COMM4446 · Communication
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
Satisfies one of two writing intensive courses required within the Communication major. Restricted to Juniors and Seniors.. What is news? We will examine the deceptively simple question, paying attention to historical shifts in news organizations, journalistic practice and process, technological forms and sociocultural patterns. We will dissect visual and textual features of news, consider how events become newsworthy, analyze journalistic work routines, identify framing devices, public agendas, editorial power and audience relationships. Topics include climate change, immigration, mass violence and representation. Studying how news works and model of how it can be made differently gives us a guide for navigating news in our personal and professional lives.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.0 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.2 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.1 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.3 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~3
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect the evaluations connected to this course.
Across time
Available section-level results across semesters.
Fall 2024
2 sectionsFall 2023
2 sectionsSpring 2023
2 sectionsFall 2021
2 sectionsFall 2020
2 sections