Starting in Fall 2011, University of Tampa students will be able to major in journalism.
The new major meshes existing classes in basic and advanced news reporting and editing with new classes focused on multimedia skills and an increased exploration of journalism’s history and its role and function within society.
Student involvement in campus media, internships and real-world publishing opportunities will be a core component of the program.
The existing journalism minor is also being revamped.
“Our faculty are the folks responsible for curriculum and it has only been in the last few years that we have had journalism faculty members appointed in the two departments closest to the major,” said Haig Mardirosian, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
Faculty from the Department of English & Writing and the Department of Communication participated in the major formation process.
“Everyone was in agreement that we should have it, as most liberal arts colleges do,” said John Capouya, an assistant professor of journalism.
“With new faculty like Dan Reimold and myself, it seemed like the right time. The university decided to hire us and let us launch this.”
According to Dan Reimold, also an assistant professor of journalism and The Minaret faculty adviser, “The journalism major is focused on providing students with a wide array of news writing, reporting, editing and multimedia skills and an understanding of journalism history, ethics and legal principles.”
Both Capouya and Reimold have been working on developing the curriculum and creating lesson plans and syllabi for four new courses that will be introduced in the university catalog.
“The major is not set up simply as a factory farm for the journalism industry,” said Reimold.
“We are excited to provide students with a skill-set and knowledge base that will enable them to enter the news media, law school, the education sector, politics, the PR and advertising realms and many other arenas.”
In Capouya’s words, “It is kind of an exciting, and somewhat scary, time in journalism. The whole economics of it is in transition.”
A major part of the transition relates to the decline of the print media industry and the rise of online and multimedia outlets and options.
Both Capouya and Reimold said they wanted the new journalism major to prepare students for the ongoing technological revolution and the new tools it is providing news-gatherers.
Prospective journalism major Laurel Sanchez wants to go into broadcast journalism and is planning on double-majoring in communication and journalism.
“I think it’s great that UT is finally instituting a journalism major here,” said Sanchez “I was kind of bummed they didn’t have one before and [it] was one of the reasons I was thinking of transferring. I think it will bring more students to campus. A new major always does.”
Junior Sophie Erber is considering taking on journalism as a major during her last year at UT. She is currently a communications major and a journalism minor.
“I’m hoping that this new major will offer new, innovative courses that can add to what I’ve already learned in the minor,” said Erber.
“I also think it will help make the university become a more well-rounded school. Financially, I think it can only help UT to finally offer a major in such a popular field.”
According to Reimold, “In a time of transition within the industry, enrollment at journalism schools and within journalism programs at colleges and universities nationwide continues to rise. Students are excited about becoming leaders of Journalism 2.0. We are here to help.”
Shivani Kanji can be reached at shivani.kanji@spartans.ut.edu.
