Journalism Courses | 2025-2026 Academic Catalog | SIU

Acquaints students with the history and development of the American mass media. Examines media roles in society, potential for development, weak points, and the roles consumers can and should play regarding the media.

Credit Hours: 3

This course prepares students in using numbers in communication, particularly in information from the Internet. The class focuses on using basic statistics, open data sources, creating and explaining visualizations, tables and charts, common calculations, and spreadsheets.

Credit Hours: 3

Explores the concept of convergence in media writing while developing a basic understanding of journalism principles and writing skills for newspapers, online news, magazines, public relations, television and radio; develops skills in word usage, grammar, spelling and AP style for print and electronic journalism. Course fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Provides the basic understanding of the fundamentals of new media. Introduces students to the different software and tools that are increasingly being used in the media industry in order to tell stories and deliver content via multiple platforms. Students will learn how to create content by utilizing and integrating different content modalities such as text, audio, photographs and video. Course Fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Develops language skills required by the mass media, with an emphasis on grammar and AP and APA style as applied to journalistic problems and media research. Includes study of representative works by masters of journalistic writing. Taught with mastery learning techniques.

Credit Hours: 3

[IAI Course: MC 912] An introduction to integrated marketing communications elements, including advertising, direct response, sales promotion and marketing public relations, and their functions in today's communication environment. Explores research, media and message elements involved in the creation of a campaign; governmental regulations; and social and economic considerations.

Credit Hours: 3

Study of the principles and practice in the writing of copy and visual design of persuasive messages such as advertising, sales promotion, direct response, marketing, public relations and others. Includes writing for print and electronic media, across products and services and oral presentation of materials. Prerequisite: ENGL 102, JRNL 301 with a grade of C or better. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Examination of the various media systems/types available to carry advertising creative messages. Emphasis is given to both the development of advertising media objectives and strategies in the context of a media plan, as well as the steps involved in the actual negotiation of specific media vehicles.

Credit Hours: 3

Overview of direct response advertising and its measurability; the media involved; and the strategic, tactical and creative approaches. Introduces topics such as database management, mailing lists, telemarketing, lead generation program, catalog marketing, sales promotion and business-to-business marketing communications. Prerequisite: JRNL 302 with a grade of C or better.

Credit Hours: 3

(University Core Curriculum) An overview of the mass media systems of the world; comparison of theoretical models and actual practice. Explores differing conceptual models of the mass media and their underlying philosophies; actual operations of different press systems with specific economic, political and cultural structures including historical development and current status.

Credit Hours: 3

Explores the development of interactive media and their impact on integrated marketing communication and consumer behavior. Analyses the use of new media in brand building, business-to-business communication, direct response, database marketing, and sales promotions. Includes examination of strategic, planning, and communication aspects of Web sites, online advertising, e-mail marketing, social media, Google analytics, and search engine optimization. Provides principles such as user experience, content organization, navigation development, and interface design necessary to develop persuasive interactive marketing materials. Course fee: $42. Credit Hours: 3.

Credit Hours: 3

Introduces the students to the field of account planning for advertising and branding through new strategies in this digital world. Provides an understanding of consumer research, social media monitoring tools, marketing strategies, targeting, the creative process, concept testing, multiple methods research for building the best advertising approach. Writing creative briefs that are effective and also provides insights for the integrated branding teams for advertising campaigns.

Credit Hours: 3

[IAI Course: MC 919] Emphasis on mass media writing styles and creating written newsroom content. Examines basic principles of editing, information gathering, story organization, and the use of library and on-line sources. Prerequisite: Completion of ENGL 102 and JRNL 201 with grade of C or better. Requires participation in the converged newsroom laboratory. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Continues development of news reporting skills for all media. Emphasizes personal interviews, development and use of news sources, analysis of public records, news beats and specialized reporting structures, and the professional working relationship between the writer and other news personnel. Requires participation in the converged newsroom laboratory. Prerequisite: JRNL 310 with a grade of C or better. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

[IAI Course: MC 920] Introduces principles and techniques of editing and information management on media platforms. Includes textual editing and visual editing. Course emphasizes creating and polishing content for maximum clarity and impact for publication in print and electronic media. Prerequisite: JRNL 310 with a grade of C or better. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

This course starts with the technical fundamentals of photography and explores technique, composition and beginning storytelling with images. Students will learn how to operate a DSLR camera and post-production software, such as Photoshop to edit and caption images according to industry standards. Lab fee: $52.

Credit Hours: 3

(University Core Curriculum) (Same as POLS 314I) The role of the mass media in American politics. Emphasis will be on the way in which the news media covers political actors and institutions, the effects of media on political behavior, and the expanding role of the Internet in politics.

Credit Hours: 3

Students learn the importance of understanding the habits and preferences of their audience and develop an understanding and an appreciation of the business aspects of the media. Lab fee: $45.

Credit Hours: 3

Students will report on beats such as politics, enterprise, sports, and crime, as well as doing a story per shift on the news of the day. These stories will be written and edited to be published in the Daily Egyptian and on other media platforms. Lab hours required. Prerequisite: JRNL 310 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $45.

Credit Hours: 3

The techniques of gathering, producing and presenting news and informational content for radio and other aural media. Skills in research, interviewing, news judgment, ethics and audio recording are explored. New distribution channels are examined. Lab hours required. Prerequisite: JRNL 310 or JRNL 316 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $45. Credit Hours: 3.

Credit Hours: 3

Students examine business practices of the various media and entertainment industries including publishing, radio, television, satellite, cable, movies, music, gaming, sports, streaming service providers, and all forms of emerging media. The course focuses on how these different media industries operate within a global economy.

Credit Hours: 3

Students learn about the business practices of the media and how they operate within a global economy. Topic areas may include current trends, future issues, program content, distribution platforms, regulation, audience assessment, and emerging media technologies.

Credit Hours: 3

Examination of the constitutional law of press censorship, of libel and privacy, of commercial speech and its regulation, of copyright and trademark, of access to government proceedings, and of confidentiality in newsgathering.

Credit Hours: 3

(University Core Curriculum) (Same as PHIL 334) The purpose of this course is to discuss what it means to act ethically. Does it mean anything more than doing what is right? Are ethics for a lawyer different from a journalist or priest or doctor? How does society decide what is ethical behavior and what is not?

Credit Hours: 3

Explores the history of visual communication with an emphasis on the integration of text and graphic images through design. Introduces fundamental design principles and the basics of typography, color usage, picture editing, and project management, all within the context of changing communication technology and production methods including Adobe Creative Suite, Illustrator, In Design, and Photoshop. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Introduces professional shooting and editing techniques to students interested in producing video stories for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, web sites, and television. These programs run on digital, social media, and broadcast journalism platforms within integrated new media storytelling for online journalism. Conduct pre-production and post-production work to develop, investigate and report on multiple platforms in a converged media environment. Prerequisite: JRNL 311 and 313 with grades of C or better or consent of instructor. Requires participation in the converged newsroom. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

This course introduces ways of reading, analyzing, and interpreting visual media, so that we may become careful and critical observers. The goal of the course will be to understand how people both communicate meanings visually and produce visual images for media. Themes and topics to be covered include how images function as signs; politics, propaganda, and power; fashion; scientific and medical imagery; advertising and the commodification of visual images; gender and sexuality; and the global circulation of visual information. The course will draw on numerous historical and contemporary examples from journalism and advertising, film, art and architecture, television, new media and other forms of visual communication and culture. The course will be a combination of lectures and discussions, with assignments designed to help students sharpen their critical viewing, reading, and writing skills.

Credit Hours: 3

Students learn the social and economics purposes and methods of obtaining, developing, distributing, launching, scheduling, and evaluating information and entertainment content for media. Lab fee: $45.

Credit Hours: 3

Facing unprecedented competition, the media are turning to advertising experts to help win the hearts and minds of consumers. Branding and promoting a media organization's own offerings has become a serious business and the media industry is looking for professionals who can be both analytical and creative.

Credit Hours: 3

The day-to-day operations of a magazine and the techniques involved in producing a magazine. A combination of lectures and workshops in which the professor will deal individually with student projects. Each student will produce an original magazine idea. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Reporting, writing, editing and producing television news. Students simulate the disciplines of daily television newsgathering. Prerequisite: C or better in JRNL 337. Lab fee: $55.

Credit Hours: 3

Students learn the techniques, strategies, and means of selling the many products and services of the media industries, including programming content, show concepts, story ideas, and advertising. Lab fee: $45.

Credit Hours: 3

The function of creativity and business in advertising. The mission of this course is to provide students with professional experience and exposure by applying the skills and theory from the classroom via projects with local, regional and national business and organizations. All aspects of advertising agency services will be provided. The course will be organized and structured as a business and include all the necessary policies, standards, and processes required for success. Each semester the AdLab will work with 3-5 clients. Students will be organized in teams, assigned a client, and be responsible for project management and execution. The students will also participate in the American Advertising Federation's annual National Student Advertising Competition. As a multidisciplinary course that combines practice and research, the AdLab will draw students from a wide range of disciplines. These include, but are not limited to: Advertising, Marketing, Management, English, Finance, Psychology, Sociology, Information Systems, Art & Design, Public Relations, Industrial Design, Photography, Computer Science, Radio, Television, and Digital Media, and Cinema. Credit Hours: 3-9.

Credit Hours: 3-9

This course instructs content creators about the most current best practices for publishing on the web. Students learn the basics of content management systems and the preparation of text, graphics and multimedia for an audience-appropriate interactive communication experience. Websites and content produced may include interactive news and information, sports and other educational training development, business marketing applications, non-governmental organization communications and professional portfolios. Topics of study also include introductions to code, copyright, social media and user experience research.

Credit Hours: 3

(University Core Curriculum) (Same as PHIL 399) The First Amendment protects citizens from the government and sets boundaries for democratic self-government. The course encompasses free expression in all media-social, broadcast and cinema. It explores tensions between law and ethics, press freedom and privacy, intellectual freedom and equality and liberty and security.

Credit Hours: 3

Development of American news institutions with an emphasis on cultural, technological, and economic backgrounds of newspapers, magazines, radio, television, websites, and social media. Current press structures and policies will be placed in historical perspective.

Credit Hours: 3

Examination of and practice in the development of persuasive, strategic campaigns and message strategies for multiple clients. Includes creation of a professional quality portfolio demonstrating proficiency in both traditional and new media. Prerequisite: JRNL 302. Credit Hours: 3.

Credit Hours: 3

Provides a historical perspective of media and sales philosophies and tactics grounded in business ethics. Students learn and apply relationship selling techniques enabling them to become media sales professionals. Prerequisite: JRNL 302 and JRNL 304 with a grade of C or better.

Credit Hours: 3

Provides an understanding of the factors that influence media strategy. Emphasis will be placed on advanced concepts such as building reach patterns, new trends and tools and calculating effective frequency levels, in order to develop an effective media plan. Introduces media planning for the web and other new media options. Prerequisite: JRNL 304 with a grade of C or better.

Credit Hours: 3

Overview of communication research methods including practical training in interpretation and presentation of social science data. Introduction to survey research methods, experimental design, and use of computers for analysis of data. Presentation of data in journalistic forms and social science reports. Not for graduate credit.

Credit Hours: 3

Conceptual synthesis and practical application of business, research, media and creative principles used in the formation of persuasive messages. Includes the development of a complete campaign for a specific advertiser. Includes all relevant target audience contact points (e.g., advertising, sales promotion, marketing public relations, event marketing, packaging) and both written and oral presentation of the campaign. Prerequisite: JRNL 304 and JRNL 405 with grades of C or better.

Credit Hours: 3

Analysis of social issues involving advertising; economic relationships, government and self-regulation, cultural effects, influence on media content and structure, role in democratic processes, international comparisons and the stereotyping of women, minorities and other audience segments.

Credit Hours: 3

New developments in advertising and integrated marketing communications. Topics change each term. Repeatable up to three times as long as the topic changes. Students should check specific topic and any special requirements and prerequisites before enrolling.

Credit Hours: 3

Covers typical lighting situations encountered in the field of photography and television. Practical exercises are used extensively Prerequisite: JRNL 337 with a grade of C or better or consent Lab fee: $42. Credit Hours: 3.

Credit Hours: 3

Continued development of reporting skills with emphasis on the reporting of public policy issues and on use of statistics, the analysis of computerized data bases, and advanced techniques for the investigation of complex stories. Prerequisite: JRNL 311 or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 3

This course expands on the fundamentals of photojournalism learned in JRNL 313. Students will explore adding elements of audio, video or flash and other lighting techniques to their images. Students will learn about changes, challenges and the ethical obligations of working photojournalists. Prerequisite: JRNL 313 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Emphasis on in-depth photojournalistic reporting. Students research, write and photograph picture stories. Examines ethics, history and social role of photojournalism domestically and internationally. Digital imaging and an introduction to full-motion video and other multimedia storytelling tools. Prerequisite: JRNL 412. Lab fee: $64.

Credit Hours: 3

Production of photographic stories and essays for newspapers, magazines and news media presentations. Students discuss, research, photograph, design and write several stories and essays, while studying the work of influential photojournalists. Prerequisite: JRNL 313 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Students develop skills in producing, editing, and captioning high-quality feature and action photographs from live sporting events. Prerequisite: JRNL 412 and JRNL 413 or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 3

The roles and responsibilities of the editor, editorial writer, and opinion columnist with emphasis upon editorial writing and critical thinking. Editorial problems, methods, policies, style and the fundamentals of persuasion and attitude change form the basis for study. Prerequisite: JRNL 311.

Credit Hours: 3

Identification, research and application of creative writing techniques in producing feature articles for various media. Students analyze reader appeal as well as feature story structure and methods of marketing features to various audiences and publications. Prerequisite: JRNL 310. Lab fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

Develops detailed reporting expertise in such topics as business, environment, education, arts and entertainment, health and medicine, sports, new media, etc. Repeatable as long as the topic changes. Special approval needed from the instructor. Lab fee: $42. Credit Hours: 3.

Credit Hours: 3

Students will receive practical training in every aspect of documentary production or long form story telling. They will learn how to research topics and write compelling scripts and create a visual style that lends itself to the documentary form. Prerequisite: JRNL 337 with a grade of B- or better.

Credit Hours: 3

(Same as PHIL 434) Explores the moral environment of the mass media and the ethical problems that confront media practitioners. Models of ethical decision-making and moral philosophy are introduced to encourage students to think critically about the mass media and their roles in modern society.

Credit Hours: 3

Continues development of message design skills. Emphasizes creative solutions to the display of complex content in a wide variety of media. Prerequisite: JRNL 335 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $46.

Credit Hours: 3

This course continues the exploration of using computer based technologies for presentation of information to the wide audience using the interactive capabilities of the internet and other new media. Focus is on organization of information, and the production of multimedia files in a networked environment. Includes discussion of topics including intellectual property, libel, and other matters of concern to an interactive publisher. Prerequisite: JRNL 396 with a grade of C or better. Course fee: $42.

Credit Hours: 3

This class teaches students how to produce the studio Sports Talk show (Saluki Sports View). They will create content for multiple platforms: broadcast, print, digital, and social media. Students will build rundowns and time a broadcast on WSIU-TV. They will write and edit stories, assign stories, build basic graphics, and identify proper story format for multiple platforms. Students will also learn how to use TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in a news world. Prerequisite: JRNL 310 and/or consent of the instructor. Credit Hours: 3-9.

Credit Hours: 3-9

Reporting, writing, editing and producing news for broadcast and adjacent digital platforms. Students execute the disciplines of daily broadcast and digital newsgathering for River Region Evening Edition. Prerequisite: C or better in JRNL 337 or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $55.

Credit Hours: 3

This course provides students with an understanding of how media firms operate within a complex social, political, and multicultural environment, and examines the breadth of the decision-making processes involved. Management and leadership of media organizations require dealing with unique challenges and complex problems associated with a creative-oriented and highly visible industry. Restricted to College of Arts and Media majors with 4th Year standing or consent of instructor. Lab fee: $45.

Credit Hours: 3

Each student will choose one topic and produce a story with multimedia elements. Students will do in-depth research, conduct interviews, and investigate issues and topics of their choice with approval of the instructor. The latest investigative techniques will be explored as well as legal and ethical issues. Stories can air on public television or radio or appear online. Lab fee: $55.

Credit Hours: 3

This capstone course immerses the student in the converged newsrooms of the Daily Egyptian, River Region Evening Edition and other media outlets as determined. Students will write, report, edit and produce for all platforms, including but not limited to print, broadcast, web, social and apps. The course is designed to allow the student to display their proficiency in the skills learned in the program. Prerequisites: JRNL 310, JRNL 311, JRNL 312, JRNL 337 with grades of C+ or better.

Credit Hours: 3

Sports reporting requires two essential ingredients: the ability to write compelling prose and a good grip on news gathering and reporting techniques. This course emphasizes both and utilizes students' interest in sports to advance their reporting skills and while preparing them for sports reporting positions in the media industry. Prerequisite: JRNL 310.

Credit Hours: 3

This course will expose students to the rapidly expanding and complex world of sports business, with an emphasis on sports communication and promotion. Topics include, but are not limited to, packaging proposals for event sponsorship, event promotion and management, effective strategies to maximize product and corporate exposure through media partnerships, and client representation.

Credit Hours: 3

Supervised readings on subject matter not covered in regularly scheduled courses. Limited to maximum of 3 credits per semester. Not for graduate credit. Special approval: written consent of instructor and director.

Credit Hours: 1-3

Independent work on academic research or a creative project in the student's area of emphasis under the supervision of a faculty member. Special approval is needed from the instructor. Restricted to 4th Year standing for majors in the School of Journalism and Advertising. A cumulative maximum of six (6) credit hours may count toward the degree. Not for Graduate credit.

Credit Hours: 3

Study, observation, and participation in news, advertising or other related areas. Special approval needed from the instructor. Mandatory Pass/Fail for undergraduates.

Credit Hours: 1-6

Selected seminars investigating media problems or other subjects of topical importance to advanced journalism and advertising majors. Seminars will be offered as the need and the interest of students demand. Restricted to College of Arts and Media majors with 4th Year standing or consent of instructor.

Credit Hours: 1-6