University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #2
Change in Degree, Major, or Submajor
Effective Term:
2121 (Spring 2012)
Type of Action:
Deletion of Submajor
Degree:
BA/BS
Program Title:
JOURNALISM PRINT EMPHASIS (BA/BS)
GPA Requirement for the Major/Submajor: 2.5 to declare; 2.25 to graduate
Sponsor(s):
James Kates
Department(s):
Communication
College(s):
Arts and Communication
Consultation took place:
NA
Yes
(list departments and attach consultation sheet)
Departments:
Proposal Information:
(Procedures for Form #2)
Total number of credit units in program:
Before change 36
After change 0
1. Exact description of request:
Summary: This submajor is being deleted, along with the submajor JOURNALISM
BROADCAST EMPHASIS (BA/BS).
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From (as listed in catalog and on AR)
JOURNALISM PRINT EMPHASIS (BA/BS)
MAJOR - 36 UNITS
1. JOURNLSM 243
2. JOURNLSM 430 OR JOURNLSM 431
3. JOURNLSM 244, JOURNLSM 245, JOURNLSM 248, JOURNLSM
303, JOURNLSM 315, JOURNLSM 406, JOURNLSM 420
4. SELECT 9 UNITS FROM COURSES IN GROUPS ONE AND
TWO. AT LEAST 3 UNITS MUST BE SELECTED FROM
GROUP ONE.
GRP 1: JOURNLSM 305, JOURNLSM 485, COMM 422,
COMM 424
GRP 2: MAGD 150 OR MAGD 210, JOURNLSM 246,
JOURNLSM 251 (1-3 UNITS) JOURNLSM 270, JOURNLSM
304 JOURNLSM 310, JOURNLSM 350, JOURNLSM
360, JOURNLSM 491 (WITH ADVISER APPROVAL),
JOURNLSM 493G, JOURNLSM 496 ( WITH ADVISER
APPROVAL), COMM 440
A GPA of at least 2.5 is required to declare this major
A GPA of at least 2.25 (within the major) is required to graduate
AN APPROVED MINOR IS REQUIRED FOR THIS MAJOR
To (to be listed in catalog and on AR)
Zero credits – The submajor is being deleted.
2. Relationship to mission and strategic plan of institution, and/or college and department
goals and objectives:
Changes within the Journalism major are designed to better implement the Communication
Department’s dual mission of fostering both career success and active, responsible
citizenship among our graduates. A large part of this redesign is skills-based, driven by the
need to ensure that our graduates can work effectively in a range of “legacy” media (TV,
radio, newspapers, magazines) and on the Internet. The Journalism program also is directly
geared toward citizenship, because journalism is a Constitutionally mandated means of
providing citizens with the information necessary for self-governance.
The Journalism program’s increasing emphasis on digital media especially supports the
UWW Strategic Plan’s aim of engaging more students in “creative activities” that can foster
regional engagement and create an “extended campus community.” Journalistic content
delivery via the World Wide Web is cheap, instantaneous and unbounded by the limits of
physical transportation. In addition, the low cost, portability and ease of use of simple digital
gear make it possible to tell stories from virtually anywhere. What once required a studio or
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remote truck can now be done with a laptop computer and a wireless connection. Our
students are venturing beyond campus borders to tell stories that affect the broader
community.
The collaborative nature of Web journalism holds great potential to energize both the
teaching and learning processes as well. Online journalism is a work in progress. Its
economic and aesthetic models are very much in flux. Teachers and students across the
country are helping to define this new medium. College journalism labs, insulated from
commercial imperatives, are becoming “incubators” where new forms of content delivery are
tested. This has already proved true at UWW, where students and instructors have worked
side by side to tell stories that end up on the Web. This venture represents the “creation of
new knowledge and its effective integration in teaching,” to use the phrase from the
university’s Strategic Plan.
3. Rationale:
The Broadcast and Print Emphases are being combined into the new submajor
BROADCAST/PRINT/WEB JOURNALISM (BA/BS).
4. Cost Implications:
Because the new program merges two existing submajors, it will draw heavily on existing
faculty, staff, facilities and other resources within the Department of Communication. Staffing,
classroom and equipment requirements will be substantially equivalent to present needs. Courses
that are not needed have been deleted to make way for new courses being required in the new
submajor. Some staff training and new software licenses may become necessary as the program
develops.
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