Minor in Interactive Journalism

Call it "the first draft of history," the engine of the communication revolution, or the literature of fact, journalism performs an ever-increasing role in the twenty-first century. Online and interactive journalism have made journalism more immediate, personal and more democratic than ever before. Yet the essential tools and techniques of nonfiction and journalistic writing remain remarkably unchanged. The Interactive Journalism minor combines the resources of the college in art, photography and traditional liberal arts disciplines with coursework in journalism. Internships in real world media businesses give C of I journalism minors a sense of what is happening in the workplace.

Present in all our course work is a focus on critical thinking and exposure to the best examples of nonfiction writing for print, websites, radio and television. All minors are expected to work on the CofIOnline—our college online publication for the C of I community that includes articles and artwork, creative nonfiction, poetry and short fiction, and also publishes our capstone projects. The goal of the minor in Interactive Journalism is to produce journalists who possess the skills and critical thinking ability to work in today’s media. The means—broadcast, print, Internet—of distributing news have evolved; the method of gathering and interpreting information has quickened, but the essence of the work—the informed, well-researched and compellingly told story—remains at the heart of all good journalism. Our students benefit from an inter-disciplinary approach, taking courses in ethics, graphic and web design, a required capstone project as well as a core curriculum in journalism. Internships in print, video or interactive media give the students hands-on experience off campus.

The minor consists of 23 to 25 credits to include: