Syracuse j-school stepping up

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications has already moved to update the journalism curriculum, according to an article today in the student newspaper, The Daily Orange:

The main changes taking place affect Newhouse’s “spine,” or core curriculum, [professor Michael] Schoonmaker said. One of those changes will be the addition of another introductory course all Newhouse freshmen will take.

Starting fall 2009, every member of the incoming class will have to take a storytelling course, [dean Lorraine] Branham said. The class is aimed at integrating multimedia, including the Internet, photography, audio and video into all media outlets and programs.

“It’s a production and creation class, not just a lecture class,” Schoonmaker said. “Most of the beginning-level courses we’ve had in Newhouse before at the core level were kind of manageable classes with blackboards and erasers and lots of chairs.”

The article makes Branham — a longtime journalist and formerly director of the j-school at the University of Texas, Austin — sound like a smart and practical leader:

Newhouse faculty members are learning how to use the multimedia programs so they can educate their students in areas in which the industry is changing, Branham said. Through three-day “crash courses,” Newhouse professors are learning how to use software including Soundslides and Adobe Flash, InDesign and Photoshop.

“These are folks who are really good at what they do, and now we’re asking them to learn some new skills, so it’s exciting but also a little scary,” Branham said.

Branham said she thinks the idea of having a separate new media major for undergraduates makes no sense.

“All of our undergraduates need to be conversant with new media,” she said. “And none of our students, no matter what their major, should be leaving Newhouse without having a basic understanding of the fundamentals of new media and how to tell stories on multiple platforms.”

A faculty’s ideas about how to accomplish this are bound to differ, not only from school to school, but also within a school. One thing I would draw attention to is that Newhouse’s new required course is characterized as a “storytelling class.” That bodes well, I think. Some people advocate a tools class — basically a how-to software class — for journalism students.

Teaching tools without teaching the essential principles of how to communicate visually, how to inform effectively, and how to tell stories? I don’t see much value for students in that approach.