Students interested in journalism will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the field as content creators for The Bruin News in Kellogg Community College’s JOUR 111: Mass Media Environment class this fall.
The three-credit class will run from 6:05 to 9:20 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 11 through Dec. 11, in room 09 of the Ohm Information Technology Center, on campus at 450 North Ave. in Battle Creek.
Class instructor Simon Thalmann said the about half the course will be devoted to learning about media history, impact, theory and media literacy, and half will be devoted to practical hands-on activities exploring media by way of participating in actual journalism.
Grades will be based on a mix of short quizzes, interview assignments and media-based assignments, including articles written for publication in The Bruin News, the College’s online student news platform launching this fall.
“The class is multifaceted,” Thalmann said. “By the end of the semester, students will have gained a thorough understanding of mass media, its impact on culture and their own place and responsibilities in relation to media as both consumers and creators. Students will also build up enough experience interviewing sources and collecting and communicating information via various media platforms that they should feel confident in their reporting skills going forward in their studies or on in their careers.”
The class will kick off with an entire session devoted to “Journalism 101,” Thalmann said, before diving into the meat of the media studies.
“Because students in this class will be creating content for The Bruin News, it’s important to start the class with a primer on news writing, structure, style, best practices and conventions of the form,” Thalmann said. “We’ll jump right in on day one. Students could start seeing their bylines in use as early as the second week of class.”
From there the reading and lecture-based content will focus more specifically mass media and its impact on culture, with several classes devoted to specific mediums, including books, newspapers, magazines, film, radio and music, TV and streaming video, video games, social media, public relations and advertising and more.
Thalmann is a former Kalamazoo Gazette reporter who works as the digital marketing manager in the Public Information and Marketing Department at KCC, where he writes press releases and other content for the College, manages the KCC Daily blog and admins all of the College’s main social media channels. He also oversees the College’s search and social media advertising and serves as the College’s official photographer.
For more information about JOUR 111: Mass Media Environment, contact Thalmann at 269-303-0298 or at thalmanns@kellogg.edu. For information about signing up for fall semester classes, visit www.kellogg.edu/registration.