Curriculum Enrichment

Toward a reinvigoration of the journalism curriculum, offering students a deep exploration of complex subjects like history, politics, classics and philosophy

The goal of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education is to elevate journalism schools within university communities and to integrate them into the academic life of the campus so that they will attract and prepare the journalism leaders of tomorrow for a more complex and intellectually challenging industry. A key feature of this initiative is curriculum enrichment, which demands a reinvigoration of the journalism curriculum to offer students a deep and multilayered exploration of complex subjects like history, politics, classics and philosophy to undergird their journalistic skills. In partnership with the Corporation, the deans at four leading journalism schools have developed their vision of what a journalism school can be at an exemplary research university.

Graduate School of Journalism, University of California at Berkeley
The Graduate School of Journalism at Berkeley has expanded its already flexible curriculum for its two-year master's degree program to include joint-degree programs with schools and departments such as law, public health, literature, the arts, public policy, the sciences, humanities, social sciences and business, while at the same time creating a more journalism friendly way of bringing this specialized knowledge to their students. The school has reached out to other units on campus by initially focusing on three areas and then expanding outwards to other disciplines: Human Rights Issues and International Reporting; Public Health; and Urban Reporting on Design and Planning.

Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
The Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University launched a new Master of Arts program in Journalism in the Fall of 2005. This new academic program focuses on teaching future journalism leaders about the substance of complicated subjects central to their careers. The program departs from the traditional journalism school practice of teaching students the skills associated with various forms of journalism, and focuses instead on teaching them to master complex subjects and communicate their essence clearly to general audiences. The Corporation's grant enables the journalism school to bring experts and other Columbia faculty from other disciplines , to teach in partnership with journalism professors, in ways that they believe will be especially useful to journalists.

Dean Nicholas B Lemann's Report on the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, April 2006 [pdf]

Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University is offering two new courses for undergraduate journalists as part of a larger effort at the school to continue its history of enriching the curriculum. This is being accomplished through innovative approaches to journalism education and cutting-edge training in the undercovered, important and complex issues that tomorrow's journalists will need to be able to explain to their audiences to help ensure an informed electorate. The two courses, The Nexus Between the Media and Military in Conflicts and Terrorism and News and Numbers: Statistics and Analytical Research for Journalists represents an important step forward in the quality and substance of journalism education for the school. These courses also continue Medill's innovative approach to journalism education and cutting-edge training in the, important and complex issues that tomorrow's journalists will need to be able to explain to their audiences to help ensure an informed public.

Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California
As part of their curriculum reform plan, the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California is launching a new Master of Arts degree in specialized journalism. Areas of specialization include science and technology, religion, globalization and education. This new degree program is a fundamental element of the school's vision for transforming journalism education by integrating the School of Journalism fully into the intellectual life of the university. This program will be designed to meet the profession's need for journalists who are not only educated, curious, expert and effective, but who are also prepared to report on the complex policy issues, social concerns and ethics that will shape science and technology issues in the future.