The University of Southern Mississippi

School of Mass Communication and Journalism

Photojournalism: MCJ 341 & 341L
SPRING 2010

C O U R S E S Y L L A B U S

Pre-requisite: MCJ 241, 241L; co-requisite: MCJ 341L. Intermediate course in camera
and darkroom techniques. Emphasizes presentation of black and white still
photojournalism.

Class Time: 1:00-2:15 pm, Tuesday & Thursday / 5:10-6:25 pm Tuesday LAB
* Class door will be locked after 10 minutes per dean’s security requirement
Place: SH 119
Professor: Gina Gayle
Office: SH 118C
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00 am –12:00 pm & 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm or by appointment
Phone: 646­245­1241 C / 601­266­5511 O
Email Address: gina.gayle@usm.edu 
Credit Hours
3 credit hours & 1 credit hour LAB

Textbook:
Photojournalism, The Professionals’ Approach, Sixth Edition, by Kenneth Kobre’ & The
Moment it Clicks, by Joe McNally.

Course Description:
The Principles and practices; including the role of the photojournalism, techniques of
black and white photography, picture editing, ethics of photojournalism, the documentary
approach and techniques in dealing with the public.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
 To train the student to apply the principles of photography to various areas of
journalism.
 To introduce to the student the principles and techniques of photojournalism.
 To train the student to understand and identify, for editorial purposes, the
hallmarks of excellence in photojournalism.

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Presentation of examples of excellence in photojournalism and analysis of those
elements that makes a good news photograph.
  The advantages and disadvantages of various cameras and optional equipment
will be demonstrated and explained.

Class Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory in order for students to understand the material and build upon 
their learning.  Each student will be allowed TWO (2) absences, excused or unexcused. 
After TWO (2) absences the student’s grade will drop by one grade.  THREE (3) late 
arrivals will equal ONE (1) absence.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Photographic achievement of the student 70%
- Students are required to submit 14 original photos

Class participation, including knowledge of the text 20%

­ Reading of the text
The photojournalism scrapbook 10%
- Students must maintain a scrapbook of examples of
                  Photojournalism excellence

Grades:
Grades will be assigned according to the departmental grading scale:
A= 90­100%
B= 80­89%
C= 70­79%
D= 60­69%
F= <60%

Academic Honesty
“When cheating is discovered, the faculty member may give the student an F on the work involved or in the course. If further 
disciplinary action is deemed appropriate, the student should be reported to the dean of students.  In addition to being a violation of 
academic honesty, cheating violates the code of student conduct and may be grounds for probation, suspension, and/or expulsion.  
Students on disciplinary suspension may not enroll in any courses offered by The University of Southern Mississippi.”

ADA Syllabus Statement 

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she 
should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures.  Disabilities 
covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders.  Students can contact ODA if 
they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies.  
Address:
The University of Southern Mississippi
  Office for Disability Accommodations
118 College Drive # 8586
Hattiesburg, MS    39406­0001
Voice Telephone:     (601) 266­5024 or (228) 214­3232      Fax:  (601) 266­6035
 Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at 1­800­
582­2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu.

Calendar: this is a tentative course calendar; it may be revised as needed.

Week One: 1/19 & 1/21
Introduction and overview. History of photojournalism, great photojournalists.
READING: CH 17, 1, 2, 3, 4

Week Two: 1/26 & 1/28
Types of PJ; news, features, assignments.
READING: CH 8, 9, 12, 13
.
Week Three: 2/2 & 2/4
Cameras, Strobe, Multimedia & Video
READING: CH 10,15,16

Week Four: 2/9 & 2/11
Ethics, Law and Covering the Issues.
READING: CH 5,6

Week Five: 2/16 MARDI GRAS NO CLASS  & 2/18
Sports & Portraits.
READING: CATCH UP ON READING

Week Six: 2/23 & 2/25
Review, Dealing with the Public, Street Photography.
READING: CH 11

Week Seven: 3/2 & 3/4
MIDTERM & Photo Stories
READING: SPECIAL SECTION, DIGITAL DARKROOM

SPRING BREAK
Week Eight: 3/23 & 3/25
Photo Stories & Documentary.
READING: CH 18

Week Nine: 3/30 & 4/1
Photo Stories, Photo Editing, Preparation & Captions.
ASSIGNMENT: PJ EXHIBIT

Week Ten: 4/6 & 4/8
Photo Editing & work on projects.
READING: CH 14

Week Eleven: 4/13 & 4/15
Guest Speaker, Photo Illustrations & Adv. Photography.
ASSIGNMENT: PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Week Twelve: 4/20 & 4/22
Darkroom Techniques & Digital Workflow.

Week Thirteen: 4/27 & 2/29
Work on projects & review

Week Fourteen: 5/4 & 5/6
Final Project editing

FINALS WEEK: May 10­13 2010

***may be revised if necessary. Students will be notified if this is the case.

SUPPLEMENTAL READING:

Andrews, Phillip. (2002).  Adobe Photoshop Elements: A Visual Introduction to 
   Digital  Imaging.  Boston: Focal Press.  
Ang, Tom. (2000). Picture Editing (2nd ed.). Boston: Focal Press.
Calderwood, Alastair. (2002). Forensic Photography. Boston: Focal Press.
Chapnick, Howard. (2001). Truth Needs No Ally: Inside Photojournalism. Columbia, 
   MO: University of Missouri Press.
Constant, Alan. (2000). Close­Up Photography. Boston: Focal Press.
Evening, Martin. (2004) Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers: Profession
Image Editor's Guide to the Creative Use of Photoshop for the Mac and PC
  Boston:  Focal Press.
Georges, Gregory, (2003)  50 Fast Digital Camera Techniques (50 Fast Techniques
Series) Wiley.
Graves, Carson. (2001). Elements of Black and White Printing (2nd ed.). Boston: 
Focal Press.
Terry Barrett (1990) Criticizing Photographs. Mayfield Publishing Co.
Horton, Brian (2000) Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism. McGraw­Hill
Jacobson, R., Ray, S.F., Axford, N.R., Attridge, G.G.. (2000). Manual of 
   Photography:  Photographic and Digital Imaging. Boston: Focal Press.
Light, Ken (2000) Witness in Our Time. Smithsonian Books
Lester, Paul M. and Ross, Susan D. (Eds.). (2003). Images that Injure. Westport, CT: 
   Praeger
Marey, Etienne Jules.  (1995). Movement.
Wheeler, Thomas H. (2002). Phototruth or Photofiction?: Ethics and Media Imagery
    in the Digital Age. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Zakia, Richard D. (2001). Perception and Imaging (2nd ed.). Boston: Focal Press.