Description
Class Summary
This course encourages students to engage in critical thinking as they consider the inventions, events, and people that have shaped American journalism from colonial times to the internet. We’ll consider the impact of technical, economic, political, and cultural developments as we examine what “freedom of the press” and “the truth” have meant in American society from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Trump.
Recommended books for this course:
- Engaging News Media (2006) by Mark Kelley
- Mightier than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History, 4th Edition (2015) by Rodger Streitmatter
About the Instructor
Mark Kelley, Ph.D. taught journalism/mass communications at Syracuse University and the University of Maine after 25 years as a broadcast journalist. His career included producing weekend news at WSTM-TV in Syracuse, investigative reporting at WSJV-TV in Elkhart, IN, and WNDU-TV in South Bend, IN. When he retired from reporting in 1999, he was the main anchor for WNDU-TV created by Father Ted Hesburgh, former president of the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of five books, including Engaging News Media: A Practical Guide for People of Faith, This Mere Existence: Motivation and Strategies for Restoring Human Rights, and An Uncommon Woman: The Life of Lydia Hamilton Smith. Kelley lives in Lancaster with his wife, Marty.