Journalism, Media, and Public Discourse
Eleanor Townsley, Nexus director, track chair
Kenneth Tucker, track chair
217G Dwight Hall
413-538-3010
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/nexus/journalism_media_public_discourse
Overview and Contact Information
Many departments, including English, history, sociology, and politics, offer hands-on and theory-based courses in journalism and public media. Students learn to examine the world with an educated, critical eye; to collect material from a wide range of sources; and to analyze and communicate information clearly and concisely. MHC’s approach reflects the reality of the job market: employers in journalism and media want students who are knowledgeable and articulate across a wide array of subjects in the liberal arts, who are creative, flexible thinkers with superior writing and analytical capabilities. The Nexus in Journalism, Media, and Public Discourse encourages students to explore journalism and media through many venues. In the classroom, students can master the nuts and bolts of reporting and fact-checking a news story, examine the history of the New York Times, or analyze the role of media in contemporary society.
Faculty
This area of study is administered by the following Nexus track chairs:
Eleanor Townsley, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Sociology and Director of Nexus, Teaching Fall Only
Kenneth Tucker, Helen P. Bibbero Professor of Sociology
Requirements for the Nexus
A minimum of 18 credits:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Three courses above the 100 level chosen from the list of courses approved for this Nexus or selected with approval of the track chair | 12 | |
| One approved 300-level course from the list of courses approved for this Nexus or selected with approval of the track chair | 4 | |
| Completion of the UAF application stages 1 and 2 1 | ||
| A substantive internship 2 | ||
| COLL-211 | Reflecting Back: Connecting Internship and Research to Your Liberal Arts Education | 2 |
| A presentation at LEAP Symposium | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| 1 | Or a fifth class with approval of the track chair |
| 2 | At least 240 work hours and responsibilities that exercise ability to think analytically and creatively, and contribute meaningfully to the organization’s stated mission and complements the student's area of focus |
Additional Specifications
-
Nexus students will develop a brief proposal outlining their specific area of focus and provide a course outline for approval from the track chair. A Plan of Study form must be returned to the Nexus Program office.
- The sequence of a Nexus is part of what makes it unique:
-
In preparation for the summer internship or research, students complete courses chosen in consultation with the track chair. If seeking funding through LYNK UAF, students will additionally complete orientation and advising, and online training.
- COLL-211 is taken after the internship or research project and culminates in a presentation at LEAP Symposium.
-
Courses Counting toward the Nexus
Courses other than those listed below may count toward the Nexus. Students should consult the Nexus track chair for consideration of courses not on the list.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | ||
| ANTHR-221 | Anthropology of Media | 4 |
| ANTHR-230 | Language in Culture and Society | 4 |
| ANTHR-316WC | Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Writing Capitalism's Ruins' | 4 |
| ANTHR-352 | Digital Cultures | 4 |
| Art History | ||
| ARTH-242 | History of Photography: The First Hundred Years | 4 |
| Asian Studies | ||
| ASIAN-312 | Newspaper Reading and Journalistic Practice in China | 4 |
| College(Interdeptmnt) Courses | ||
| COLL-211 | Reflecting Back: Connecting Internship and Research to Your Liberal Arts Education | 2 |
| Critical Social Thought | ||
| CST-349SV | Advanced Topics: 'Media and Surveillance' | 4 |
| CST-349VC | Advanced Topics: 'Victorian Literature and Visual Culture' | 4 |
| English | ||
| ENGL-202 | Introduction to Journalism | 4 |
| ENGL-301DM | Studies in Journalism: 'Bots, Bytes, Tweets, and Snaps: Digital Media and the Transformation of Journalism in the 21st Century' | 4 |
| ENGL-301MW | Studies in Journalism: 'Magazine Writing - Sequence I' | 4 |
| ENGL-325 | Victorian Literature and Visual Culture | 4 |
| Film, Media, Theater | ||
| FMT-102 | Introduction to Film Studies | 4 |
| FMT-104 | Introduction to Media Studies | 4 |
| FMT-230NC | Intermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Social Media: Networked Cultures' | 4 |
| FMT-230RA | Intermediate Courses in History and Theory:'Reel America: History and Film' | 4 |
| FMT-230WM | Intermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'History of World Media' | 4 |
| FMT-330EA | Advanced Courses in History and Theory: 'Envisioning Apocalypse' | 4 |
| FMT-330SV | Advanced Courses in History and Theory: 'Media and Surveillance' | 4 |
| French | ||
| FREN-225 | Intermediate Level Courses in Culture and Literature: Introduction to Contemporary Culture and Media of France and the French-Speaking World | 4 |
| First-Year Seminars | ||
| FYSEM-110PE | Performing the Self | 4 |
| History | ||
| HIST-283RA | Topics in the Recent History of the United States: 'Reel America: History and Film' | 4 |
| HIST-301NY | Colloquium: 'Reading the New York Times: Journalism, Power, History' | 4 |
| Sociology | ||
| SOCI-216MD | Special Topics in Sociology: 'Sociology of Media' | 4 |
| SOCI-234 | Social Problems | 4 |
| SOCI-240 | Collective Behavior and Social Movements | 4 |
| SOCI-316PS | Special Topics in Sociology: 'Digital Media and the Public Sphere' | 4 |
| Spanish | ||
| SPAN-240CN | Visual Cultures, An Introduction: 'Latin American Cinema' | 4 |
| SPAN-250LM | Concepts and Practices of Power: 'Making Latin America: From Independence to the Present' | 4 |
