Journalism Keeps You Informed
PVCC offers an incredible variety of courses and electives to choose from. Many courses cover a wide selection of subjects and skills. One of the most challenging, exciting, and fun electives is Journalism. The Journalism course (ENG 121) at PVCC is taught by Dr. Tamara Whyte.
Dr. Whyte, associate professor of English, received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Journalism was my first love. I was editor and chief of my school newspaper and the online editor for the magazine,” she said. “And then I went and got my PhD in English and started teaching.”
According to Dr. Whyte, Journalism is important because it keeps people educated and knowledgeable about the world. Journalists try to keep us informed with an unbiased view.
“Good Journalism is about providing truth,” she said.
Dr. Whyte hopes that her students leave her class feeling more confident in writing and editing.
“You don’t have to be a journalist to take the journalism class,” she said. According to Dr. Whyte, some students who plan to major in business, medicine, or law say that they are communicating and writing more effectively after taking the course.
Veronica Reyes, a Journalism I student, said that she is taking the course because she wanted to expand her horizons and try something that she always heard about but never got the chance to take.
“At times, the hardest thing is writing with precision. Sometimes it’s seeing your work being edited in front of you,” said Reyes. “But being in the course has helped me learn more about the English language and how to be an effective writer.”
“It’s a very hands-on course. It’s not a lecture class. Every week students edit and learn new skills,” said Dr. Whyte. “There’s no final exam. Instead, there is a final portfolio which students can use when they apply for jobs.”
“Even if you miss an article or a quiz here and there, there are tons of opportunities for extra credit that are fun to take up,” said Reyes. “The class is fast-paced and time effective because of deadlines. There is not too much chatter unless there’s peer review to be done.”
Journalism I and Journalism II will be offered in the Spring 2020. The course is called ENG 121 and the course number is 24736. It will be a 16-week course on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The class is a transfer elective in many degree programs and counts at UVA as a news writing course.
“Don’t be shy to approach topics or interview people that normally would make you scared or intimidated. When you challenge yourself, you will be motivated to piece together a great story. Take a look around and write about what people need to know. No worries, you will fall right into it,” said Reyes.
The Journalism course and club come together to make the student newspaper, The Forum, for PVCC. If you have any questions or are interested, email Dr. Tamara Whyte at twhyte@pvcc.edu. Work by students in the course and club members can be published in print or online at piedmontforum.com
“Even if you think this class isn’t relevant to the rest of your life, it might be,” Dr. Whyte said. “Everything has writing.”
