The Deans Prize: Improvements for Annenberg's Journalism Department

The core mission of the University of Southern California is the “development of human beings and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.” Considering the volatile educational environment, the university is constantly seeking to enrich their learning atmosphere to cope up with this dynamic. According to the 2004 USC Strategic Plan, the institution “intends to become one of the most influential and productive research universities in the world” The USC College Dean’s Prize is an attempt to ameliorate the undergraduate experience by calling upon students to submit potential improvements. In response to the institutions appeal, this week’s post will highlight upon possible enhancements the Annenberg School of Communication, particularly the Journalism department (my field of interest), could implement to better its academic opportunities not only for its students but also the larger community.

According to Director of Journalism at Annenberg, Michael Parks (pictured below to the right), “students learn clear, concise writing and develop reporting skills that provide a strong foundation for a wide array of careers... Our unique curriculum encourages students to learn by doing.” As a former Communications major, I have been fortunate enough to have the “Annenberg experience”. However, my criticism lies in the fact that these opportunities are not made available to all, especially in the journalism department. The doleful lack of a broadcast journalism minor fails to provide students who do not wish to major in journalism, but simply desire to gain some background experience in broadcasting news writing and reporting with an opportunity to do so. Undergraduates are also unable to take such courses as electives because it is limited to journalism majors. If a minor cannot be added to the curriculum, perhaps the journalism program should hold news writing and reporting classes just for non-journalism majors who have an interest in the discipline. Although Annenberg Television News is open to all, there is not much motivation for those pursuing a degree outside of journalism to attend regularly since the student is not receiving a grade for it and also because the student cannot contribute significantly due to a lack of experience (the workshops provided at the beginning of the year do not suffice). Finally, the fact that summer school does not exist for journalism majors prevents new or late comers to the major from graduating earlier and/or catching up to their peers.

Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (their logo is displayed on the left) is the top program of its kind in the nation. I believe one reason for their success is due to a hands-on internship program called Teaching Media, which places students in a professional newsroom for 11 weeks as a working journalist. It is an undergraduate educational requirement, therefore granting the student academic credit and a stipend should they be relocated. The program includes over 100 news outlets all over the nation and a few even outside American borders, such as New Delhi and Cape Town. This academic internship is truly valuable as it presents students with the opportunity to gain first hand experience in a bona fide professional setting while also providing them “with contacts and work samples for a competitive edge in the job market.” Furthermore during their junior year, when most students search to gain internship experience, these students will already have one completed. Northwestern students can instead spend their time pursuing other endeavors of their choice or gaining even more journalistic experience.

Annenberg (pictured on the left) prides itself in the ability to “foster dynamic synergies and multidisciplinary approaches to the study of communication and journalism through unparalleled access to the nation's and the world's entertainment, media and technology industries.” If USC could emulate such a program in the near future, it would undoubtedly make the academic experience more effective and perhaps even catalyze an upward movement for Annenberg in national rankings. In addition the highly regarded curriculum present, a program of such caliber would endow students with a very enriching, memorable and well-rounded educational opportunity which will send out experienced and better trained Annenberg alums into the job market and also attract an intelligent incoming class of journalism students to USC.