USC Schedule of Classes

Explores the role of journalism and social media in society - its influence on government, technology, business, national security, sports, science and entertainment.

Understanding key moments, debates and ideas that have shaped journalism in the United States from the Revolutionary War period through today. Examination of the social, cultural, political and technological aspects of journalism and its impact on the profession and public service.

Field experience in journalism, public relations, or related field.

Provides students with foundational skills to report, write and produce journalism content across multiple platforms, including broadcast, digital and text.

Introduction to the basics of the U.S. legal system and contemporary case law and ethics; impact of the Web on the practice of journalism; understanding essential legal frameworks and the rights and responsibilities of journalists.

Introduction to television, radio, and/or digital news production. Examination of issues in journalism. Graded CR/NC.

Report, write, produce and distribute in-depth stories produced off beats on multiple platforms for diverse audiences; enhance understanding of news judgment; develop and maintain sources; engage communities through field reporting and emerging digital tools.

Convergence journalism and online skill sets. Blogs and Web content production. Social responsibility and ethical framework in digital information technology.

Reportorial and analytical skills and techniques required for portraying and evaluating contemporary newsworthy events; lectures, discussions.

Introduction to basic web technologies; conceive, design, code and produce an advanced multimedia story package.

Video for digital platforms, principles of photography, design for web and mobile platforms. Introduction to principles of digital news design, interactivity and presentation in interactive storytelling.

Overview of the basic data journalism techniques and tools for statistical analysis; understanding of numbers and basic statistics as they relate to journalism. Proficiency with gathering, analyzing and visualizing data.

Emphasis on fundamental skills necessary for photojournalism including camera techniques, story ideas and digital darkroom.

Highlight norms, routines of content, including print, broadcast, video. Focus on opportunities, constraints posed by roles of reporters, fans, players, publicists, agents, leagues, teams.

Explores how to engage diverse local communities through participatory journalism and communication strategies. Focuses on using digital tools to increase engagement with communities via field reporting and mobile platforms to produce stories across platforms.

An inside look at the important stories, topical issues, trends and historical developments related to the growing influence of business and media on college and professional sports; identifying the key components and meeting the influencers in class that help shape the business side of sports, while recognizing the role the media plays in providing daily coverage across multiple platforms.

An examination of the symbiotic relationship of the entertainment business and the media; press coverage of the entertainment industry; Hollywood's relationship with news media.

Role of the broadcast journalism reporter; similarities and differences between print and electronic media; application of audio-video equipment; analysis and practical experience.

Production of television news programs; preparation and treatment of form and content; procedures, problems, and practice in planning and producing broadcast news materials.

Presentation and selection in non-fiction television programs including documentaries, electronic magazines and news series; ethical problems, field research, reporting, interviewing, pre-production.

Develop a broad-based knowledge of broadcast news writing and reporting; recognize, research and develop stories; write and format broadcast stories in all forms and learn to produce finished news packages.

Techniques of writing newspaper feature stories, including the profile, the light feature, the news feature, the in-depth story; the art of narrative writing.

Techniques of reporting and writing sports columns and commentary for print, video, radio and Web-based media.

A seminar in "how to" interview, research, write and place professional quality articles for a full range of magazines/newspapers including women's, sports, ethnic, local and national.

News media as instruments of constructive social change; standards of ethics and aesthetics; interactions between news media and cultural settings; social responsibility of news media personnel.

Press law; government controls on the news media; legal responsibilities of the journalist.

Reporting and portrayal of people of color in the United States; impact of racial diversity on media, employment and access, and development of media for individuals and communities of color. Open to non-majors.

Practical approach to understanding and writing about economic concepts through current events, case studies and historical examples.

Art, typography, and other graphic elements in publication design; traditional, contemporary, and advanced production methods, processes, and equipment; representative examples; practice in design.

Exploration and experimentation of emerging technologies through the lens of journalism and hands-on prototyping.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Create video, audio and graphic news and information using mobile and emerging technology such as phones, tablets and laptops -- for non-broadcast platforms; understand ethical and legal issues related to journalists working on mobile and emerging platforms.

Selected topics in journalism.

Analyzes the history, ethics and evolution of journalism; Students will be introduced to key innovations and innovators in journalism history as well as multimedia platforms. Open only to journalism majors.

Beat reporting with a deep dive into research, source development, and writing/reporting skills. Focus on current trends, history, major actors and key issues.

Focus on reporting and writing for magazine and the web, learning fundamental production skills, and pitching stories in the freelance market

Pre-production of video documentary including selection of topic, diversity, ethical and legal problems, research and reporting techniques, interviewing, writing, balanced presentation, visual and audio literacy. Open only to Journalism majors.

Reporting for public radio-style news: writing, newsgathering, editing, vocal delivery. Techniques applicable for broadcast or Web audio stories. Open only to Journalism majors.

Students write, report, produce, code, promote (through social media), and publish/air cross-platform stories in a converged news environment. Open only to Journalism majors.

Focus on basic investigative reporting; understand its history, how to access records, identify sources, use computer assisted reporting, report in a fair and ethical manner. Open only to journalism majors.

Writing, reporting and producing content for video and digital platforms; similarities and differences between media; application of audio-visual and digital equipment. Open only to Journalism majors.

Sketch, design and code a website from scratch, using HTML, CSS and jQuery plug-ins to tell a rich multimedia story. Open only to Journalism majors.

Analysis of major elements of mass communication law, legal issues in contemporary mass communication, and the impact of legal trends on professional journalists. Open only to Journalism majors.

Seminar in how to report and write sports: news, previews, profiles, features, columns.

Field experience in journalism, public relations, or related field.

Research leading to the Master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Intensive writing workshop on the craft of arts criticism and persuasive writing of different arts genres.

Reporting and writing on the arts; strategies for arts journalism in the digital era; survey of essays and reviews by great critics.

Credit on acceptance of thesis.

Credit on acceptance of thesis.

Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Researching and writing about how not to get fooled as a journalist; includes research, writing and discussion. Open only to Journalism and Specialized Journalism majors.