Faculty of Arts

Courses Offered

Fall

Winter

Recommendations for electives

Both journalism courses and electives are selected in consultation with the program chair. Students should use their electives to either develop a particular specialty, or help fill in gaps in their general knowledge. For instance, students seeking to enhance their writing skills may develop a concentration in courses offered through the English Department. Similarly, the Departments of Philosophy, History, Geography, Sociology, and Political Science offer a number of 3000 and 4000 level courses that would enable students to enhance their knowledge of Canadian history, politics, and social structure. These requirements reflect the value that TRU places on a broadly-based education in the Humanities, the Sciences and Social Sciences, and Business. In addition to Communication and New Media courses, we recommend that students in the Bachelor of Journalism program select a range of courses, in particular those with depth in Canadian content, and several writing-intensive courses.

Experiential learning options: Service learning and practicum placements

The degree program includes an optional practicum placement at a newspaper or magazine, or in the media or public relations departments of government or private agencies. Alternatively, through a six-to-twelve-week supervised service-learning position, students explore the range of career possibilities in journalism, public relations, and organizational communication. Students propose practicum and service learning placements in collaboration with department faculty. Department supervision and evaluation of fieldwork is completed in collaboration with a field supervisor. Students prepare for practicums (the traditional way into the newspaper business) and/or service learning positions in the Career Preparation Courses. Three core, one-credit courses, offered in second, third, and fourth years, help students prepare for and seek practical placements or service learning projects during their second and third years, and for jobs or graduate programs after fourth year. Journalism students are also encouraged to pursue publication on a freelance basis and to volunteer for short-term internships with local papers and other publications to gain invaluable "real-world" experience.

General inquiries regarding practicums are welcome. Please contact Journalism Program Chair, Mark Wallin at 250-377-6072 or send an email to mwallin@tru.ca.

larkin