Overview
Jack Rosenberry, Chair
Douglas Bicket, Richard Curry, Mary Loporcaro, Arien Rozelle, Jeremy Sarachan, Todd Sodano,* Lauren A. Vicker
*On leave, Fall 2014
St. John Fisher College’s Department of Media and Communication (formerly Communication/Journalism) features a hands-on curriculum focused on convergent media that educates students to become communication professionals in a rapidly changing world.
The program combines communication theory with practical experience as students develop an understanding of how media influences society and history, while learning to create professional communications that inform, persuade, and entertain. Students learn how to research and write effectively across various media platforms, how to produce messages using multimedia, and how to prepare and deliver effective oral presentations as preparation for a wide variety of careers.
The department's primary degree offering is a bachelor of arts in Media and Communication; it also offers a bachelor of science in Media Management and is closely affiliated with the interdisciplinary Digital Cultures and Technologies program.
The bachelor of arts in Media and Communication is for students interested in documenting the world through writing and media production, by creating content presented on various platforms (written, audio/video, graphical, online) for a variety of purposes, including traditional and emerging journalism, broadcasting, video production, and creative work in public relations and advertising. Experiences in and out of class help them become proficient in writing blogs and other material for online presentation; writing, producing and editing video for programs produced in the studio and in the community; working with creative and analytical social media tools; and designing dynamic websites and mobile applications.
Students who major in Digital Cultures and Technologies are required to have a dual major, and many of them choose to make that second major Media and Communication. Digital Cultures and Technologies offers an interdisciplinary bachelor of arts degree for students drawn to the creative side of technology who are interested in learning to analyze and navigate the changing digital landscape while embracing visual design (video, photography, data visualization), writing, and programming skills for creative and entrepreneurial media work.
The traditional B.A., the Media Management B.S., and the Digital Cultures B.A. are based within a liberal arts setting so students better understand the context, meanings, and impacts of the messages they produce.
Outside of the classroom, Media and Communication students can put their classroom learning to use and build their skills with extracurricular and co-curricular activities including the Cardinal Courier, our campus newspaper and online news site; Cardinal Television, an on-campus closed-circuit broadcast station that also produces work for Time Warner Educational Access Channel 4; the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA); PRIMA Connections, a student-run marketing communications firm; and Lambda Pi Eta, a national speech communication honor society.
Another important part of the major is the internship experience. The department has one of the largest, most active, and most effective internship programs in the region. Fisher interns are placed at local television and radio stations, newspapers, public relations firms, advertising agencies, corporations, and non-profit public service organizations. Internships allow students to gain valuable experience and build a portfolio, while making contact with leading professionals.
Additionally, a focus on Networked Journalism and Interactive Documentary is available to students who double-major with Digital Cultures and Technologies. Students learn to write as journalists and tell non-fiction stories using video, photography, interactive media and news games. Students also learn to conduct journalistic research both through interviewing and the skills associated with the emerging field of data journalism.
Transfer students are welcome and are easily acclimated to the department and the program.
The Washington Experience: Fisher Semester in Washington
Media and Communication majors may take advantage of The Washington Experience, a semester in Washington, D.C. Please refer to The Washington Experience for details.