One-Year Bachelor of Journalism

One-Year Bachelor of Journalism

This program is one where you learn by doing. work gets published and broadcast, as well as read, listened to and watched. W e are storytellers. We tell stories online with slide shows, audio and video. We produce newspapers. We broadcast programs on provincial television and Halifax community radio. You can find our alumni in every facet of media producing popular science programs on radio, editing sports and outdoors magazines, writing novels, and creating new web ventures. Our journalism school works closely with students to develop skills to help graduates succeed down whatever path they choose Students are immersed in the art and craft of the profession that prizes their role in bringing forth matters of public interest. You will graduate with the ability to work as a reporter or editor in the Canadian news media (from newspaper to broadcast to online), or launch a career where being able to write and speak well, interview people and puzzle things out are assets. The School of Journalism is small. We are on first name basis with our students. Our faculty, all experienced professionals, are not only teachers, explaining the hows and whys of journalistic storytelling in all its many and various forms, but are editors and producers vetting and critiquing the stories students produce. As you will find out, our students learn to be reporters by being reporters, whose Students in the King s oneyear Bachelor of Journalism program don t just learn technology and technique; they learn how to think like journalists, to follow their curiosity, to ask questions, to use the concrete to illuminate the abstract, to see the world in terms of a story, and to communicate it clearly and well. With this foundation, our alumni have filled the many rooms of journalism; from the CBC to the BBC, from The Globe & Mail to The Times in Johannesburg, King s grads are everywhere. Our graduates have also successfully transitioned into allied professions, such as public relations, corporate communications, marketing, government, the diplomatic corps and public affairs any field where superior writing, communication and analytical skills are assets.

Overview From the beginning, you will be a reporter and work with industrystandard technology under the guidance of experienced faculty. The Bachelor of Journalism program moves quickly: over eight months, you will gain a solid foundation of knowledge, mastering one set of skills and then quickly moving onto the next. Our objective is for you to graduate with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills you will continue to develop during your career. The school year is divided into five blocks: an eight-week introductory basic training module, three six-week workshop blocks, and a month-long internship. This will give you a solid base of knowledge and skills to build your career in journalism. Although people have used the skills covered in this program to pursue other careers, we teach with the assumption that you will be pursuing a career in journalism upon graduation. Basic Training (8 Weeks) Your school year begins with the basic training module. This is an intense eight weeks during which you work long hours. We teach you basic writing and reporting skills for print, broadcast and online. We also provide you with practical research skills, ethics and history, all of which are essential to become an effective journalist. Workshops (6 Weeks each) Over the course of the program, you will complete three workshops that build upon the writing and reporting skills covered in basic training. You will join our senior fourth-year honours journalism students in the workshop sessions. In workshops you are working journalists. Under the guidance of faculty and staff, you will constantly produce stories for a public audience, whether it be a weekly newspaper or television program or a daily radio broadcast or hourly updated website. Newspaper In this workshop, you will produce five issues of the Halifax Commoner, a weekly newspaper distributed throughout Halifax. You will have the chance to try various forms of newspaper reporting hard news, feature writing, analysis, narrative writing, columns, editorials, investigative reporting, graphics, pictures and photo essays. We strive to break stories and to build on stories that have appeared in the local media. You will be encouraged to freelance stories to local dailies and weeklies. You will pitch story ideas, help develop the ideas of others, and work to strict deadlines. You will learn how to take photos, edit stories and write headlines and cutlines. You will learn how to design and lay out pages using InDesign. And you will work as a team to ensure the paper is finished on time, the copy is error-free, the photos are engaging and the stories are accurate and compelling. Radio As a radio student you will produce The Radio Room, a half-hour news and current affairs program that is broadcast live twice a week, on CKDU- FM, Halifax s alternative radio station. Over the course of the workshop you have the opportunity to write and perform newscasts, produce and host the show, do daily news deadline reporting and tape talks, prepare mini-documentaries, interview guests, assign reporters and digitally record and edit your stories. Television This workshop produces a weekly television magazine program called The fax, which is broadcast across the province on Eastlink Television and online. You learn to research, write and produce your own field reports and studio interviews under the pressure

of a deadline. You are taught how to structure your stories and write to pictures. You will also learn how to use our professional digital cameras and editing equipment. By the end of the workshop, you will have the knowledge and skill to produce a news report and interviews that meet professional standards. Online The Online Workshop will prepare you to work in an online newsroom. You will get a toolbox of skills to create web content the ability to research, gather and produce online news, and, most important, an ability to present content in different ways. The workshop produces a daily news site called U-News. It is a mixture of original news and feature stories. It also includes a daily news summary and a section called In Context that supplies online resources for stories in the news. A fourth component is an editors blog. You will also work in teams to collaborate on reporting and produce multimedia content slideshow, audio and video for a majority of stories posted. The goal is to produce a dynamic website that presents original content each hour. Narrative Nonfiction While most workshops produce something, the focus of this workshop is on developing your individual narrative skills in a group setting. You will read and discuss writing your own in-progress writing as well as works by established authors. You will also vet your story ideas, outlines and drafts with other members of the workshop group. Though the workshop focuses on writing, it also examines how the magazine business actually works, and explores the possibilities of freelancing. Advanced Workshops There are a number of advanced workshops offered during the third session. They are open to students who have already taken the basic workshop and want to learn more. They include: investigative, advanced radio, advanced magazine, advanced TV, and advanced online. Internship(4 Weeks) During the program you will participate in a month-long unpaid internship at an approved media outlet. We consider the internship to be an integral component of the Bachelor of Journalism program. It s an excellent opportunity for you to get your foot in the door. In fact, many of our students are hired at the end of the program based on their performance during their internships. Although you are free to intern anywhere in the world, we urge you to consider smaller media outlets closer to home. The opportunity for getting on-air experience or for being published is greater, thereby adding valuable material to your portfolio. And our students have interned everywhere from The National Post and Sports Illustrated to Entertainment Tonight and The View. Classes During the program students complete additional classes. News Media & the Courts This class introduces you to the Canadian justice system and the specific laws that govern how journalists do their job. It begins with an overview of court structure, legal principles, and criminal and civil procedure. It also delves into such issues as publication bans, contempt of court, libel law, media access to the courts, and confidentiality of sources. History and Ethics of Journalism While journalists are legally bound by the laws governing how they perform their job, they are also bound by their own conscience. This class explores the power and responsibility of the mass media in shaping public opinion and public policy. You will consider the various and conflicting roles of media in contemporary society. Journalism Research This class will focus on essential research skills such as finding facts and sources, digging below the surface and analyzing the evidence, as well as using conventional resources to find information.

Halifax Halifax, with a population of almost 400,000, is the largest Canadian city east of Montreal. Restaurants, art galleries, parks and the ocean are just a short walk or bus ride from King s. With all these amenities, it s no coincidence that Halifax with five major universities is the centre of higher education. Faculty Most members of faculty actively work as journalists. Whether it is contributing columns to local newspapers, researching and writing books, or participating in journalistic-related development work, their wide ranging interests and knowledge will enrich your learning experience. You will also meet working professionals who come in to guest lecture and critique your programs and papers. Media Outlets The School of Journalism has a close relationship with all of the major Canadian media outlets. Although Halifax is relatively small city by Canadian standards, most major media outlets have Atlantic bureaus based here, which means a good variety when it comes to local internships. This means our students are sought after for positions across the country and around the world and our faculty are often called upon to comment on media-related issues. Students wishing to stay in Halifax for their internship have a wide range of options from which to choose, everything from large corporations such as CBC and CTV Atlantic to smaller newspapers such as The Coast, an independent weekly, which was founded by King s grads. You can find our alumni in every facet of media producing popular science programs on radio, editing sports and outdoors magazines, writing novels, and creating new web ventures.

Admission Requirements The admissions committee, which is composed of members of the journalism faculty, review all applications for the program. Although the committee considers everything that is included in an application, they look specifically for four things: Application form and $70 application fee. A Bachelor s degree The degree must be from an accredited university with a B average or higher. There is no preference of faculty or major. Costs (as of 2009 2010) Tuition and fees* BA...$ 9,231 Book (estimated)....$ 300 Residence (in Angel s Roost with bronze meal plan) Single room...$ 8,825 International differential fee.$ 7,260 International health fee...$ 636 For detailed costs including health insurance and incidental fees, please visit our website at www.ukings.ca An Autobiographical Sketch The sketch should be approximately 1,000 words. In it we would like you to tell us about yourself and explain how you came to be interested in journalism. A Portfolio Students who have journalistic experience should submit clippings, and/or recordings of their work. Students who do not have any journalistic experience should consider submitting a writing sample, preferably something similar in style to a piece of journalism. Reference letters can be included with the application or submitted separately by the referee. We recommend a maximum of three reference letters. Students can also submit a resume. Applicants who are able to provide us with all of the above have the greatest chance for success. Deadline for applications: February 15th. Scholarships The CTV and the School of Journalism scholarship (typically valued between $2,000 $4,000) are available for African Canadian or Canadian Aboriginal students and The Audrey Stevenson Memorial Scholarship (typically valued between $1,500 $4,000) is available to an entering female student. The Reader s Digest Journalism Scholarship (valued at $2,000) and the Rogers Broadcasting All-News Scholarships (typically valued at $5,000) are also available to students who are members of a visible minority group. Another Rogers Scholarship is awarded to an applicant whose primary residence is in NS or NB. To be considered for these scholarships, please note your interest on the application form. Financial Assistance Students in the one-year program have higher costs (and often heavier financial burdens) than students in other King s programmes. Students who are in receipt of a Canada Student Loan or a Quebec Student Loan are eligible to apply for a King s Bursary. Bursaries are awarded on an on-going basis with amounts ranging from $200 to $1,500 or more. The Bursary Committee accepts applications each academic year beginning in October. The Registrar University of King s College Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2A1 (902) 422-1271 fax (902) 425-8183 admissions@ukings.ns.ca www.ukings.ca