Journalism 320 - History of American Journalsm

We will examine the major innovations and styles in journalism, including the historical context into which print fits, the arrival of press freedom, the invention of faster presses, the Penny Press of the 1840s, the story press period in the 1890s, and the Muckrakers, objective reporters, investigative journalists, the literary journalists of the 20th century and today, and the arrival of the Internet. The institutional framework for journalism, including the First Amendment and the business structures of publications, will fill out the historical context in which these innovations took shape. We will have a special interest in the history of technologies in journalism. (Gen. Ed. HS)

Open to Senior, Junior and Sophomore Journalism majors only.