Michael
Grant
Journalism
Instructor
Office Room 2121, Digital Arts
Building, 619 644 7269, michael.grant@gcccd.edu
Fall Semester, 2007
Classes
Media Com 112, MW, 2:30-3:45 p.m., Room 2120
Media Com 112, MW, 6-7:15 p.m., Room 2120
Media Com 112, TTh, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Room 2120
Media Com 112, TTh, 3-4:15 p.m., Room 2120
Media Com 132, W 11-11:50 a.m.; F 10-11:50 a.m., Room 2120
Media Com 112, Basic News Writing, teaches students introductory writing for both print and broadcast journalism. The Media Com 112 class at the end of the semester produces and videotapes studio newscast programs in collaboration with the Media Com 117 class, Basic Video Operations. Four sections of Media Com 112 are offered each semester. There are no journalism classes offered during the summer. MC112 transfers to San Diego State University as the equivalent of Comm 200.
Media Com 132, The Summit, offers students practical experience in writing, editing, and photography for the campus newspaper. The Summit publishes weekly during the semester. The staff meets twice weekly, on Wednesday and Friday. Assignments are made, and completed by deadline the following Friday, for inclusion in the edition of the following week.
Grossmont students may take a series of courses in print and broadcast journalism to completely prepare themselves for the recent development of cross-media journalism. The courses include Basic News Writing, Basic Video Cinematography, Audio Studio Operations, Media Announcing, Video Editing and Newspaper Production. The modern media industries require journalists who can both write and deliver the 30-second story for television and also the 3,000-word version of that same story for print. As video and print media converge on the World Wide Web, that cross-media skill will be mandatory for journalists. Students with those skills may also choose to create their own "broadcast" businesses on the World Wide Web, choosing their target audience and developing video, audio and print content focused on that "narrowcast" audience.
Skills learned in these courses will serve students who are going into media businesses (public relations, marketing) other than journalism. In fact the ability to analyze information, which is the first thing we learn in MC 112, will better equip a student to write anything, from a news story to a love letter. We look forward to seeing you in our classes.
The Media Com Department also offers degree tracks and instruction in video production, audio studio production both for broadcast and studio recording, and an internship program in which students may earn college credits for on-the-job training in the industry. At any given time, about half of the video and audio studio technicians in San Diego County received their education and training in the studios at Grossmont College.
© Michael Grant, 2006