Santa Barbara City College
Associate of Arts in Journalism
Online
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
USD 419 / per credit
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
Introduction
Journalism study at Santa Barbara City College provides the theory, practical skills and experiences that inform students' personal lives, intellectual pursuits and professional endeavors in the mass media.
The Associate of Arts Degree, in particular, provides students with the foundational knowledge to successfully transition into a baccalaureate degree in journalism or into any liberal arts major.
The profession of journalism has undergone a seismic shift in the last decade. Newspapers and broadcast journalism have moved online, allowing for more immediate reporting, faster news cycles and extensive public interaction. The popularity of mobile devices and social media has exponentially increased the demand for up-to-date news. It's led to a new class of journalists able to tell stories using the full array of digital tools. This is the world for which we prepare our students.
The Journalism Program at Santa Barbara City College provides an overview of the workings of the mass media today, along with a foundation to the journalistic skills, knowledge and ethics needed to work in the industries that are hiring our graduates. Through the award-winning 24/7 online news site, students practice reporting and nonfiction story production for multiple platforms, including photography, video, audio and social media. Students also learn about news writing, interviewing, reporting, editing, freelancing, photojournalism, video storytelling, journalism history, media law and journalism ethics.
The department offers an associate degree for transfer students (ADT), an associate degree in journalism, and skills competency awards in public relations and photojournalism. SBCC faculty work closely with our counterparts at state universities to ensure the relevance, currency and transferability of all our classes and programs.
SBCC offers a Transfer Agreement Guarantee (TAG). A TAG is a contractual agreement between the student, SBCC, and specific four-year colleges or universities. This includes six University of California ( *UC) institutions, six California State Institutions (CSU), seven California private institutions, nine out-of-state institutions, as well as Honors Transfer Agreements with ten institutions and 8 CSUs without campus impaction. Students must enroll in the TAG program and work with a TAG advisor. Please click here to learn more on the TAG program website.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Enrolled students may apply one time per year in February. If awarded, the money is disbursed for the following academic year in two parts: half in the fall semester and half in the spring semester. The amounts range from very small: $100-750 and larger $1000-2500 with some variations in between.
Curriculum
JOUR 101 Reporting/Writing I (3 Units)
Course Advisories: COMP 151AB.
Hours: 54 (54 lecture)
Introduction to gathering, organizing and writing news in journalistic style across multiple platforms. Includes role of the journalist and related legal and ethical issues. Students report and write based on original interviews and research to produce news content. Experiences may include covering speeches, meetings and other events, writing under deadline and using AP Style.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
C-ID: JOUR 110.
JOUR 121 The Channels: Reporting/Writing (3 Units)
Corequisites: JOUR 101.
Hours: 52 (52 lecture)
Prerequisite or Students develop and write news stories and packages for SBCC's student news website. They are assigned a campus "beat" and generate news and feature articles, working on assignment from the Editorial Board. Deadlines and ethical, professional behavior stressed.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
C-ID: JOUR 130.
JOUR 122A The Channels: Newswriting and Editing (4 Units)
Prerequisites: JOUR 121.
Hours: 108 (54 lecture, 54 lab)
Students write and edit articles and multimedia packages for SBCC's student news publications. They edit content for grammatical correctness, accuracy, completeness and style. They write headlines, cutlines, and insert navigational hyperlinks. Deadlines and ethical, professional behavior stressed.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
C-ID: JOUR 131, JOUR 210.
JOUR 122B The Channels: Editing and Publishing (4 Units)
Prerequisites: JOUR 122A.
Hours: 108 (54 lecture, 54 lab)
Students publish content for SBCC's student news publications. They prepare all content for press and online distribution, promote via social media, and monitor the online news site. Deadlines and ethical, professional behavior stressed.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 123A The Channels: Photojournalism (4 Units)
Corequisites: PHOT 109 or JOUR 190 or PHOT 190.
Hours: 108 (54 lecture, 54 lab)
Students produce photographs and photo illustrations and write captions for The Channels, SBCC's student news site. They capture images from campus arts, sporting, music and news events, and depict campus issues and personalities, working on assignment from the Editorial Board. Deadlines, ethics and professional behavior stressed.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 123B The Channels: Publication Design (4 Units)
Prerequisites: GDP 110.
Hours: 108 (54 lecture, 54 lab)
Students design graphics and/or illustrations for The Channels, SBCC's student news website. They create informational-interactive graphics, advertisements, illustrations and editorial cartoons. All work is completed on assignment for publication.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 135 Public Relations (3 Units)
Same as: MKT 135
Hours: 54 (54 lecture)
Practical, skills-oriented introduction to public relations for business, public and non-profit organizations. Emphasis on writing press releases and other publicity tools, developing strategic plans, using social media for promotion and identifying techniques for media relations.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
C-ID: JOUR 150.
JOUR 190 Photojournalism (3 Units)
Same as: PHOT 190
Course Advisories: PHOTO 209.
Hours: 90 (36 lecture, 54 lab)
Skills and techniques of contemporary photojournalism. Topics include news and editorial sources, photographing single events and extended picture stories, and ethics. Skills include control of color, portable electronic flash, and electronic processes for contemporary publication.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
C-ID: JOUR 160.
JOUR 200 Contemporary News Media and Society (3 Units)
Hours: 54 (54 lecture)
Never in American history have the news media been more important—or played a more influential role in our participatory democracy. This course explores the wide-ranging impacts of news on American citizens, institutions and government. It delves into emerging media forms and platforms and examines trends and pressing controversies surrounding contemporary journalism. Finally, the course teaches students "news literacy" or the tools to critically navigate the flood of information, encourage change, and create impact.
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area D, IGETC Area 4, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
JOUR 215A The Channels: Section Editor (1 Unit)
Prerequisites: JOUR 101 and JOUR 121.
Corequisites: JOUR 122A and JOUR 123A or JOUR 123B.
Hours: 54 (54 lab)
Students plan, assign and coordinate coverage for specific sections of The Channels. Sections are news, art and entertainment, features, opinion and sports. They oversee staffing and policy issues, and serve as the public face of The Channels to the campus and local community.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 215B The Channels: Publication Editor (1 Unit)
Prerequisites: JOUR 215A.
Corequisites: JOUR 122B or JOUR 123A or JOUR 123B.
Limitations on Enrollment: Limited number of positions available.
Course Advisories: ENG 110, ENG 110H.
Hours: 54 (54 lab)
Concurrent Editors must be appointed by adviser. Student editors plan, assign and coordinate content of The Channels online news site. They oversee reporting and photography, along with design, video and multimedia components. They preside over staffing and publication processes and serve as the public face of The Channels to the campus and Santa Barbara community.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 215C The Channels: Publication Manager (1 Unit)
Prerequisites: JOUR 215B.
Limitations on Enrollment: A limited number of these top editorial positions are available.
Course Advisories: ENG 110, ENG 110H.
Hours: 54 (54 lab)
Enrollment must be recommended by the faculty adviser. Student editors manage The Channels editorial operations and provide general oversight of the website and its traffic. They continue to work with the Editorial Board to plan, assign and coordinate news content.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
JOUR 271NF Creative Writing: Non-fiction (3 Units)
Hours: 54 (54 lecture)
Advanced study and practice of creative writing in non-fiction genres.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
JOUR 290 Work Experience in Journalism (1-4 Units)
Prerequisites: JOUR 101, with a minimum grade of B and JOUR 121, with a minimum grade of B or JOUR 123A, with a minimum grade of B and/or JOUR 123B, with a minimum grade of B.
Hours: 300 (300 lab)
Work with local news publication; follow employer policies. Attend one campus-based orientation. Keep record of time worked and secure an end-of-semester employer's evaluation. Experiential Learning consists of 60 hours per unit of unpaid work or 75 hours of paid work. Course restricted to 3 repetitions
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
Program Outcome
Learning Outcomes
- Use news judgment to select, produce and publish journalistic content.
- Practice standard reporting and news gathering techniques.
- Identify the best medium by which to convey journalistic content.
- Develop journalistic content in multiple media forms.
- Identify and practice the role and principles of a free press in a participatory democracy: commitment to accuracy, sound ethics, fairness and context.