Journalism and Digital Communication
14 courses · Cuesta College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Summer 2026 · Fall 2026
JOUR 193 JOURNALISM SPECIAL TOPIC
- Units
- 0.5 to 4
- Hours
- 0.5 to 4 hours per week: (0.50 - 4.00 lecture hours/0.00 - 0.00 lab hours/0.00 - 0.00 activity hours)
Examines a special topic in the field of study related to the discipline offering this course.
JOUR 200 INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours per week: (3.00 lecture hours/0.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- JOUR 100
Presents a survey of mass communication and the interrelationships of media with society including history, structure and trends in a digital age. Discusses theories and effects, economics, technology, law and ethics, global media, media literacy, and social issues, including gender and cultural diversity.
JOUR 201 NEWS WRITING AND REPORTING
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours per week: (3.00 lecture hours/0.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 110
Introduces techniques of news reporting, synthesizing and writing across multiple platforms. Provides intensive practice in gathering and evaluating information and writing news stories. Considers ethical and legal issues in journalism, and historical impacts on society. Students will be aware of social justice issues and how journalism has affected the human condition. Students will report and write based on their original interviews and research to produce news content. Experiences may include covering speeches, meetings and other events, writing under deadline and use of AP Style.
JOUR 202A CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: NEWS PRODUCTION
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 130
Introduces hands-on news production for The Cuestonian student newspaper and Cuestonian.com. Presents all aspects of the newspaper business including reporting, writing, editing, photography, design/layout, online publishing, multimedia journalism and emerging technologies. Includes weekly news assignments for publication across multiple platforms for publications produced with student leadership.
JOUR 202B CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: NEWS PRODUCTION
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- JOUR 202A
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 131
Involves students in editorial positions using state-of-the-art technology to produce The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com. Continues the study of all aspects of the print and online news production business at a higher skill level and leadership involvement than JOUR 202A.
JOUR 202C CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: NEWS PRODUCTION
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- JOUR 202A and JOUR 202B
- Transfers to
- CSU
Involves students in major hands-on editorial positions and leadership in using state-of-the-art technology to produce The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com. Continues the study of all aspects of the print and online news business at an advanced skill level and leadership involvement, which goes beyond JOUR 202A and JOUR 202B.
JOUR 203A CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: MULTIMEDIA NEWS PRODUCTION: PHOTO AND VIDEO
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Advisory
- ART 249A and FTVE 223 and Previous photography and/or videography experience highly recommended. Should have own equipment.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Introduces students to producing and editing photographs and/or video for The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com, providing an opportunity for them to showcase their work. This course deals with the photographer/videographer as a journalist, with an emphasis on using the camera as a reporting and communications tool. Students complete assignments from the editorial board and capture images, for instance, from campus arts, sporting, music and news events. Includes news and feature images and photo and video essays. Ethics, legal issues and professional behavior are stressed.
JOUR 203B CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: MULTIMEDIA NEWS PRODUCTION: GRAPHIC AND DESIGN
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- Previous digital graphic design and digital layout experience required.
- Advisory
- ART 255 and ART 258
- Transfers to
- CSU
Introduces students to the design and layout of The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com. Students will create informational and interactive graphics and design and layout each publication using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and PhotoShop. Students complete assignments from editors on the student-run publications and meet newspaper production deadlines. Professional behavior is stressed.
JOUR 203C CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: INTERMEDIATE MULTIMEDIA NEWS PRODUCTION
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- JOUR 203A or JOUR 203B
- Transfers to
- CSU
Involves students in editorial positions for the visual arts sections of The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com. Students use state-of-the-art technology to continue the study of all aspects of the print and online news production business as it relates to visual arts at a higher skill level and leadership involvement than JOUR 203A-B.
JOUR 203D CUESTONIAN STUDENT MEDIA: ADVANCED MULTIMEDIA NEWS PRODUCTION
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 8 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/6.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- JOUR 203C
- Transfers to
- CSU
Involves students in major hands-on editorial positions and leadership for the visual arts sections of The Cuestonian and Cuestonian.com. Students use state-of-the art technology to continue the study of all aspects of the print and online news business as it relates to visual arts at an advanced skill level and leadership involvement which goes beyond J203C.
JOUR 205 MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 5 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/3.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Advisory
- JOUR 201
- Transfers to
- CSU
- C-ID
- JOUR 120
Introduces the fundamentals of gathering, producing and presenting content for digital media. Explores ethical issues and stresses multimedia storytelling.
JOUR 206 STORYTELLING WITH DATA AND SOCIAL MEDIA
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 5 hours per week: (2.00 lecture hours/3.00 lab hours/0.00 activity hours)
- Advisory
- JOUR 201
- Transfers to
- CSU
Introduces two techniques essential to modern journalism: social media and data visualization. The first section of this course is focused on journalism's evolving relationship with social media. Students will use social media sites including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to find and report stories, cultivate sources and develop ethical social media literacy. Considers the impact of social media on the news media and its relationship to political and social justice issues. Data visualization introduces techniques for finding data sets, cleaning and analyzing the data, and effective design to support audience comprehension. Students will use data visualization software to build stories using data sets. Also considers history and design of news/information visualizations and their impact on society and modern-day storytelling.
JOUR 247 INDEPENDENT STUDIES: JOURNALISM
- Units
- 0.5 to 2
- Hours
- 1.5 to 6 hours per week: (0.00 - 0.00 lecture hours/1.50 - 6.00 lab hours/0.00 - 0.00 activity hours)
- Prerequisite
- The student must have completed preparatory course work in the field in which the study is to be undertaken.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Provides an opportunity for an in-depth study or a practicum experience by an individual student in a selected topic of journalism under the direction of an instructor.
JOUR 252 WORK EXPERIENCE IN JOURNALISM
- Units
- 0.5 to 4
- Hours
- 1.5 to 12 hours per week: (0.00 - 0.00 lecture hours/0.00 - 0.00 lab hours/1.50 - 12.00 work experience hours)
- Transfers to
- CSU
Provides opportunities for students in Journalism to connect academic curricula to experiential learning in the workplace as an internship, Service Learning placement or general employment. Allows students to develop and work on learning objectives in workplace competencies and technical skills relevant for their course of study and career pathway. Students must work 54 hours for each unit of credit earned, in half-unit increments (27 hours), up to a maximum of 4 units. Employment can be paid or unpaid.