The fundamentals of journalism need to be established at the beginning of the degree program. Students learn how to write simple and complex news stories along with learning basic diction, grammar and skills in word processing. Advanced reporting follows, teaching about interpretive stories, editorials, co-op pieces and personal columns in papers.
Journalism majors also focus on essentials to editing and copy reading. Journalists must also focus on the layout and design of newspapers and magazines along with choosing the interior makeup of the design. These include selecting font types and sizes or where proper photo placement is.
Journalism majors also focus on the history and influences of journalism in both print and electronically, along with how it has evolved over the years. Another crucial concept is free expression and the First Amendment, along with its limits and problems.
Communication fundamentals focus on the history and development of communication over the years and impact on the media through electronic sources, film, radio, television and in photographs. Students also focus on media writing along with advertising, public relations, critical reading and writing for interactive media.
Speaking in public situations is something that people focus on in educational and work settings. Learn how to speak for both informational and persuasive purposes. Focus on how to plan and act on an interview, including the questions asked and used frequently, how to conduct yourself and how to end the interview on a good note.
Effective communication involves learning how to debate properly, including how to reason, analyze and prepare evidence. A part of communication is the difference between how males and females convey their emotions or exhibit compassion. Also learn the differences between conversation styles of members of the same sex such as male talking to male or female talking to a male.