School of Journalism and Mass Communication Alumna Alison Baker Jensen is an Attorney Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) in Denver, Colorado. Jensen recently visited SJMC classes to speak with students about her experiences at SJMC and beyond.

The month of November is Native American Heritage Month. The month is dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the contributions and culture of Native American and Indigenous Peoples. The dedication of the new Native Nations Room in the IMU took place on November 5.

This semester, students in Professor Melissa Tully’s Audio Production class are producing a daily news show. Working in groups, they will release one 15- to 20-minute daily news episode per day for the week of November 15-19, 2021.

During these webinars, students met alumni and visiting professionals who have forged careers in various industries with their Journalism and Mass Communication degrees. In discussions with these alumni, students had a chance to learn about what it is like to work in these industries.

Jordyn Reiland (B.A. 2015) lives in Chicago but works remotely as the editor of Skilled Nursing News doing healthcare-based reporting and writing on a digital platform. “The network that the School of Journalism and the Daily Iowan have built is very strong. I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity I had to get my foot in the door,” added Reiland.

Associate Professor Melissa Tully is co-principal investigator of a research team that has recently published a report regarding media literacy in the U.S. The report titled “Equity and Impact in Media Literacy Practice: Mapping the Field in the United States,” consists of findings from a year-long research effort. The research team also published “Field Guide for Equitable Media Literacy Practice,” based on the findings in the report.

Getting students out of the classroom and involved in real-world community projects allows the curriculum to live and breathe. This has been the focus of Professor Frank Durham’s Strategic Communication Writing class throughout the course of the semester. On October 2nd, students in the course took a field trip to a local non-profit organization in Coralville. Houses Into Homes looks to provide household furnishings to families and individuals in the Iowa City Community School District. 

The School is home to the first PhD program in the field of mass communication, and it continues to train emerging scholars in cutting-edge research. Our curriculum provides a strong foundation in humanistic and social science theories and methods. Research areas of strength include global media, digital media, sports media, health/science communication, journalism studies, and critical/cultural studies.

Brett Johnson (M.A. 2011), was recognized for his efforts to advance the understanding of the role of journalism in democracy. By crossing disciplinary and methodological boundaries to study the nexus of law and ethics, and to advance the understanding of the First Amendment, Johnson has achieved tremendous success.

“The main goal of the course is exploration,” Professor Ripka said. “It’s a 4000-level course, so students should have a good foundation in storytelling and journalism using traditional media. The crux of the class is taking those skills that are overarching and exploring how to best use them in these new media and find out what the media is and isn’t good for.”