Kellogg Community College students interested in improving their writing and communication skills can take the journalism course JOUR 112: News Writing online beginning in May, and could see their work published in KCC’s online student newspaper.
The course is worth three credits and will run for approximately 13 weeks, May 13 through Aug. 8, entirely online.
Here are six reasons to take JOUR 112: News Writing this summer (in addition to the journalism skills and experience you’ll come away with), according to course instructor Simon Thalmann:
- JOUR 112 is offered online and “asynchronous,” meaning you don’t have to be in a certain place at a certain time to complete your work (as long as you turn it in by the due dates). You can work remotely and flexibly on your own schedule to complete required coursework.
Thalmann said each Monday is treated like a new “class period,” with new lessons and coursework introduced in Moodle one Monday and due the following week. But students can check in at any time during the week to review their materials and assignments. - Some JOUR 112 assignments will be published in The Bruin News, KCC’s online student news platform, which gives students the opportunity to build writing credits that will look great on resumes and college applications in the future.
In 2021, one of the College’s Bruin News editors took Third Place for Journalist of the Year in the Michigan Community College Press Association Awards, and in 2022 two journalism students won Honorable Mention awards in the Sports News Story category. - JOUR 112 fulfills one of the two course requirements from the Effective Communication category of General Education/Applied Core courses required to earn an associate degree at KCC.
- JOUR 112 is among the courses that can be used to fulfill requirements in the Communications category of the Michigan Transfer Agreement.
- JOUR 112 transfers to more than two dozen colleges and universities in Michigan, including Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University and Western Michigan University, which are among the top transfer destinations for KCC students. Click here for a list of colleges and universities in Michigan JOUR 112 will transfer to.
- JOUR 112 is usually only offered in the spring, so this section is a unique opportunity to take the course over the course of the summer semester for students whose schedule might otherwise not allow it.
Thalmann said this section is especially convenient for students who want to take this and KCC’s other journalism course — JOUR 111: Mass Media Environment — back to back, as JOUR 111 is offered in the fall.
According to Thalmann, JOUR 112 grades are based on a mix of short quizzes, interview and story assignments, which will give students a comprehensive introductory education in the creation of basic news stories through instruction related to:
- Information collection (through background research, interviews and personal observation)
- Information presentation (through the exploration of news writing style and structure)
- Information distribution (including considerations related to social media, advertising and public relations tactics relevant to media professionals)
JOUR 112 students will learn the basics of journalism through consistent hands-on learning and practice, significantly improve their writing and communication skills, Thalmann said.
“The goal is for our students to finish the course equipped with the confidence and experience necessary to pursue continuing education in the journalism field or even entry-level reporting jobs or internships,” he said.
Thalmann is a former online editor for Booth Newspapers/MLive and a former Kalamazoo Gazette reporter who works as director of marketing in the Marketing and Communications Department at KCC. His work regularly appears in local and regional newspapers and online on platforms based across the county.
For more information about JOUR 112: News Writing, contact Thalmann at 269-303-0298 or at thalmanns@kellogg.edu. For information about signing up for summer courses, the first of which begin March 13, visit kellogg.edu/registration.