Journalism
9 courses · College of the Desert · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026
J 003A News Reporting & Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- ENGL C1000 or ENGL C1000E or college-level composition or equivalent.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- JOUR 110
This course provides a solid foundation in practical journalism skills. Through in-class discussion, writing assignments, field trips to local newsrooms and completing several published news stories, students learn news judgment, fairness, the language and style of journalism, how to construct news leads, how to organize and structure news stories, the process of information gathering, interviewing and a basic overview of the laws and ethics of journalism. These basics are relevant for multimedia reporting including print, broadcast, internet and social media journalists. (C-ID JOUR 110)
J 004A News Media Production
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Advisory
- J 003A.
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 130
This course offers a dynamic, hands-on journalism lab where students create and distribute content across multiple platforms, including print, online, video, and radio/podcasts, reaching both campus and community audiences. Through this practical experience, students gain valuable skills in design, visual storytelling, multimedia journalism, and leadership. (C-ID JOUR 130)
J 004B Intermediate News Media Production
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- J 004A.
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 131
This course offers more advanced hands-on experience in a dynamic student media lab, where students produce and distribute news and feature content for campus and community audiences. Students will engage in every aspect of content creation, from reporting and writing to editing and publishing, with a focus on journalistic integrity and professionalism. The course emphasizes multi-platform journalism, providing opportunities to work in print, broadcast, and digital media formats. Students will collaborate on real-time news production, honing skills in research, storytelling, and multimedia integration while meeting deadlines and addressing audience needs.(C-ID JOUR 131)
J 004C Advanced News Media Production
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- J 004B.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Students in this course will develop the leadership and technical skills required to manage various roles within a student-run newspaper, including editor-in-chief, production supervisor, advertising manager, and circulation manager. They will gain hands-on experience in guiding a publication through all stages of production-both print and online-ensuring it meets professional standards in content, design, and execution. Students will also learn to set and enforce publishing deadlines, take responsibility for the entire publishing process, and maintain a consistent and professional newspaper presence across multiple platforms.
J 005 News Literacy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Transfers to
- CSU
In an era where the digital news media is generating an unprecedented amount of information and misinformation, it's important for journalists and citizens to be news literate. How do you decipher fact from fiction? Through critical-thinking skills, news literacy students will learn how to deconstruct stories, break down broadcast, print, web, and social media messages to determine those that are factual, well-sourced and can be considered real news. Students will also discuss concepts such as objectivity, opinion, bias and fairness and how all contribute to the mix of news reports in today's digital landscape.
J 006 Introduction to Multimedia Storytelling
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Advisory
- ENG 001A.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course will provide an introduction to multimedia storytelling with a journalism emphasis. Techniques that will be explored include the use of video, photos, audio, animation, and text to convey interactive news and feature stories through the Internet and other electronic media. It also will include techniques in digital research, critical thinking, and synthesis.
J 007 Introduction to Photojournalism
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course deals with the photographer as a journalist, focusing on theory and practice in press and publications photography, with emphasis on using the camera as a reporting and communications tool. Covered are news and feature photography and photographic essays, including composition, impact, and creativity, for newspaper, magazines, internet, and other mass communications media.
J 010 Magazine Writing & Production
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Advisory
- J 003A or ART 031 or DDP 103.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This lecture and laboratory course is designed to give students an understanding of feature writing and initial practical experience in creating and publishing a college magazine. Students will learn the characteristics of different types of features, develop skills in fact-gathering, information evaluation, in-depth interviews, research, creativity and the fundamentals of good writing. The course also focuses on the strategies and techniques of magazine production.
J 095A Journalism Work Experience
- Units
- 1-5
- Hours
- Lab Hours: 270
- Transfers to
- CSU
This work experience course of supervised employment provides students the opportunity to connect academics to applied experiential learning in the workplace. It assists students in developing transferable employability skills, career awareness, learning industry culture, competencies and norms, and developing professional networks that support career mobility. To enroll, students must have a job or internship placement in a part-time or full-time capacity. Credit may be accrued at the rate of one to five (1-5) units per semester based on the student's ability to meet the hours required per unit enrolled. Students must work 54 hours per unit earned. This Work Experience course is available to students whose job or internship placement is directly related to Journalism.