Syllabus

Photojournalism

Anthony R. Curtis, Ph.D. ≠ Spring 2005

JRN-320-01 / PRE-320-01 MWF 12:30 p.m.-1:20 p.m. Old Main 238

Department of Mass Communications ≠ University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Welcome!

Welcome to the world of photojournalism ≠ possibly today's most exciting, fun and fulfilling line of work. Photojournalism is about people, places and things. Photojournalists record the human condition in good times and bad. Photographs have been known to stimulate action among communities, nations and even the whole world. This basic photography course will be a visual adventure. You will learn the basic visual and technical aspects of photojournalism in a series of experiences that will include hard news, soft news features, sports, entertainment, portraits, and community events both on and off campus. Your learning opportunity in this course will reach fulfillment in a capstone project ≠ a photo essay where you tell a story through a series of your images.

Course Description:

This is an upper-division university course about the basics of still photography for use in mass communications, especially for journalists and public relations professionals, but of use to all who experience photographs. The latest digital photographic techniques will be employed throughout, including digital still cameras and digital darkroom software on computers. Simple digital still cameras will be used along with departmental computer labs.

In this course, we will look at how public relations and journalism professionals can make their own photographs as well as work with professional photographers. The work output should be suitable for publication in newspapers, magazines, websites, company publications, brochures, pamphlets, flyers, announcements, bulletins, circulars, folders, handouts, leaflets, throwaways, tracts, and digital slide-show presentations.

Course Purposes and Objectives:

You will gain an understanding of the basic visual and technical aspects of photojournalism. Your understanding of these will be acquired through a series of assignments in which you photograph general news events, feature stories, sports, personality portraits, community events, and other standard newspaper, magazine and public relations subjects (SEE BELOW: PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS).

Discussed extensively throughout the semester will be the history and impact of photojournalism on American culture, and the ethical and moral questions about editing, cropping and digital image manipulation that circulate through photojournalism today. By providing a basic appreciation of photojournalism, this course should be of value to aspiring photojournalists as well as writers and editors seeking a broader visual awareness.

After completing this course satisfactorily, you should be able to:

ß Manually operate a digital still camera.

ß Apply photographic content and composition techniques to your photography.

ß Manipulate digital images at an elementary level using digital darkroom software.

ß Apply your elementary photographic skill to a field of study.

ß Tell stories with photographs.

ß Combine words and pictures to tell your story on the printed page and on virtual pages.

ß Produce photographs of near professional-quality standards.

ß Evaluate photographs based on professional standards.

ß Differentiate between various branches of photojournalism.

After completing this course satisfactorily, you should understand the:

ß Difference between being a photographer and a photojournalist.

ß How photojournalism has developed and its relative importance in a visual world.

ß Requirements of professional-level photojournalism.

ß Journalistic ethics and responsibilities as they apply in photojournalism.

ß Minimum technical skills for equipment essential to contemporary photojournalism.

ß Basic techniques used in photojournalism.

ß Basic freedom of the press, business practices and copyright.

ß The benefits and drawbacks of fulltime and freelance careers in photojournalism.

Course Resources

Class Format:

This course will include in-class discussion, brainstorming, and individual, group and instructor presentations, as well as work outside of classroom facilities and outside of class hours on individual photography projects. Your assignments will result in collecting, researching, designing, shooting and preparing relevant photojournalistic images and making single and group presentations. All of these efforts throughout the semester will help you develop a working knowledge and understanding of the role of photography in journalism and public relations.

Class will meet at the scheduled times in Old Main room 238. You may process your photographs on computers in Old Main rooms 238 and 138, as well as on your own home computers if you wish. Your photography shooting assignments generally will be carried out beyond the classroom.

Text:

Horton, Brian. Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism - 2^nd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

ISBN 0-07-136387-4.

Course Schedule

NOTE: the dates listed below may change as more or less time may be required to complete topics. This schedule should be seen as a guide to course activities and expectations as of the beginning of the semester. Some topics may be added or not covered due to developing semester time constraints. Content areas may not necessarily develop or be presented in an order planned at the outset of the semester. Your professor reserves the right to amend the syllabus and the schedule, as needed, depending on work accomplished in class meetings and the needs of students enrolled in the course.

EACH CLASS: Presentation of assignments, critiques, discussions, reviews

Homework ≠ overnight shooting assignments