- Faculty
- Field Description
- The Majors and Courses
- The Minors and Courses
- Special Program – The Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program
- Journalism Laboratory
- Courses
- Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions Website
Field Description
The Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions offers students many exciting ways to study journalism in the media capital of the world and to master the ability to do research, conduct interviews, organize material and write clearly no matter what field a student hopes to enter. Its faculty brings a wide variety of professional experience to the classroom.
Students in journalism classes do original reporting, pursuing their ideas throughout the metropolitan area. Opportunities to publish are available in Dollars & Sense, published by the department and winner of numerous national awards; on the Writing New York blog; and in a variety of professional publications. Journalism students also gain valuable experience through internships at news organizations and publishing houses, major newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, news and entertainment websites, and book publishers.
The Majors
Journalism
Journalism majors improve their research, writing, interviewing, editing, and storytelling abilities and knowledge of the city, the country, and the world in preparation for careers in journalism, the Internet and new media, book and magazine publishing, television and radio, music and the arts, the film industry, business, education, government, and law. Students work closely with expert faculty and in internships across the writing-related professions. Internships provide on-the-job experience for students interested in such fields as radio, network and cable TV, newspapers, magazines, wire services, business and financial journalism, and book publishing.
The Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions offers two specializations: journalism and creative writing, and business journalism. Each specialization is outlined in detail below.
Interested students should contact the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions, Room 7-263 in the Newman Vertical Campus, telephone: 646-312-3974.
- Journalism and Creative Writing Specialization
- Business Journalism Specialization
- Business Communication Major: Business Writing Specialization for the BA Student
Each specialization is outlined in detail below. Interested students can contact the Journalism office at (646) 312-3974.
Journalism and Creative Writing Specialization
The journalism and creative writing specialization helps students develop research, interviewing, writing, editing, and multimedia storytelling skills that are crucial to success across a broad spectrum of fields and professions in this information age. A faculty of professional writers and editors teach students to research, report, interview, and write about urban affairs, politics, crime and the courts, arts and culture, law, education, science, sports, and many other topics.
| Program Prerequisite | ||
| The Individual and the News in the Information Age | 3 credits | |
Core Journalism Curriculum (15 credits) | ||
| Journalistic Writing | 4 credits | |
| Media Ethics | 3 credits | |
| Advanced Reporting and Writing | 4 credits | |
| or | ||
| Multimedia Reporting | 4 credits | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| or | ||
Narrative Writing ( ) | 4 credits | |
Specialization Electives (9-11 credits) | ||
| Feature Article Writing | 3 credits | |
Photojournalism ( )
| 3 credits | |
Electronic Research Methods and Resources for Writers ( ) | 3 credits | |
| Copy Editing | 3 credits | |
| Editing in the Digital World | 3 credits | |
| Business and Financial Writing | 4 credits | |
| Television Field Reporting | 3 credits | |
Documentary Film ( )
| 3 credits | |
| Science Communication | 3 credits | |
| Journalistic Criticism and Reviewing | 3 credits | |
| Journalistic Blogging | 3 credits | |
| Advanced Multimedia Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Podcasting and Radio News | 3 credits | |
| Creative Nonfiction | 3 credits | |
Workshop: Fiction Writing ( ) | 3 credits | |
Sudden Fiction -- Crafting Short Short Stories ( ) | 3 credits | |
Workshop: Playwriting ( ) | 3 credits | |
| Workshop: Film and Television Writing | 3 credits | |
| International Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Cultural Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Environmental Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Sportswriting | 3 credits | |
| Topics in Journalism | 3 credits | |
| Press Coverage of Politics and Policy | 3 credits | |
| A Century of Muckraking: Investigating Corporations, Corruption and Governmental Crooks | 3 credits | |
| Journalism and the Literary Imagination | 3 credits | |
| Investigative Reporting | 3 credits | |
Narrative Writing ( ) | 4 credits | |
| Independent Study in Journalism | Variable | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| Journalism Honors I and II | 3 credits | |
| Plus | ||
| Two Courses in Literature at the 3000-level or above | 6 credits | |
Business Journalism SpecializationThis program will teach students how to function as business and financial journalists, for a news organization or on their own. Students will learn how to report on companies, analyze economic trends and find regional variations in them, understand financial markets and their impact on society, and write journalistic articles for a wide range of outlets, including newspapers and magazines, television and radio and the Internet. The specialization will help students develop research, reporting, and interviewing skills; learn to mine data; develop article ideas, and communicate news to different audiences. | ||
| Program Prerequisite | ||
| Perspectives on the News | 3 credits | |
| Core Curriculum (15 credits) | ||
| Journalistic Writing | 4 credits | |
| Business and Financial Writing | 4 credits | |
| Media Ethics | 3 credits | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| or | ||
Narrative Writing ( )
| 4 credits | |
| Business Journalism Elective (3 credits) One course chosen from: | ||
| Covering the Financial Markets | 3 credits | |
Covering Wealth and Poverty | 3 credits | |
| Additional Journalism Electives (6 – 8 credits) Two courses chosen from the following: | ||
| Feature Article Writing | 3 credits | |
Electronic Research Methods and Resources for Writers ( ) | 3 credits | |
| Copy Editing | 3 credits | |
| Editing in the Digital World | 3 credits | |
| Television Field Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Journalistic Blogging | 3 credits | |
| Advanced Reporting and Writing | 4 credits | |
| Multimedia Reporting | 4 credits | |
| Advanced Multimedia Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Podcasting and Radio News | 3 credits | |
| Creative Nonfiction | 3 credits | |
Sudden Fiction -- Crafting Short Short Stories ( ) | 3 credits | |
| International Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Cultural Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Environmental Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Sportswriting | 3 credits | |
| Topics in Journalism | 3 credits | |
| Covering the Financial Markets | 3 credits | |
Covering Wealth and Poverty | 3 credits | |
| Press Coverage of Politics and Policy | 3 credits | |
| A Century of Muckraking: Investigating Corporations, Corruption and Governmental Crooks | 3 credits | |
| Investigative Reporting | 3 credits | |
Narrative Writing ( ) | 4 credits | |
| Independent Study in Journalism | Variable | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| Journalism Honors I and II | 3 credits | |
With permission of the journalism advisor, writing-related Feit seminars ( ) and Harman Writer-in-Residence courses may be counted toward the major. | ||
| Other Electives: Two additional courses (6 credits) drawn from the offerings of other programs throughout Baruch College, subject to approval by the journalism advisor. | ||
Business Communication Major: | ||
| Writing I (or its equivalent) | 3 credits | |
| Writing II | 3 credits | |
Great Works of Literature I () | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
Great Works of Literature II () | 3 credits | |
| Program Prerequisites 12 credits | ||
| Marketing Foundations | 3 credits | |
| Fundamentals of Management | 3 credits | |
| Business Statistics I | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
| Statistics for Social Science | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
| Micro-Economics (may be applied to the base curriculum - Baruch Common Core) | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
| Macro-Economics (may be applied to the base curriculum - Baruch Common Core) | 3 credits | |
| or | ||
| Current Economic Problems | 3 credits | |
Introduction to Information Systems and Technologies (Students must complete as a course prerequisite) | 3 credits | |
| Major/Specialization: 30–33 credits | ||
| Interdisciplinary Core: 12–13 credits | ||
| Business Communication | ||
| Journalistic Writing | 4 credits | |
| or | ||
| Business Communication | 3 credits | |
| and | ||
| Media Ethics | 3 credits | |
| Marketing/Advertising | ||
| Choose one course: | ||
| Advertising and Marketing Communications | 3 credits | |
| Marketing Research | 3 credits | |
| Consumer Behavior | 3 credits | |
| Public Relations | 3 credits | |
| Management | ||
| Choose one course: | ||
| Management: A Behavioral Approach | 3 credits | |
| Management and Society | 3 credits | |
| Business Writing Specialization Requirements | ||
| Required Courses (10 – 12 credits) | ||
| Business and Financial Writing | 4 credits | |
and two from the following: | ||
| Copy Editing | 3 credits | |
| Business Communication | 3 credits | |
| Advanced Reporting and Writing | 4 credits | |
| Multimedia Reporting | 4 credits | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| Electives (6 – 8 credits) | ||
| Feature Article Writing | 3 credits | |
| Copy Editing | 3 credits | |
| Editing in the Digital World | 3 credits | |
| Television Field Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Media Ethics | 3 credits | |
| Journalistic Blogging | 3 credits | |
| Advanced Reporting and Writing | 4 credits | |
| Multimedia Reporting | 4 credits | |
| Advanced Multimedia Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Podcasting and Radio News | 3 credits | |
Sudden Fiction - Crafting Short Short Stories () | 3 credits | |
| Creative Nonfiction | 3 credits | |
| International Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Cultural Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Environmental Reporting | 3 credits | |
| Sportswriting | 3 credits | |
| Topics in Journalism† | 3 credits | |
| Press Coverage of Politics and Policy | 3 credits | |
| A Century of Muckraking: Investigating Corporations, Corruption and Governmental Crooks | 3 credits | |
| Investigative Reporting | 3 credits | |
Narrative Writing ( ) | 4 credits | |
| Independent Study in Journalism | Variable | |
| , , or | Media Internship | 4 credits |
| Journalism Honors I and II | 3 credits | |
| †Students may enroll in JRN 3900 more than once if the topic is different. | ||
The MinorsThe department offers two Tier III minors, one in journalism and one in business writing. Each provides students in business, public affairs, and liberal arts a range of courses to strengthen their writing and communication skills. These minors are particularly recommended for students preparing for careers in media, law, and politics and with nonprofit organizations. | ||
Business WritingThe minor in Business Writing provides students in business, public affairs, and liberal arts with a firm foundation in professional writing for business purposes. The program includes options to study business and marketing-related writing, Internet communications, legal writing, journalistic writing, and financial writing. Students will expand their research, analytical, and writing abilities as they study and become proficient in the use of workplace-related writing. This minor is particularly recommended for students preparing for careers in business, government, marketing, management, public relations, media, law, education, politics, and with nonprofit organizations. To fulfill the College-wide requirement for the Tier III minor with a concentration in business writing, students are required to complete a minimum of nine credits, including one course chosen from among JRN 3050, JRN 3150, and JRN 3200; one additional 3000-level course; and one course at the 4000 level or above, all drawn from the curriculum of the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions. All department courses at the 4000-level or above, except for the Media Internship (JRN 5050, 5051, or 5052), may serve as the capstone course. JournalismThe minor in Journalism provides students in business, public affairs, and liberal arts with a range of courses to strengthen their writing and communications skills. This minor is particularly recommended for students preparing for careers in media, law, business, politics, and with nonprofit organizations. To fulfill the College-wide requirement for the Tier III minor with a concentration in journalism, students are required to complete a minimum of nine credits, including two courses at the 3000-level or above and one course at the 4000- or above, drawn from the curriculum of the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions. All journalism courses at the 4000-level or above, except for the Media Internship (JRN 5050, 5051, or 5052), may serve as the capstone course.
Special ProgramThe Sidney Harman Writer-In-Residence Program The Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence Program, an endowed residency in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, offers gifted undergraduates the opportunity to enroll in writing workshops taught by distinguished visiting professors. Since its inception in the fall of 1998, Harman Writers-in-Residence have included poets Yehuda Amichai, Agha Shahid Ali, April Bernard, Carol Muske-Dukes, Charles Simic, and Major Jackson; playwrights Edward Albee and Tony Kushner; authors William Finnegan, Philip Gourevitch, Jane Kramer, Mark Kurlansky, and George Packer; fiction writers Paul Auster, Susan Choi, Anita Desai, Francisco Goldman, Colum McCann, Lorrie Moore, Sigrid Nunez, Francine Prose, Joseph O'Connor, and John Edgar Wideman; and graphic novelist, Ben Katchor. Harman courses vary in numbering and in subject, depending on the choice of the visiting writer. Interested students of all majors are encouraged to submit transcripts and writing portfolios for review to Professor Bridgett Davis, 646-312-3927; e-mail: Bridgett.Davis@baruch.cuny.edu. Harman classes can be taken for honors credit and students can use the Harman courses to fulfill their honors course requirements. The courses also can be used in the Journalism major and minor and in the English major and minor. Additional information on the Harman Residency is available at www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/harman. Journalism Laboratory The department's facilities include Studio H, a state-of-theart computer lab and classroom for journalism students. Studio H offers students the latest technology for multimedia journalism, with 25 Apple iMac computers and software for editing photos, audio, and video. An audiovisual system allows for the viewing of multimedia features, television feeds, and other video on a large screen at the front of the room, and large flat-panel monitors on the side walls offer additional screening options. For example, when a news story is developing, students can follow coverage on at least three stations simultaneously. Studio H, funded by the Harnisch Foundation, also offers wireless Internet access and has its own server for easy file transfers | ||
Courses
Courses in Journalism
The Individual and the News in the Information Age | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Journalistic Writing | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Feature Article Writing | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Photojournalism ( ) | 4 hours; 3 credits | |
Electronic Research Methods and Resources for Writers ( ) | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Copy Editing | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Editing in the Digital World | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Business Communication | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Business and Financial Writing | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Television Field Reporting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Media Ethics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Documentary Film ( ) | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Science Communication | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Journalistic Criticism and Reviewing | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Journalistic Blogging | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Advanced Reporting and Writing | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Multimedia Reporting | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Advanced Multimedia Reporting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Podcasting and Radio News | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Creative Nonfiction | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Workshop: Fiction Writing ( ) | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Sudden Fiction - Crafting Short Short Stories ( ) | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Workshop: Playwriting ( ) | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Workshop: Film and Television Writing | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| International Reporting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Cultural Reporting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Environmental Reporting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Sportswriting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Topics in Journalism | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Covering the Financial Markets | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Covering Wealth and Poverty | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Press Coverage of Politics and Policy | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
A Century of Muckraking: Investigating Corporations, Corruption, and Governmental Crooks | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Journalism and the Literary Imagination | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Investigative Reporting | 4 hours; 3 credits | |
Narrative Writing ( ) | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Independent Study in Journalism I | Variable hours and credits | |
Independent Study in Journalism II | Variable hours and credits | |
Independent Study in Journalism III | Variable hours and credits | |
Media Internship I | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Media Internship II | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Summer Media Internship | 4 hours; 4 credits | |
Honors Journalism I | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
Honors Journalism II | 3 hours; 3 credits |