Community Journalism emphasizes the local aspects of news, and teaches students how to identify “community” beyond a region and a neighborhood. A co-taught course with Photojournalism faculty in the College of Art and Design, Community Journalism sharpens students’ reporting skills, and guides them in constructing a reporting project as a complete journalistic package, with visual, artistic and written storytelling components in concert with each other. The final project will be a reported (written) piece with corresponding photographs and multimedia.

This course is designed to help students develop and refine project ideas and write a successful project proposal. Students will develop ideation techniques and research skills necessary to create a written proposal that describes, in detail, their intention and process. Students will learn how to develop the infrastructure necessary to successfully see their idea through to completion.

This course will reinforce and build upon the skills learned in the first semester of Photographic Arts I. It will emphasize aesthetics, craft, visual problem solving and critical thinking skills - the foundations of the Photographic Arts curriculum. In this semester, the studio will be introduced as a space that can be used to create and control light. This course's curriculum will continue to emphasize both craft and visual problem solving required in high-level photographic imaging.

Photography Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, will propose a course of study. Photography Independent Study students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll.

As mainstream newsrooms shrink, fewer stories about issues relevant to local communities are written and photographed. This course introduces students to the principles and practices of community journalism. Community journalism focuses on hyper-local issues and is increasingly becoming an important source for local news and information. Students will learn about the importance of community journalism and will practice writing and photographing stories about community leaders and organizations, neighborhood stability factors, meetings, sports, crime, and changes in a small community near Rochester. The course will be structured around class discussions, workshops, and live reporting from the community.

This course will explore the use of the photographic image in narrative, documentary and editorial form. There will be an emphasis on publication, public need and independent projects. Lectures, critiques, demonstrations and assignments will provide participants the opportunity to explore the still, audio, video, and multimedia aspects of story telling. Students will be expected to meet project deadlines and participate in both class discussions and critiques.

This course will focus on implementing areas of special interest including new, advanced, and emerging visual communication course content. Potential topics may include areas in visual communications, video, visual storytelling, and documentary storytelling. Students may take more than one Mini-Workshop with different topics.

This course provides students the unique opportunity to participate in a one-week intensive workshop that travels to New York City, the center of the photojournalism business in the US. The purpose of the trip is to provide a broad view of documentary and editorial photography in the industry and give students an idea of the wide variety of potential job markets that exist for documentary/editorial work. Students will meet with a variety of photographers, art directors, designers, photo editors, photographer agents, including RIT alumni, while visiting print and online publications (magazines and newspapers), photo agencies, photography studios, galleries, and museums. **Note: A special course fee will be assessed **

This is the first of a two-course capstone sequence for students in photojournalism. Students will create an independent senior capstone project proposal that also demands the student research. Students will have the support and guidance of a faculty member. The students will research and plan for the production of a visual media presentation, a book/hardcopy portfolio or a collaborative editing portfolio and a written statement and conclusion. Course will include weekly group presentations on various topics to include time management, research, planning, photographic and photojournalistic subjects.