Journalism

The Journalism Program offers a Journalism minor.

Georgetown’s undergraduate Journalism Program provides a bridge between an interdisciplinary, service-oriented liberal arts education and the practice of journalism, drawing on the university’s vast academic resources while bringing some of the top reporters in the nation and the world to campus, and students to newsrooms and newsmaking events in Washington, D.C. and beyond. 

The program, offered as a minor, teaches the essential skills of good journalism: critical thinking, research and investigation, clear expression, and storytelling in every form. It explores the journalist’s duty to the truth, public and private ethics, and the pressures of a changing media ecosystem.

The program’s interdisciplinary approach, rooted in Georgetown’s deep strengths in the study of politics, public policy, international relations and law, also highlights the university’s commitment to public service and social justice. It encourages real-world experience and the development of core reporting skills, along with a grounding in of the theoretical, historical and literary context necessary for a fuller understanding of the journalist’s role and responsibility in society.

Journalism Minor

Requirements for the Minor

Students must take six classes to complete the minor:

  • JOUR-1100     Introduction to Journalism
  • JOUR-2200   Digital News
  • JOUR-4925    The Media Industry
  • JOUR-4970    Journalism Capstone
  • Two elective courses

Required courses should be taken in the following order:

  • JOUR-1100    Introduction to Journalism
  • JOUR-2200   Digital News should be taken after “Introduction to Journalism”
  • JOUR 4925 – The Media Industry may be taken during or after the required internship is completed.
  • JOUR-4970 Journalism Capstone should be taken in a student’s senior year (fall or spring)

The list of electives below is not comprehensive. At least two electives are offered each semester. Current lists of courses will be maintained by the Minor Director and the College Dean’s Office. Courses that students wish to count toward the minor that are not on the list must be presented for review to the Minor Director before the student takes the course.

  • Covering the City
  • Opinion Journalism
  • Reporting from Florence
  • Covering a Pandemic
  • Feature Writing
  • Covering Sports
  • Media Law in the Digital Age
  • Media and Social Justice
  • Magazine Writing in the Digital Age
  • The Interview
  • Free Speech
  • The Press & the Presidency
  • Government-Media Relations in a Digital Age
  • Pop Culture, Race and the Media
  • Crime and the Media
  • Investigative Journalism
  • Visual Storytelling
  • Covering the Economy
  • Global Journalism
  • Telling the Truth
  • Political Journalism
  • Reporting War
  • Reporting Foreign Affairs
  • Science and Environmental Journalism
  • Sports Personalities of the 20th Century
  • Arabic Media I
  • Introduction to Graphic Design
  • New York Stories
  • Documentary
  • Creative Non-Fiction Writing
  • Writing to be Heard
  • The Writer’s Perspective
  • Film Festival Studies
  • Documentary Film: History and Theory
  • Social Justice Documentary
  • Alternative Media and Post-Colonial Communication
  • Writing About Music
  • Audio for Documentary
  • The Music Documentary
  • Podcasting

Applications

Students are invited to apply during the spring semester. Acceptance will be based on overall academic performance and the strength of the application essay. Demonstration of interest in journalism, including newsroom experience through internships or campus media, will be regarded as a positive factor.

For more information see http://journalism.georgetown.edu

(For course listings for Journalism see Schedule of Classes)