Why Teaching?

Lead. Support. Inspire.

Participating in teaching, leadership and mentorship roles as an undergraduate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers a wide range of benefits—both personal and professional. These experiential learning opportunities help to reinforce your own understanding of the curriculum and connect you with faculty, administrators and other campus partners. More importantly, serving in a leadership role gives you an opportunity to hone your communication skills while helping your peers navigate a variety of challenges.

SCRIPT Requirement

Courses for undergraduate teaching assistants, executive leadership roles, and peer mentors, as designated by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, may be used to fulfill the SCRIPT experiential learning requirement for students in the major. These courses have a prefix of JMC or CLAS.

What does a teaching experience look like?

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants

JMC:3000, CLAS:4100

Undergraduate teaching assistants (UTA) provide instructional support for introductory courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. UTAs support student learning by serving as a resource and role model for students enrolled in the course.

Executive Leadership Roles

JMC:3000

Team leaders in the Adler Agency, Prep Sports Report and ISLE Workshop provide students the opportunity to manage projects, collaborate with external partners, and mentor student teams. Executive leadership roles are vital to the delivery of high-quality, commercially viable content.

Peer Mentors

JMC:3000

Peer mentors support undergraduate student success in the major by serving as student advocates and providing guidance on study strategies and navigating the program. Peer mentors also help facilitate various networking events throughout the academic year.

What are my course options?

Peer Assistant courses within the department are paid positions, supervised by faculty or staff, and offered for 0 s.h. only. Courses are restricted to journalism and mass communication majors, and students must apply for and receive permission to register. 

Registering your teaching or leadership experience for 0 s.h. allows you to:
  • Eliminate tuition and fees associated with enrollment
  • Fulfill the SCRIPT requirement for experiences that are paid
  • Provide transcript notation of your participation
  • Document your experience without accumulating additional credit toward the 56 s.h. limit within the major

JMC:3000 Requirements

To meet the learning objectives of the SCRIPT experiential learning requirement, courses require meaningful assignments that help you connect the experience to your academic and career pursuits. 

To receive a satisfactory grade, students are required to complete:

  1. Pre-experience survey
  2. Post-experience survey
  3. Reflective narrative
Teaching courses that fulfill the SCRIPT requirement for JMC majors
Course #  TitleHours
JMC:30001Peer Assistant (multiple section options)0
CLAS:41002Peer Assistant1-2

1 Section options include the following paid positions: Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTA), Executive Leadership Roles, and Peer Mentors.

2 Students who prefer to receive academic credit as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) should register for CLAS:4100.