variety of news topics and events and will report on these stories across media platforms. The course introduces students to general assignment, enterprise, and beat reporting using principles of journalistic ethics. A combination of photography, video, sound, and graphics will be used for in-depth storytelling.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 200.


JREM 260 – Studio Production

Introduction to studio production. Effective studio lighting, studio camera operations, video switching, and audio controls will be taught in addition to the roles of producing, directing, and floor managing.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 220 or 230


JREM 320 – Media Marketing & Promotions

This course provides students with practical skills for media marketing, promotions, and copywriting, and it stresses imagination, creativity, and writing skills. Students start out learning about what attracts consumers to particular media and content. Students learn strategies for reaching target viewers and listeners based on audience ratings and shares, demographics, and affinity to programs.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.


JREM 333 – Media Editing

Methods and practice in editing across media platforms with emphasis on the role of editors, content planning and digital curation; story development and organization; display of text and visual content; news verification; headlines and SEO; and proper language use.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230 or Public Relations 320


JREM 336 – Video Production

Methods and practice in judging news, editing copy, writing headlines and designing newspapers and magazines. Emphasis on precise word use and news display.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230 or Public Relations 320


JREM 350 – Digital News Reporting

This course examines digital media as news platforms, including current issues, problems, and practices of online journalism. Additionally, students will learn how to use online communication tools, such as social media tools, blogging software, and visualization tools, to report on stories of local and national interest.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230

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JREM 360 – Communicating On-Air/Online TV & Radio

Writing, reporting, performing, and producing radio and audio news reports and newscasts for radio and the Internet. Lecture and lab course in which students will work in radio news at WUTK-FM as part of their grade. An introduction to audio production including advanced digital audio production is included.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.


JREM 367 – Mass Communication History

Development of the press and the role of mass communication in American history. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cable, satellite, and the Internet.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 175 and 200


JREM 375 – Sports Writing Across the Media

An introductory course in gathering, writing, and presenting sports news in a variety of formats, including print, photography, radio, television, and the web.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230 or Public Relations 320


JREM 380 – Media Graphics

Principles and practice in the visual aspect of communication. Emphasis on graphic design, typography, illustration and photography, printing and production techniques and publication design.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.


JREM 390 – Photojournalism

Principles and practice of photography as a creative tool of communication. Basic camera technique, digital photography, historical and contemporary photojournalism.


JREM 400 – Mass Communication Law & Ethics

Emphasis on legal issues affecting print and electronic media, including libel, privacy, copyright, free press-fair trial, governmental regulations of advertising, electronic media, and public relations. Also includes ethical standards and practices.


JREM 410 – Media Ethics

(3 Credit Hours) Case studies of ethical issues in print, electronic, and online communication. Definitions of “good” and “ethical” communication –including image acquisition and presentation—in a democratic society. Study of the information/entertainment dilemma while investigating decision-making frameworks and standards for mass communication professionals.


JREM 411 – Television News Reporting

Writing, reporting, shooting, editing, and producing for the electronic news media. Lecture and lab course providing students with experience as reporters/producers for a television and cable news program. Includes an overview of electronic news-gathering equipment, as well as non-linear video editing. Prepares students to become multimedia and backpack journalists.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.


JREM 414 – Magazine and Feature Writing

(3 Credit Hours) Techniques of writing features and in-depth articles for mass circulation and specialized magazines or newspapers. Organizing and presenting material with attention to problems in areas such as business, science, agriculture, and the humanities. (RE) Prerequisite(s): 230 or Public Relations 320; and 333.

Satisfies General Education Requirement (WC)


JREM 415 – Magazine Industry Workshop (SCOOP)

(3 Credit Hours) Introduction to the magazine industry including management, design, writing, design, writing and editing, and interactivity. Analysis of print and electronic format magazines. Planning new products for the marketplace.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 414


JREM 420 – Media Sales

This course takes students through the process of identifying, packaging, and selling media audiences to advertising agencies and direct retail accounts. Students learn how to sell radio, television, print, and digital time and space by creating value for advertisers based on audience research and ad pricing strategies.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.


JREM 422 – Social Journalism

In this course, students are introduced to a variety of social media and the ways in which they may be used by journalists for information gathering, reporting, publicity, and engagement. Topics covered will include curation, verification, ethical considerations, and analytics.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 350.


JREM 430 – Advanced Reporting

This course will hone students’ skills at in-depth, enterprise reporting. Specifically, students will use skills acquired in earlier classes (e.g. news judgment, interviewing, information gathering, and analysis) to produce journalistic works of regional significance. Topics may vary but could include data journalism, investigative journalism or business journalism.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.

Registration Restriction(s): Senior standing.


JREM 436 – Advanced Video Production

Students conceive and produce video programs using advanced techniques of field acquisition and non-linear editing.

(Re) Prerequisite(s): 336


JREM 441 – Entrepreneurship in Journalism & Media

This course introduces students to fundamental entrepreneurial principles, with a particular focus on media companies, both established and new. Students will identify market opportunities for media solutions, research, develop, pitch, and potentially begin to launch business prototype ventures.


JREM 444 – Journalism as Literature

Study of writers from the 17th century to the modern era whose works have endured as both journalism and literature. An emerging genre called literary journalism will be examined as a means of cultural reporting with a personal narrative style.

Satisfies General Education Requirement: (WC)


JREM 446 – Documentary Video Production

This course introduces students to all phases of video-based documentary journalism: developing a story proposal, preproduction, conducting and shooting interviews, collecting field footage, and editing. During the course, students will work with a team to produce a short documentary.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230.

Comment(s): Prior knowledge may satisfy prerequisite with consent of instructor.


JREM 450 – Writing for Science & Medicine

(3 Credit Hours) Writing workshop to analyze examples of successful science writing and write series of articles for the general public based on scientific journals, news conference, technical meetings, and interviews.

(Same as Information Sciences 450)

Satisfies General Education Requirement: (WC)


JREM 451 – Environmental Writing

(3 Credit Hours) Writing for news media (including the Internet) on such environmental issues as sprawl, forests, air pollution, energy, and invasive species. Students hear presentations from and interview experts in environmental science and reporting. Exemplary environmental writing is analyzed.

Satisfies General Education Requirement: (WC)


JREM 455 – Media, Health & Science

This seminar will examine how and why media construct health and medicine in the ways that they do and how audiences process those messages. We will explore mediated health and science from theoretical perspectives such as cultivation, social comparison, agenda setting, priming, social cognitive theory, and more.


JREM 456 – Science Writing as Literature

(3 Credit Hours) Survey of important writing for the general public across the spectrum of science, engineering, and medicine. Works by authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen J. Gould, and Richard Selzer will be analyzed for literary qualities in a quest to understand why some science writing succeeds.

Satisfies General Education Requirement: (WC)


JREM 460 – Advanced Television News Reporting and Producing

(3 Credit Hours) Production of daily and weekly television newscasts for The Volunteer Channel and on local television stations. Advanced course in TV news producing, reporting and anchoring. State-of-the-art converged newsroom and high definition studio are used in the production of weekly broadcasts.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 411.


JREM 464 – Video Sports Production & Performance

Introduction to the skills needed to produce a variety of sports events for the ESPN/SEC Network. Studio and portable multi-camera production techniques will be included. Students will also learn about play-by-play and sideline reporting for sports events.

Contact Hour Distribution: Lecture and lab.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 336.


JREM 466 – Media, Diversity & Society

This course examines theoretical approaches and practical issues regarding how social groups are represented in the mass media. Industry and alternative media efforts at addressing diversity are also explored.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 175 and 200

Comment(s): Prior knowledge may satisfy prerequisite with consent of instructor.


JREM 475 – Sports Writing

(3 Credit Hours) Writing sports stories, features, and columns. Sports writing is considered from the standpoint of sports reporters, sports information specialists, and others with an interest in writing about sports.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 375


JREM 480 – Media Programming in the Digital Era

This course explores television, cable, and digital programs and programming strategies. The emergence of content delivery systems including “Over-The-Top” platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google, Sirius XM, Pandora, Spotify, and others has resulted in many additional outlets for program producers and viewers. The course examines program types, delivery systems, and the program development process. It includes pitching a program and marketing programs.

(RE) Prerequisite(s): 230 or Cinema Studies 281.


JREM 484 – Sports, Media, Society

This course will expose students to multiple theoretical perspectives designed to aid in their evaluation of sports media industry organizations, practices, and structures. Students will critically analyze the economic landscape and business operations of sports media and contemporary practices, including the intersection of sports media and politics, identity, science, community, and religion. Students will gain an understanding of the role sports media plays in cultural understandings of gender, race, sexuality, class, nationalism, consumerism, and other prominent concepts of contemporary community and civic life.


JREM 490 – Advanced Photojournalism

(3 Credit Hours) Advanced principles and methods of black-and-white photography. Introduction to color photography. News and feature photographs, photo essays.
(Re) Prerequisite(s): 390


JREM 491 – Foreign Study

(1-15 Credit Hours) Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum of 15 hours.
Comment(s): Approval of hours and topics by adviser required.


JREM 492 – Practicum

2 Credit Hours, Professional learning experience working part-time in a media-related enterprise. May be on or off campus. Students usually work 16-20 hours per week. Final written report required.

Grading Restriction: Satisfactory/No Credit grading only.

Registration Restriction(s): Journalism and electronic media major; minimum student level – junior.


JREM 493 – Independent Study

Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours


JREM 494 – Special Topic

Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours.


JREM 495 – Professional Seminar

This course is designed for students nearing graduation as a bridge between the academic world and launching a career. The course provides students with career planning strategies and techniques. Students will identify career goals, analyze career fields, create a resume, cover letter, portfolio or web site. Students will also learn about interviewing for jobs.


JREM 498 – Internship

Full-time (30-40 hours per week) work experience in news, production, or sales and management with non-university professional organization. Educational experience beyond that available at the university. Final term paper.

Credit Restriction: No retroactive credit for previous work experience.

Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – senior.


JREM 499 – Enterprise &Leadership In Media

Exposes students to broad media management and leadership issues, helps students understand the importance of the business side of media. Provides an overview of the future of journalism and media.

Registration Restriction(s): Journalism and electronic media major; minimum student level – senior.


A student seeking a minor in Journalism and Electronic Media must submit a petition to the Director of the School of Journalism and Electronic Media no later than the last semester prior to graduation. The petition should be accompanied by a list of taken and current courses that meet requirements for the minor, an academic history, and a current course schedule.

Minor in Journalism and Electronic Media

The minor consists of 18 hours:

JREM 175 – Principles and History of Journalism and Media

JREM 200 – Multimedia Writing

JREM 230 – Multimedia Reporting

JREM 367 – Mass Communication History

Or

JREM 410 – Mass Communication Law and Ethics

JREM 400 – Mass Communication Law and Ethics

JREM 466 – Media, Diversity, and Society