Jour365 News Literacy

Analysis of news and information. Development of news literacy skills to evaluate sources, bias, opinion, transparency and other attributes. First Amendment, culture of journalism, participatory media and democracy.
Journalism Majors: Elective
Non-majors: Upper-division GE Social Sciences
Information Competency | Writing Intensive
Recommended preparatory course: Jour100 or equivalent
Service Learning Course: As part of a class project, students will virtually collaborate with the Newseum in Washington, DC to apply what they learn in the course to solve a real-world problem.

Learning Objectives

Overall Learning Goal:  Students will learn to empower themselves with critical thinking skills to cope with the barrage of news and information in the hyper-connected media ecosystem of print, broadcast, digital and social media. Special attention on the role of the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate in a digital democracy, and the responsibility of citizens to keep informed and actively participate in the democratic process in American society.
  • Develop critical skills to analyze the influence of news on individuals and different publics from local to global.
  • Understand the historical, theoretical, legal and societal contexts for producing, distributing, and consuming news in the emergent participatory digital society.
  • Evaluate news media gatekeepers, sources, bias, opinion and transparency in the changing culture of journalism.
  • Reflect on news media messaging and the role of the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate in a democracy.