UBC undergraduate students will have more opportunities to develop their journalism skills in the 2023-2024 academic year, with the launch of a new Minor in Journalism and Social Change.
The new program offered by the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media recognizes the need and interest for more journalism courses at the undergraduate level.
It offers a unique set of courses that encourage students to think about and practice journalism in the context of social change.
Students will be able to complement their major field of study with essential journalistic skills, critical thinking and analytical news literacy, with a focus on understanding the role of journalism in social change.
The minor will be taught by the school’s experienced professors and industry experts, recognized as leaders in digital journalism and media scholarship.
“I’m very proud of the work and thinking that have gone into making this minor possible,” said School Director and Professor Kamal Al-Solaylee. “The program approaches practice, technological shifts and social change in original, ethical and organic ways.”
“Students who complete the minor will be in a strong position to untangle the current moment and capture it in different journalistic genres and styles.”
Course requirements
The expansion of undergraduate journalism courses complements the graduate Master of Journalism program, which has been offered since 1998.
Starting in September, undergraduate students pursuing the minor will be required to take JRNL 200 Journalism Here and Now, and JRNL 201 Introduction to News Audiences.
There are four more required journalism courses for third and fourth years: JRNL 320 Multimedia Journalism; JRNL 325 Fundamentals of Community Reporting; JRNL 420 Decoding Social Media; and JRNL 425 Journalism and Social Change Movements.
Students pursuing the minor degree will be required to take an additional six credits, chosen from a range of courses that address social change or journalism skills in related disciplines such as sociology, writing studies and First Nations studies.
This interdisciplinary approach provides students with a broader understanding of the socio-political dynamics that shape news reporting and its response to social change.
“In the last few years and in the midst of ongoing changes in communication technology, students at UBC have witnessed a global pandemic, a full-scale ground war in Europe, and dramatic social and political upheavals here in Canada and around the world,” said Assistant Professor of Teaching Saranaz Barforoush, who led the development of the minor.
“Each of these events has been transformative. Each has demonstrated that facts matter. Each has shown that the public need verifiable information to understand the complex global and local events that have led to significant social change. The Minor in Journalism and Social Change aims to address such needs.”
