With registration around the corner, it is time for students to think about and consider courses they are interested in.
Many students struggle with picking classes just because they are scared of the workload or are interested if they are going to learn something useful.
Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut
There is one class I took this semester that I do not regret taking one bit.
This year I decided to take a class that is not a requirement but an option in my degree audit.
JAMM 275, intro to broadcasting.
As a journalism major myself, picking classes can be quite a challenge. Writing courses in the JAMM department are required whereas other skill set classes are not.
Despite all the drama that occurred this past year — I believe this class should be a core requirement all JAMM students must take.
This class teaches students many life skills that they don’t realize along the way during their academic career.
First off, it teaches students to be an actual adult in a career path they are possibly interested in. Most classes give students lead way with due dates and don’t crack the whip as much as they need to. They are treated more like students and in intro to broadcasting they are treated like real adults. The professors treat it as if it is your job.
The class is still a fun environment with a great group of students but it is great to have clear deadlines and feel like you are preparing for a job. No late assignments are accepted but I think that is an important quality this class has.
In the JAMM industry, strict deadlines are required to be met and I think this college environment should prepare us for that.
Besides having feasible deadlines, intro to broadcasting gives students a broader skill set that I believe is required. Most journalism students focus on writing. That’s great and all but I believe that shouldn’t be the case. Students should be expected to learn all sorts of skills in the industry to just simply — survive.
The media industry is changing every day — every minute. Newspapers and magazines are going online and reporters are expected to know how to do many tasks at one time. Reporting, photography and even broadcasting. People watch the news and videos at a rapid. That is what people are interested in seeing these days.
Just think about how many videos you stop and watch on Facebook alone a day? Journalists need to gain the skills for more than one format and taking JAMM 275 is a great first step in that direction.
With strict deadlines and learning a new skill set, the professors in the JAMM department are there to help students along the way. This class isn’t a joke — it is taken seriously. Come critique days, students still obtain a decent grade but are given the feedback they deserve. Given respectful, feasible feedback to students in this department is important and detrimental to students. Without feedback, students can’t grow or learn.
Even though JAMM 275, intro to broadcasting is an elective on a Journalism degree audit I highly encourage students to take this class. The projects end up being quite a bit of fun — you make great relationships with other students in the class and you learn so much. Not just about broadcasting in general but quite a bit about yourself.
I may not be an advisor or an expert but I am a student who has experienced an extremely useful class this last semester.
You should experience it too.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lindsay_trombly