Phone: (845) 257-3450
Location: Coykendall Science Building, Room 51
Web Address: www.newpaltz.edu/digitalmediajournalism
Housed in the Department of Digital Media & Journalism, the Journalism program at New Paltz is one of the most comprehensive in New York State. Courses range from practical news gathering for multi-media journalism and news writing to explorations of the history, law and literature of journalism. Students learn not only how to put together a news story in a variety of media platforms but the reasons why our society needs news and information. In addition to learning about writing and editing print stories, Journalism majors prepare for the realities of the workplace by composing, shooting, editing, and producing their stories in our state-of-the-art computer facility. The major's core required courses build functional skills in writing, reporting, editing, ethics and multimedia storytelling.
The Journalism program also offers the James H. Ottaway Sr. Visiting Professorship, the College's only endowed professorship. Each spring semester, a distinguished journalist teaches advanced undergraduate journalism students, participates in workshop/round-table discussions with students, faculty and local journalists; and gives one major campus presentation. Distinguished journalists and best-selling authors, including three Pulitzer Prize winners, have held the professorship since it was first endowed in 2001.
Students wishing to declare a major in any program of the Department of Digital Media & Journalism must have a 2.0 GPA. Journalism majors are required to complete ENG170 Writing and Rhetoric or its equivalent before declaring. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in courses that count toward any major or minor in the Department of Digital Media & Journalism.
Journalism (BA, BS) Program Learning Outcomes
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Conceive and write story ideas in various story forms, including news and feature, with the goal of helping the general public understand important topics by presenting them through storytelling that is comprehensive and clear.
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Produce multimedia news and news content analyses using a range of forms: audio, video, slideshow, photo essay, etc.
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Understand and use research techniques; locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of sources, using computer technology (General Education: Information Literacy).
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Report the news through comprehensive interviews, finding and verifying facts, and research that involves public documents, analyzing trends through database reporting, and using other computer-assisted reporting tools.
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Edit news stories and analyses.
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Analyze and evaluate professional norms, media history, media systems, news content, and business models, using theoretical concepts and critical thinking skills.
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Understand and apply basic ethical values that should permeate all aspects of a journalist’s work.
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Develop a well-reasoned argument for a journalism project in the form of a pitch to prospective news outlets and analyze and evaluate the arguments (pitches) of others (General Education: Critical Thinking and Reasoning).
