Digital Journalism, Minor

Introduction to film aesthetics, history, and criticism for non-communication majors. Establishes a vocabulary for examining films and their roles in American culture.

This course explores the development of media in the United States, focusing on its reciprocal influence with culture and critically analyzes how media both shapes and is shaped by cultural dynamics.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of cinematic editing, integrating the use of AI tools to enhance their creative workflow. Students will learn how AI can speed up the process of understanding cinematic language, simplify technical barriers, and enhance final results. By combining professional editing practices with accessible AI platforms, students gain both foundational skills and a forward-looking perspective on the evolving landscape of film and media production.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

Overview of tools and skills necessary to produce digital media content such as editing, cinematography, sound recording, producing and directing for film, television and new media.

This course will examine the roles and responsibilities of the director of photography for film and visual media. Students will learn creative brainstorming and cinematic techniques for visual storytelling, including the basic principles of lighting for studio and natural environments.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of writing for the mass media.  It includes instruction in professional methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering content.

This course focuses on advanced news-gathering and writing skills. It concentrates on the three-part process of producing news and features, which include discovering the news, reporting the news and writing news in different formats. This course will incorporate all forms of news writing, including: press release, print news, web news and TV and radio broadcast news.

Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.

This course is designed to teach students articulation, pronunciation, effective writing and on-air performance techniques for all kinds of media environments with videotaped and audio taped presentations.

Examination of the formal elements of media texts, including cinematography/videography, sound, and editing, across a variety of media platforms and styles.  Includes instruction in writing formal analysis.

Examination of the media industries, including how they have evolved and now operate, as well as broader theoretical and practical implications of changing media organizations and practices. Includes instruction in researching contemporary and historical modes of media production, distribution, and exhibition.

Exploration of television as a storytelling medium, entertainment industry, and cultural force. Examines critical approaches to understanding programming content, production practices, and audiences. Includes instruction in critical analysis of television texts.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

Exploration of film from a variety of historical and theoretical perspectives, with an emphasis on narrative film and some consideration of experimental cinema.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

Historical and critical study of the non-fictional film with attention to changing technologies, to varying uses and styles of documentary, and to contemporary critical and theoretical issues.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

This course explores how innovations in technology and shifts in aesthetics have repeatedly redefined the media landscape, creating new norms, practices, and expectations. Students will examine how these changes impact the media ecology, influencing production, distribution, and audience interaction, and will analyze how each new phase of media history opens up opportunities while closing off others. Specific media transformations covered will vary.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on non-fiction filmmaking.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

This course is designed to strengthen students’ digital journalism skills, including field-based news gathering and reporting, on-air performance, interviewing techniques, live reporting, and podcasting. The course will prepare students for modern-based multimedia journalism outside of the studio.

Principles and techniques of media production with a focus on fictional narrative filmmaking.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

Intensive instruction in advanced postproduction software, postproduction workflows and editing techniques for moving images.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1315.

This course will teach the principles of copy editing, with an emphasis on accuracy and fairness, as well as the principles of layout and design for print and web publications.

Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.

This course will instruct on photojournalism skills and methods for use in visual communication. It will examine ethical and legal limitations to photography and in editing. Student work in this class will be eligible for possible publication in the student newspaper or its accompanying website.

This course explores how media genres shape our understanding of the world through storytelling and more general contributions to culture. Using genre theory from key scholars, students will analyze how genres are created, maintained, and transformed over time, with attention to how they engage audiences and create meaning. Specific genres examined will vary.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

Writing and analysis of the screenplay for narrative fictional films. Writing projects include problem-solving exercises and work on an original screenplay. Course can be repeated for credit.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

This course will teach the elements of sports writing and reporting to include interviewing and writing to cover different aspects of sports coverage. This course will address content for print, Internet, radio and television. Campus-related sports assignments will be eligible for publication in the student newspaper and its accompanying website.

This course investigates how digital media is used to shape and spread trends, from social movements to viral misinformation, humor, and various other cultural phenomena. Students will explore the mechanisms through which platforms such as Reddit and Instagram influence public perception, drive community engagement, and impact cultural norms. By examining case studies on trends like social activism, internet humor, and viral challenges, students will develop a critical understanding of digital media’s power to both reflect and reshape society.

Examination of how paratexts promote and support media texts such as movies and television programs, including advertising, generating revenue, and expanding the textual universe of those media. Students will learn and analyze how paratexts function from industry, storyteller, and fan perspectives, as well as learn and utilize basic design techniques to create their own paratexts such as movie posters and sequential art.

Advanced techniques in the creation of client based commercial media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and delivery of a commercial, PSA, or corporate video project.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1380.

Advanced techniques in the creation of documentary media content with a focus on conceptualization, production, and distribution of a short documentary film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track.

Prerequisite: MEDA 3313.

Advanced techniques in the creation of narrative media content with a focus on scripting, production, and distribution of a short narrative film. Course can be repeated once for credit. This course serves as a capstone for the Media Production Track. 

Prerequisite: MEDA 1315, 2303, 3316 and 3360.

Conceptualization and execution of digital media projects using visual effects, motion graphics and composition through the creation of video, animation, special effects and more using Adobe's After Effects postproduction software. 

Prerequisite: MEDA 3317.

Study of legal and ethical issues in mediated communication, including the First Amendment and free speech, control, and regulation of broadcasting, obscenity in the media.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

This course examines major issues and debates in our globalized media environment. It engages with both the political economy of global media institutions and the cultural dynamics that shape our perceptions of global, national, and local identities. Course expectations include research on contemporary global media issues, encouraging a transnational perspective beyond the U.S.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

This course will be a hands-on newsroom experience with the student newspaper the Island Waves  and its accompanying website. Individual assignments will be assigned by editors of the student media. Assignments may include writing, advertising, photography, cartooning and video production and editing. Students are required to work on the staff of the official college publication during prescribed hours under faculty supervision.

Prerequisite: MEDA 2311.

In this capstone course, students will synthesize their skills and knowledge in digital storytelling by embarking on a major project that reflects their unique perspective and creativity. Students may choose between conducting a research-focused project, analyzing trends, techniques, or impacts of narratives, or creating an original story that leverages multiple media platforms to engage audiences in innovative ways. Through hands-on workshops, peer feedback, and guided mentorship, students will develop, refine, and showcase their work, culminating in a comprehensive portfolio piece. This course is designed as a bridge from academic study to professional practice, empowering students to craft stories that resonate in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

Prerequisite: MEDA 1307.

Study of specialized topics and themes in media arts. May be repeated when topics vary.

See College description. By application. Only 3 semester hours of Directed Individual Study credit may be counted toward the major.

Practical experience in the field through placement in a media internship position. Students interested in applying for the internship course must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; have at least junior standing at the university; be a media arts (media studies or media production emphasis) major or digital journalism minor; have completed at least 12 hours of coursework in the major or minor at TAMU-CC. Preferred applicants will have a minimum media arts or digital journalism GPA of 3.25. Course may be taken three times for credit; however only 3 semester hours of internship credit may be counted toward the major. A second internship may apply to the digital journalism minor; a third internship may be used as a free elective. Authorization to repeat the internship course is contingent on the students' successful completion of the previous internship experience.This course is graded Credit/No Credit.