COM 311 - Media, Empathy and Justice

Students will be taught how to use journalistic skills and ethics to better harness the power empathy adds to storytelling on extremely sensitive subjects such as race, politics, gender, etc. The best defense against unethical news products is to understand how to produce real journalism that meets the highest journalistic standards.

To that end, students will analyze a variety of subjects from multiple disciplines through the lens of journalistic ethics. They will be responsible for helping shape and guide class discussion on designated books and articles. They will conduct a semester-long project researching and writing about a difficult story that concerns their family, or a broader vexing-societal issue.

Satisfies Digital and Screen Media major requirement.
Satisfies Communication Studies minor requirement.
Satisfies the Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric requirement
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.