Graduate Studies Reports Access

Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - JOU6606
Tracking Number - 2440

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Current Status: Approved, Permanent Archive - 2011-04-04
Campus: St Petersburg
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: USF STPT approved; To USF Inst fo rconcurrence. SCNS approved effective 3/1/11. Prefix/number changed from MMC 6xxx to JOU 6606

Detail Information

  1. Date & Time Submitted: 2010-12-13
  2. Department: Mass Communications
  3. College: AP
  4. Budget Account Number: 120100
  5. Contact Person: Mark Walters
  6. Phone: 7278734544
  7. Email: mjw@mail.usf.edu
  8. Prefix: JOU
  9. Number: 6606
  10. Full Title: Photojournalism
  11. Credit Hours: 1
  12. Section Type: C - Class Lecture (Primarily)
  13. Is the course title variable?: N
  14. Is a permit required for registration?: N
  15. Are the credit hours variable?: N
  16. Is this course repeatable?:
  17. If repeatable, how many times?: 0
  18. Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Photojournalism
  19. Course Online?: O - Online (100% online)
  20. Percentage Online: 0
  21. Grading Option: R - Regular
  22. Prerequisites: None
  23. Corequisites: None
  24. Course Description: Taking quality online still photos for news reports is a skill all modern journalists need to know. You will hone your critical thinking skills while becoming familiar with what comprises a publishable photo for online use. Hands-on learning is included.

  25. Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed to compete with national trends
  26. What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? Journalism schools have failed to keep up with the rapid changes in technologies and values that are redefining the field of professional journalism. This course will explicitly direct and support students in integrating all these technologies and approaches into an applied work of digital journalism. Therefore, this course will part of the essential training for future journalists.
  27. Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? No
  28. What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Professional photojournalism experience with newspaper, magazine or online publication. Online teaching experience is also required.
  29. Objectives: • Online visual storytelling with photography -- still and video

    • The mission of online still news photography

    • Innovators in the industry

    • Online news photo ethics with 21st Century technology

    • Copyright and fair use regarding online news images

    • Types of cameras, lenses, tripods, flash units, bags and other useful gear

    • Best practice methods for common online news photo types, such as:

    -- mug/headshot -- close-up

    -- weather -- peak action

    -- outdoor event / bright light -- indoor event / low light

    -- environmental portrait -- group shot

    • Lighting tips and tricks

    • Composition best practices -- "guideline of thirds," diagonals and curves

    • Photoshop best practices for online images

    • The mission of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)

    • Editing best practices for online images

    • Organizing a shoot / production for online presentation

    • Organizing a shoot / post-production for online presentation

    • Methods for displaying online news photos

    -- single image -- SoundSlides -- sequence

    -- gallery -- photo essay -- how-to

    • What it takes to be a mobile online photojournalist

    • Managing online shooters and their gear

    • Opportunities and trends in online photojournalism

  30. Learning Outcomes: • PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH: Comprehensive critiques will allow students to explore the use of still photos in online news reports either singularly or in collections such as those contained in a Soundslides show. The art of writing online captions optimized for search engines will be covered in hands-on exercises.

    • TECHNOLOGY: Fundamentals of shooting online news images with a camera of better quality than a cell phone will be covered. Hands-on exercises will measure skills such as lighting, composition and cropping along with critical thinking such as image selection. You will shoot five common news images as exercises.

    • EDITING: Fundamentals for editing online still photos using file images will be covered. Hands-on exercises will measure skills and use of critical thinking such as editorial news judgment.

    • VISUAL LITERACY: Comprehensive critiques of the use of digital online still photos for news reports by professionals, worldwide, will help you to identify current best practices.

    Each hands-on photo assignment will be posted on the Web for short peer-review critiques based on a form I provide.

    S. Major Course Topics:

    This course will provide you with a foundation for the best practices in production and post-production work flows to capture, then prepare news images for print or online use. Every modern journalist needs to learn how to take and manage their own digital still images. Some hands-on shooting and fundamental editing is included.

  31. Major Topics: This course will provide you with a foundation for the best practices in production and post-production work flows to capture, then prepare news images for print or online use. Every modern journalist needs to learn how to take and manage their own digital still images. Some hands-on shooting and fundamental editing is included.
  32. Textbooks: Mark Briggs. Journalism Next. $21.95 ISBN: 978-1-60426-560-6

    Available through CQ Press: http://www.cqpress.com/product/Briggs.html

    Mark Briggs. Journalism 2.0, How to Survive and Thrive: A Digital Literacy Guide for the Information Age FREE to registered students through the USFSP Library via Blackboard at

    -- http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20 download the PDF

    Associated Press Stylebook, current edition -- This is available for free

  33. Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Access to a digital camera that takes stills and that is better than any cell phone. At a minimum, the camera should have aperature (f-stop), shutter speed and manual mode exposure options. The camera may be a point-and-shoot model with a 3X or higher optical zoom lens, or a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) with removable lenses. A range of models in various price ranges will be suggested during the first class session.
  34. Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Each major topic in this course will be followed by an online exam (10% each). A comprehensive final will be given at the end of the course (20%).
  35. Assignments, Exams and Tests: Each major topic in this course will be followed by an online exam (10% each). A comprehensive final will be given at the end of the course (20%).
  36. Attendance Policy: First Day online "attendance" is required.

    Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)

    In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

  37. Policy on Make-up Work: The deadlines for graded assignments, activities and extra credit assignments are firm except where falling under university guidelines. Failing to turn in graded work by a deadline will otherwise result in a letter grade of F and a point score of zero for the assignment. Extra credit opportunities and score values will be posted regularly in Blackboard throughout the semester. Any extra credit work submitted that is less than a solid B will receive zero points.
  38. Program This Course Supports: Journalism and Media Studies
  39. Course Concurrence Information: NA


- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.