Computer Recommendation
We recommend students interested in majoring in Journalism use the Mac platform for their computing needs. Journalists rely on Macs. Questions about switching to a Mac? Find out why to switch.
Gardner-Webb is one of the few small universities offering a sequence in news/editorial journalism in the country. Our philosophy is to give students individual attention while giving them as many opportunities of news reporting as possible. GWU's small class size allows students to participate in discussions while recieving feedback from faculty members. Faculty members are also able to monitor a student's progress through the sequence and offer both encouragement and suggestions on how to grow journalistically.
Students are required to learn not only basic newswriting skills, but also learn how to report and research subjects such as religion, sports, crime, and public affairs. Additionally, students are required to participate in at least one internship at a publication. Our students have interned at both secular and religous newspapers and magazines.
Students also learn journalism skills by being involved with The Pilot, the student newspaper. This experience allows students to sharpen their reporting and add newspaper clips that can be used in their portfolio as they seek employment after graduation.Objectives of the News-Editorial Journalism Sequence
Our students will,
• demonstrate an understanding of the social responsibilities of a free press.
• demonstrate a full range of writing and editing processes and apply those skills in both print and non-print media.
• demonstrate practical skills in information gathering and reporting by covering special events and designated news beats
Course Requirements
Students majoring in the News/Editorial sequence must complete fifteen semester hours comprised of
| ENGL 203 | Newswriting | 3 |
| COMM 220 | Digital Media Convergence | 3 |
| COMM 320 | Media Operations and Management | 3 |
| COMM 380 | Communication Theory | 3 |
| COMM 480 | Legal and Ethical Issues in Mass Media | 3 |
| Plus | ||
| JOUR 317 | Reporting | 3 |
| JOUR 318 | Editing | 3 |
| COMM 370 | Introduction to Computer Graphics | 3 |
| ENGL 409 | Feature Writing | 3 |
| JOUR 491 | Internship | 3 |
| JOUR 201 | Student Newspaper Staff | 1* |
| *The student may enroll in JOUR 201 as often as desired. However, no more than three semester hours may be applied to the major. | ||
| The News–Editorial sequence is completed with a minimum of 3 hours selected from the following courses. | ||
| COMM 255 | Photography | 3 |
| JOUR 303 | Publications Editorial Staff | 1 |
| JOUR 375 | Graphic Design and Publication | 3 |
| JOUR 403 | Publications Editorial Staff II | 2 |