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JOURNALISM, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND ADVERTISING
Patricia Bradley, Chair
Karen Turner, Associate Chair
(215) 204-8346

The basic curriculum for Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising (referred to as JPRA) students is designed with the conviction that proficiency in the field requires a broad educational background coupled with rigorous professional training. The curriculum, therefore, emphasizes subject matter from other disciplines, particularly those in the traditional liberal arts and sciences.

At the heart of the JPRA program is a strong academic advising system. While students must ultimately be responsible for their own academic programs, each student will first be assigned to the Academic Advising Center and later to a faculty adviser who represents the program of study the student is following.

Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising

The degree of Bachelor of Arts may be conferred upon a student majoring in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising by recommendation of the faculty and upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 126 semester hours of credit with a cumulative average of 2.0 overall and in the major. Students must meet:

1.University Core requirements
2.School of Communications and Theater requirements
3.Major requirements in the department
Degree Requirements
1.University Core Curriculum: All students following this bulletin must complete the following courses, which also satisfy the University Core Curriculum:
  • History C067 History of the United States, 1600-1877
  • History C068 History of the United States, 1877-present
  • Political Science C051 American Political System
One of the following:
  • Economics C051 Macroeconomic Principles
  • Economics C052 Microeconomic Principles
  • Economics C053 Economic Principles
  • Economics C055 Global Economic Issues
  • Economics R065 The Economics of Diversity
2. Outside Course Requirements. An additional course, Political Science 0145 (American State and Local Politics), is required of all students.

3.Of the 126 semester hours required for graduation, at least 87 semester hours must be in courses outside Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising, Film and Media Arts, and Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media and 65 of those credits must be in liberal arts and science courses. This limits to 22 the hours taken from Education, Business, etc.

The remaining semester hours required outside the department may be taken in any department of the University except Business Education and the Center for Contemporary Studies. The department also does not count towards graduation credits earned through Sec. Ed. 0317, the Special Recruitment and Admissions Program (SRAP), Topical Studies, Military Science, or the Extern Program.

JPRA 0051 Mass Media Writing Style Lab, a two-credit course, may be required of some students as preparation for department writing courses. Other students may test out of it, based on standardized test scores.
Only eight semester hours will be accepted from Physical Education courses. No more than six hours total of courses in Psychoeducational Processes (PEP) may be taken, and no more than 30 hours may be taken in any single CLA department or other SCAT department without special written permission from the Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising. These requirements are to ensure a broad-based liberal arts education for each major.

It is the student's responsibility to meet prerequisite requirements for an outside course according to the mandates of the department that offers the course.

4. Major Requirements. Requirements should be carefully examined. Of the 126 credits needed for graduation, 36 semester hours must be in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising courses and no more than 39 semester hours may be in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising, Film and Media Arts, and Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media courses.
Students required to take English 0040 must complete that requirement before enrolling in any Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising course.
A maximum of 12 semester hours of JPRA coursework may be transferred from a program accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). (This includes classes in public relations and advertising.) Students transferring from all other institutions will be allowed a maximum of 9 s.h. of JPRA transfer credit, including JPRA C055 (Introduction to Mass Media) and JPRA 0150 (Writing for Mass Media). Credit for JPRA 0150 will be allowed only if the student passes the department-wide examinations required of all Temple journalism students. Under no circumstances will credit be allowed for duplicate courses.

The department does not award credit for academic or life experience. Students with extensive experience may present evidence and petition for a waiver of department course requirements.

Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising majors must receive a grade of C or higher in all required department courses and must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the department as well as the 2.0 overall average required by the University to qualify for graduation. Students who fall below a 2.0 average for a semester, for all department courses or in their overall University courses, will be placed on probation or academic warning, the first step toward dismissal.

The department prepares students for both a career in communications and life as informed productive media consumers. As preparation for a communications career, the department requirements provide a solid foundation for students who are likely to shift directions as they and the industry change during that career. The department believes that effective writing is central to communication and should be a present and common theme in the department curriculum.

Courses of Study

Students can follow one of several specialized course of study in the department, or choose to take classes across our specialties. We have programs of specialization, or "sequences" in broadcast journalism, advertising, public relation, photography for the mass media, magazine and news editorial. Each of those sequences has a recommended course of study in which some classes cannot be taken without a prerequisite course. Students are urged to make sure they take sequence courses in order. Students who are following a more general course of study must also take the appropriate prerequisite courses for certain classes before they can enroll in them.

Department Requirements

All majors must complete at least 36 credit hours in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising courses, and no more than 39 credit hours in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising, Film and Media Arts, and Broadcasting, Telecommunications, and Mass Media courses. Requirements include:
1. A core of four courses (12 hours) required of all majors:
  • JPRA C055 Introduction to Mass Media
  • JPRA 0150 Writing for Mass Media
  • JPRA 0260 Electronic Information Gathering
  • JPRA W382 Law and Ethics of Mass Media

2 . An additional course from the following list:
  • JPRA 0060 Introduction to Visual Communications
  • JPRA 0317 Special Topics in Journalism
  • JPRA 0335 History of Journalism
  • JPRA 0345 Race and Racism in the News (on-line)
  • JPRA 0378 Mass Media Research
  • JPRA 0385 Theories of Communication

3. An additional writing course from the following list:
  • JPRA 0223 Introduction to Public Relations Writing
  • JPRA W231 Magazine Article Writing
  • JPRA 0234 Broadcast Newswriting
  • JPRA 0251 Public Affairs Reporting
  • JPRA 0270 Advertising Copywriting
  • JPRA 0280 Sportswriting
  • JPRA 0282 Business and Economic Reporting
  • JPRA 0295 Humor Writing
  • JPRA W323 Advanced Public Relations Writing
  • JPRA 0340 Editorial Writing
  • JPRA 0344 Investigative Reporting
  • JPRA 0350 Science Writing

4. Completion of a capstone course near the end of the undergraduate program that brings together skills and knowledge acquired in other department courses to complete projects or assignments suitable for a portfolio. These courses include those in the list below.

Courses
Prerequisite to JPRA 0150: Pass department's writing/grammar entrance proficiency exam or pass (with a C or better) a two-credit-hour JPRA 0051 Writing Style Lab. Completion of JPRA C055 and 0150 with grades of C or better is required before students enroll in any JPRA classes numbered 0200 or higher or Capstone course.

Capstone course (minimum: one course)
  • JPRA 0324 Public Relations Management and Case Problems
  • JPRA 0338 Broadcast News Producing
  • JPRA 0344 Investigative Reporting
  • JPRA 0369 Photography Seminar II
  • JPRA 0371 WRTI Radio News Workshop
  • JPRA 0374 Advertising Campaigns
  • JPRA 0381 Magazine Editing and Design
Minor in Science and Health Communications for the Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising Major
A minimum of 21 s.h. minor is available to Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising students who wish to add a sub-specialty in science, environmental, or health communication. News-Editorial, Magazine, and Public Relations students most easily can adapt their schedules to satisfy this minor. Courses taken to satisfy other University or department requirements
may be used to satisfy requirements of this minor.
 
Required of all Minors:
JPRA 0350 Science Writing 2 s.h.

Science Background, two courses in one discipline of the following:
Bio. C083, C084 General Biology I, II 4, 4 s.h.
Bio. C071 Human Biology 4 s.h.
   
and either:  
   
Bio. C072 Ecosystems and Man 4 s.h.
Bio. C074 Plants, Food, World Hunger 4 s.h
Bio. C075 Heredity and Man 4 s.h.
Bio. C080 Human Development, or
Bio. C085 Marine Biology
4 s.h.
Chem. C061/63, C062/64 Introduction to Chemistry I and II 4,4 s.h.
Physics C053 Physics: Matter and Motion 4 s.h
   
and either:  
   
Physics C054 Physics: Waves and Modern Physics, or
Physics C056 Introduction to Astronomy
4 s.h
Geology C050 Introductory Geology 4 s.h.
   
and either:  
   
Geology C051 Catastrophic Geology 4 s.h.
Geology C057 Evolution 4 s.h.
Geology C062 Oceanography 4 s.h.
Geology C077 Perspectives on Energy, or
Geology C081 Environmental Geology
4 s.h.
   
Skills and Research, two courses:  
   
JPRA 0221 Public Relations Principles 3 s.h.
JPRA 0223 Public Relations Writing and Editing I 3 s.h.
JPRA W231 Magazine Article Writing 3 s.h.
JPRA 0378 Mass Media Research 3 s.h.
English W102 Technical Writing 3 s.h.

Medical, Health Systems, and Environmental Contexts, two courses:
 
Hlth. Rel. Prof. 0110 Microbiology (CAHP) (Spring) 4 s.h. Permission required for non-majors
Hlth. Info. Mgt. 0003 Medical Terminology (CAHP) 3 s.h. For non-majors
Hlth. Admin. X101 Introduction to Health Services
Systems (FSBM)
3 s.h.  
Hlth. Admin. 0201 Current Issues in Health 3 s.h. Prerequisite: Hlth. Admin. X101
Administration (FSBM)
Econ. 0262 or W262 Health Economics 3 s.h. Prerequisite: Econ. 0052 or 0053
GUS 0050 Environment and Society 3 s.h. Prerequisite: Geology 0050
EE C020 Evolution of Modern Electrical Systems 3 s.h. Prerequisite: Any first level Core
(Engr.) science course

Minor in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising
A 20 s.h. minor is available to undergraduate students. The minor is intended to broaden the educational experience of students
majoring in other disciplines. A notation on the transcript will indicate successful completion of the minor.
The requirements for a minor in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising are as follows:
  • JPRA C055 Introduction to Mass Media 3 s.h.
  • JPRA 0150 Writing for Mass Media 3 s.h.
Passing grades on department's Newswriting and News Style exams. (These two courses are to be taken before any upper-level courses.)

The remaining courses to complete the minor may be selected from among any courses listed by the department subject to stated prerequisites. Transfer courses from other institutions are not accepted for credit for the minor in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising, with the single exception of JPRA C055.

Students must receive the permission of their adviser before starting in this program and register for the minor in the School of Communications and Theater Advising Center, Third Floor, Annenberg Hall. Once the minor has been approved, students must follow the academic rules of the Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising for all Journalism, Public
Relations, and Advertising courses. Minor credit is not given for Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising grades below C. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in the minor. Students with Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising averages under 2.0 for more than two semesters will be dropped from the program. Students with averages under 2.0 may not
begin the program.

Economics Minor

In conjunction with the Department of Economics, students majoring in JPRA may complete a minor or certificate (two courses in addition to the course required in Economics of JPRA majors) in Economics. See SCAT advisers for information.

London Program

The department participates in the School of Communications and Theater's Temple London (fall semester) and British Mass Media Seminar (summer) programs that offer special opportunities for study and research.

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SPEECH COMMUNICATION

Aram A. Aghazarian, Chair
(215) 204-1882

The Department of Speech Communication combines a liberal arts emphasis with a communication perspective designed to provide majors with strong analytic and performance skills for a wide variety of communication contexts and careers where advocacy is the goal, for example, law, business, public relations, public policy, government, etc. Performance skills are gained through theoretical and practical courses in public speaking, argumentation, debate, and speech writing, while analytic skills are gained through courses in the strategies and tactics of persuasion and campaigns and movements. Students are encouraged to apply theory and practice in career settings via independent study and internship experiences.

Speech Communication students are encouraged to enhance their career preparation by taking elective courses in other programs of the School, in the Fox School of Business and Management, the College of Liberal Arts, and throughout the University.

Requirements
1. At least 24 semester hours in Speech Communication courses (including both required and elective courses) must be completed with no grade below C- and an overall grade point average of at least 2.0. No more than 12 semester hours in Speech Communication can be transferred from other institutions.

2. In order to develop essential speech communication skills and a broad understanding of the discipline, the following courses in Speech Communication must be completed:
Spch. Comm.
0065 Public Speaking
R082 Campaigns and Movements
0174 Argumentation
0180 Persuasion
0274 Rhetorical Theory
0300 Seminar in Communication and Advocacy
0302 Rhetorical Criticism
0398 Independent Study or Spch. Comm. 0399 Internship
3. At least 12 semester hours in other departments in the School of Communications and Theater must be completed. 4. English W103, an advanced writing course, must be completed. 5. Speech Communication students are required to complete at least 45 semester hours of upper-level courses in SCAT and CLA.
6. At least 63 semester hours must be taken outside the School of Communications and Theater.
Minor
Students wishing to minor in Speech Communication must complete the following requirements:
1. Speech Communication 0065, 0082, 0174, and 0180.

2. Six semester hours of Speech Communication courses numbered 0100 or above.

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