University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication has adopted a new curriculum, introduced in spring 2024. It will be in place for the first time this year.
The previous “J” subject code has now changed to a new “JCOM” code and new classes have been implemented. The SOJC offers a guide for returning students to see how the previous “J” courses have translated to the new “JCOM” curriculum.
Deb Morrison, the SOJC associate dean for undergraduate affairs and distinguished professor of advertising, led the effort to refresh the old “J” courses.
“When I came into this position, I said ‘As hard as it will be, let’s go after this. Let’s rethink how we want our curriculum and our culture to be,’” Morrison said.
The whole process required lots of research and time, according to Morrison.
“It was a team of us, sitting over a year. We researched our comparators. We looked at how one little class worked here or there or here. We talked to writing experts at Poynter [Institute]. We thought about how you make a culture of belonging, which, post-pandemic we all needed,” Morrison said.
According to Morrison, the courses J101: Grammar for Communicators and J213: Fact or Fiction have been retired. J100: Media Professions has now become JCOM 101 and is a four-credit course instead of a two-credit course.
J211: Gateway to Media, previously an eight-credit course, has now been split into JCOM 102 Story Craft: Audio for two credits, JCOM 103 Story Craft: Visual for two credits and JCOM 202 How Stories Work for four credits.
“We exploded Gateway and put it into separate entities that we’ll assess at the end of the first year and the end of the second year,” Morrison said.
The number of 400-level core context courses has increased from three to 15, according to the course guide, and the number of 300 and 400-level courses for all four majors under the SOJC has also increased significantly.
Morrison said that the goal when creating this new curriculum was to get students working in closer proximity to their professors. Many of the new courses will now be formatted for around 30 students instead of being large lectures.
“I love the idea of a first-year student getting to know Professor Ed Madison who does all this amazing stuff. They’re going to sit with him and get to know him and be able to come back to him the next term and say, ‘Help me, I want to do this.’ I love that idea of building those relationships and so we’re really working on that,” Morrison said.
According to Morrison, the goal of this refresh was to allow students for more hands-on learning with as much feedback as possible.
“You know, we have two important constituents. We want our students to be ready and we want them to have a full set of experiences,” Morrison said.
Sally Garner, senior director for student success, provided insight on the process of piecing these ideas into an organized pathway of courses that made sense for students.
“With an entire curriculum overhaul like this one, it’s actually a two-step process, and this process is the same for any new major or minor. First the courses have to be “built” and once all the individual courses are there, the program structure has to be approved,” Garner said.
Garner explains the process as “similar to creating a Lego set.”
“All summer, I’ve been describing it this way: we had to first build each individual Lego piece. Then we had to submit the picture on the Lego box for approval,” Garner said.
According to Garner, efforts from multiple groups of faculty went into executing the new courses.
“Internally, it’s with faculty and the area directors. It’s Deb Morrison and her curriculum team, Marcia Stuart and Melody Olmsted, and with my own team of advisors who help me test run the courses and the prerequisite logic…,” Garner said. “…I work more behind the scenes with partners in the Registrar’s Office to update the UO Catalog, degree guides and now, Ducks on Track.”
While the goal of these new courses is to connect students with professors and hands-on learning, Garner explained why prerequisites will still be in place.
“Prerequisites can be tedious and annoying, but they are there for good reasons. Learning and skill development best happens when you let things breathe. Give yourself time to learn, give yourself time to practice the craft that you’re building,” Garner said.
Returning students will be “grandfathered” into the new curriculum, according to Garner, and their previous credits will still count towards their major.
Most returning students follow the “Fall 2021” curriculum, with some under the “Fall 2018” curriculum. All incoming first-year and transfer students are placed under the “Fall 2024” curriculum.