Students are encouraged to develop alternative views that both examine and challenge the conventions of commercial media. Topics should address social issues of timely concern. Ongoing work is regularly reviewed and critiqued. This course is an overview of the history, tools, techniques and ethical issues involved in contemporary journalistic photography. The course builds upon basic photographic skills and requires students to confront current mass media issues in the process.
Photojournalism requires the development of both verbal and visual communications skills.
In assignments and exercises, students increase their awareness of visual representations of people and events through the analysis of magazines and newspapers. This course demands an awareness of current events and of the communication process required to reach the intended audience. The majority of the coursework is production oriented and utilizes simulated assignments with real time deadlines such as would be encountered by the working photojournalist. This course presents an overview of the current and future technologies in the digital imaging field. Students first obtain a basic familiarity with the Macintosh computer system before learning the Adobe Photoshop software program.