Muskingum College: Academic Departments Home Page

Journalism faculty: Donna Edsall (print media), Lisa Marshall (radio), Meghan Fox (yearbook), Jeff Harman (broadcast media), Jerry Martin (speech communication), and Vivian Wagner (print media).

The interdisciplinary major in journalism is designed for students interested in a career in broadcast, print or electronic media. The journalism program at Muskingum is designed to provide hands-on experience in journalism, while helping the student to develop a theoretical understanding of the field.

Students who major in journalism may not minor in English or in speech communication. They are encouraged to minor in a subject that will allow them to specialize in the field of communication. For example, a student wishing to write for a science journal might choose to minor in biology or chemistry; a student who wishes to become a religion reporter might choose to minor in religion or philosophy; a student interested in becoming a political commentator might choose to minor in political science, and so forth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "interdisciplinary" mean?

The word "interdisciplinary" means that the major consists of courses taken in different departments, or disciplines. For example, in the journalism major you will take courses in the department of English for print media and in the department of speech communication for broadcast media.

What is the philosophy of the journalism major at Muskingum?

The philosophy of our current major centers on the "new journalism." In today's world, it is no longer enough to be able to write for one medium. For example, if you are a broadcasting journalist trained in radio, you might now be asked to write up the news and put it on the radio station's Web site. To do this you have to be able both to write and to design computer graphics. Muskingum's program anticipates what future journalists will need to know in order to compete in the job market.

Will I get practical experience?

At Muskingum we stress hands-on experience to make sure that our majors are competent in all areas of journalism. We stress the wide variety of skills needed by current and future journalists.

Why do I have to do two internships?

The two different internships are an integral component of our program. An internship gives you actual practical experience. It also helps you to make contacts in the field, people who may be able to help you find a job someday. We want you to intern in two different areas so that you will be able to function in both sides of the profession. A journalist who is skilled in both broadcasting and print media will be versatile, competent, and highly marketable.

Where do I get my internships?

You can choose to do your internships in your hometown area or in the New Concord-Cambridge-Zanesville area. Your adviser will guide you through the process of setting up an internship. Most media businesses are happy to have the help. In some cases, students who started out as interns became regular summer employees or even full-time employees of that company later. Think of internships as stepping stones, because they will help you find your career niche.

To give you an idea, here's a list of students and their current internship plans:

Kolet Buenavides, a print internship in public relations writing for the Jewish Vocational Services in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Amy Rutledge, a print internship in public relations writing for the Southeastern Medical faciity in Cambridge, Ohio.
Beth Sacks, a broadcast internship at WMCO, working with the media director.
Sarah Therkelson, a print internship copy editing and arts reviewing for the Dayton Daily News.
Julie Watts, a print internship doing reporting and design work for The Daily Jeffersonian, Cambridge.
Meryl Williams, a print internship for The Times Reporter in the Dover-New Philadelphia area, writing, editing and doing layout.
Angela Weimer, a print internship for Campus Crusade for Christ national headquarters in Florida.

What is the future of the journalism major at Muskingum?

We believe that we have a good program as is, but we are in the process of making it even better. We have recently added radio and print media teachers, and we have added classes in advanced newswriting, editing and design, public relations and feature writing. The newly-constructed Communication Arts Complex offers state-of-the-art facilities for broadcast journalism. We have just introduced a major in multi-media design and graphics. All in all, this is an exciting time to join the journalism program at Muskingum.

Besides internships, how do I get hands-on experience?

You work on the student media. We have an active radio staff, television staff, newspaper staff, and yearbook staff. Students get practical experience while being supervised by professionals.

Are there any organizations I can join?

We encourage you to join the Society for Collegiate Journalists. In fact, before you are even eligible for this organization, we encourage you to participate as a member of the Journalism Club. Going to conferences is another way to broaden your knowledge and make contacts in the field. The SCJ will provide you with yet another key to a fulfilling career.

Are Scholarships Available?

Yes, we have journalism scholarships in amounts of $500 to $1500 per year, renewable annually, with the amount of the scholarship based upon a student's level of participation and demonstrated ability in the field. Financial need is not a requirement, although the Journalism Scholarship is factored into the financial aid package for students demonstrating financial need. For more information about applying for a Journalism Scholarship, contact the Student Financial Services Office.

What are the facilities like?

The radio station is a full-time FCC-licensed noncommercial radio station operating at 90.7 FM with 1.3 kilowatts, serving Muskingum and Guernsey counties. An on-air studio, production studio, newsroom, student offices, and music library make up the radio area. Each studio is equipped with a state-of-the-art interconnected digital audio recording and playback system. A TV control room is equipped with video switcher, graphics generator, digital audio record/playback system, and S-VHS/DV video editing system. The TV studio is equipped with 2 JVC studio cameras with teleprompters, overhead lighting grid, and permanent and movable sets. The Associated Press Broadcast newswire provides national, state, and regional news support. CNN Newsource video feeds are available through a satellite downlink. We have upgraded our digital audio delivery system for Fall 2000, and have added portable minidisc recorders for digital newsgathering. A new portable multitrack recording and editing suite has also been added.

The publications offices are located in Cambridge Hall. The newspaper lab is in Room 8 and is equipped with 11 eMac computers loaded with InDesign, a scanner, and a laser printer. Students design pages on the computer, learning valuable desk-top publishing skills. The Black and Magenta is a weekly paper, published 12 times each semester. Room 9 of Cambridge Hall houses the Muscoljuan, the college yearbook, which is published every fall. First Circle, the college literary magazine, is published every spring, and is housed in Room 17 of Cambridge Hall. We are continually updating the equipment and software so that students remain up-to-date in publishing techniques.


THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS on Muskingum's campus, The Black and Magenta has been published since 1895. This fall's staff is more than ready for the job!	I'VE GOT SOURCES, BUT I won't tell you who they are! ! Meryl Williams, editor-in-chief, prepares her pages for the week.

Society for Collegiate Journalists

Students who have worked on a campus publication or in campus media for one year are eligible to join the journalism honorary, the Society for Collegiate Journalists. This active group sponsors panel discussions and other events on campus. Recently, SCJ sponsored a panel discussion on the subject of First Amendments rights and Student rights and responsibilities.

The newspaper, yearbook, and radio station recnetly earned national recognition from the SCJ. The Black and Magenta earned the following awards: First place for personal opinion was awarded to Kolet Buenavides for her article "Credit Card Debt." Third place for news stories was awarded to Eric Sternot for his article "Access denied: Court becomes temporary parking lot." Third place for news stories was also awarded to Angela Weimer for her article "Racial Reality." Honorable mention for a feature story was awarded to Jessica Marshall for her article on "The Doon School."

WMCO, 90.7 FM, the college radio station, garnered the following awards: First place for broadcast sports in journalism was awarded to the WMCO Sports Team. Third place for broadcast features in radio was awarded to Jessica Marshall for her story "Love You Forever."

The college yearbook, The Muscoljuan, earned third place for small schools overall excellence, fourth place for display in layout, design and graphics, fifth place for coverage of the year, fifth place for concept of the book, and fifth place in photography.

The Society for Collegiate Journalists is a National Society of Collegiate Mass Communications. It is the nation's oldest organization designed solely to serve college journalists. It has approximately 80 active chapters nationwide and 800 members.


SPEAK UP! Jessie Marshall, SCJ secretary, introduces the panel which spoke on First Amendment and Student Rights. The event was held in Kelly Coffee House.	GOT SOME NEWS? News editor Eric Sternot gets ready to design his pages.


TWO EDITORS. Mery Williams served as editor-in-chief for Fall 2007. She graduated in December, and Josh Chaney took over as editor-in-chief for spring semester. We will miss you, Meryl!	RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES were the topics covered by the panel sponsored by SCJ. From left, Joseph Tomain, lawyer; Rick Nutt, religion professor; Bob Bergmann, Student Life; and Kerry Nelson, Student Life.


ARE WE READY? Dr. Wagner has a last minute chat with three journalism majors who are getting ready to present their senior seminar project.	SENIOR JOURNALISM MAJOR Angela Weimer presents her seminar topic. Each major must take a capstone course, combining their research skills with print and media.

Who are the Journalism faculty?

Donna Edsall has been a member of the Muskingum faculty since 1989. She majored in English with a minor in Journalism at Shepherd College in West Virginia, where she earned a bachelor's degree. There she studied both broadcasting and print media. She was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and news manager of the radio station. She also worked for the local daily newspaper, The Martinsburg (W.Va.) Journal (now The Evening Journal). Her experience at the newspaper included all areas of print media, including advertising. In addition, she reported for the local Hagerstown, Md., television station.

In 1975 she went to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, for graduate work in English and Journalism. There she worked for the public relations office at the university and studied public relations and advertising as well as design (magazine and newspaper). She earned her Ph.D. in 1981 and went to work for a small liberal arts college in Missouri, where she designed the journalism program and taught journalism courses, including newswriting, news story types, editing and make-up, and feature and editorial writing.

At Muskingum, she co-designed the interdisciplinary journalism major and serves now in an advisory capacity. She is a past advisor of the school newspaper and yearbook.

Lisa Marshall serves as Instructor of Speech Communcation and manager of WMCO, Muskingum College's radio station. WMCO 90.7 The Orbit is the student-run radio station which is on air 24/7.

Meghan Fox, Instructor of English, supervises The Muscoljuan, the college yearbook.

Jeff Harman joined the Muskingum faculty in 1984. Interested in radio and TV from an early age, Harman graduated from Grove City College in 1975. Grove City provided his initial experience with college radio. Harman worked as a college DJ all four years and managed WSAJ his senior year. After a few years progressing from radio announcer/producer to news director to program director for several stations in western and northwestern Pennsylvania (WWIZ, WNUF, WFRA/WVEN, WCUC, WWCH) and some time out from radio to work for the Boy Scouts of America in Pittsburgh, he returned to school and received an MS in Communication from Clarion University of Pennsylvania., After a year of teaching video production at Clarion, Harman took over the radio/TV program at Muskingum.

Since arriving at Muskingum, Harman has worked to make the radio/TV area an integral part of the Speech Communication and Theatre and Journalism academic programs while continually updating the radio/TV studios and equipment intrastructure to enhance student learning opportunities. He has remained active as a media professional, working on various projects for stations in central Ohio and West Virginia, including WZMM, WWBK, WWJM, and WHIZ AM/FM/TV. He has also completed various video projects for area organizations, including Bank One and the John and Annie Glenn Historical Site and Museum. The Glenn project was a series of oral history videos taped and edited by students in an advanced video production and directing class.

In 1995, Harman completed a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at Bowling Green State University. His dissertation, "Digital Radio Broadcasting Technology Applications: A Delphi Forecast Study" was funded by the National Association of Broadcasters and published by the NAB to assist broadcasters in understanding how digital technologies are fundamentally changing the nature of how the broadcast industry does business.

MCTV Channel 6 is Muskingum's channel on cable tv, broadcast locally. Students write and perform programs for this television station.

Jerry Martin is a Professor of Speech Communication and Theatre and teaches courses in interviewing, extemporaneous speaking, scriptwriting and theater. He has been teaching at Muskingum since 1982.

Vivian Wagner Dr. Wagner is this year's winner of the Sheridan Barker Advisor of the Year Award, given by the Society of Collegiate Journalists. She received her Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has a great deal of experience as a freelance journalist. Her articles have appeared in a variety of regional and national publications. She advises the weekly student newspaper, The Black and Magenta, and teaches journalism courses, such as introduction to journalism, news story types, feature and editorial writing, editing and make-up, public relations writing, and journalistic ethics. She recently won first-place honors in a competition held by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists.

List of Requirements for the Journalism Major

For the Broadcast component:

SPCO 111 Media Writing and Performance
SPCO 210 Mass Communication
SPCO 211 Audio Production OR SPCO 311 Video Production
SPCO 312 Electronic Media Structure and Content
SPCO 345 Interviewing

TWO of the following:

SPCO 101 Communication Practicum
SPCO 201 Communication Practicum
SPCO 301 Communication Practicum
SPCO 401 Communication Practicum

Art:

Art 141 Photography

Writing, Language, and Ethics

ENGL 207 Introduction to Journalism
ENGL 208 Editing and Make-Up
ENGL 209 News Story Types
ENGL 213 Journalism Design Practicum (one-hour laboratory)
ENGL 217 Journalism Writing Practicum (one-hour laboratory, taken twice)
ENGL 315 Feature and Editorial Writing OR ENGL 316 Public Relations Writing
ENGL 317 Journalistic Ethics

Senior Seminar

IDIS 495 Journalism Senior Seminar

Internships

IDIS 300 Print Journalism Internship
IDIS 300 Broadcast Journalism Internship

All internships must be cleared with the VPAA's office in advance.

Recommended Electives

POLS 310 Political Communication (offered in election years)
SOCI 216 Social Problems in Contemporary America
HIST 376 History of American Diplomacy
ECON 341 Economics of Developing Countries
CPSC 370 Computer Graphics

Minor

Students who major in journalism may not minor in English or in speech communication. They are encouraged to minor in a subject that will allow them to specialize. For example, a student whose primary interest is covering international events could minor in a foreign language. A student interested in covering political news could minor in political science. A student interested in writing for a religion journal might want to minor in religion.