What’s New at College of the Canyons

 We checked in with seven College of the Canyons faculty members to chat about what’s new and exciting on campus this fall, how their programs are creating career opportunities for our community members, and what future COC students can be doing now to prepare for a successful pathway into these exciting career fields.
Dave Brill
Media Entertainment Arts (MEA) –
New Media Journalism
Program Coordinator
From the very start of their collegiate experience, students in the new media journalism program at COC are introduced to the workflow of a modern news room. Within weeks of stepping on campus they are encouraged to use state-of-the-art field cameras, studio equipment and webcasting technology to begin constructing news stories. By the end of the first semester students will have produced at least three stories suitable for publication, while taking part in a live news broadcast.
Students who complete the new media journalism two-year degree path receive a hands-on, comprehensive approach to learning the skills associated with multimedia journalism including article and broadcast writing, photojournalism, video editing, news reporting and anchoring. We have also started to incorporate podcasting into our curriculum, with many students having actually produced talk shows in their spare time. This fall, MEA students will also have the opportunity to participate in a live three-hour election night broadcast in early November. Next spring, students will be invited to the department’s biennial ‘Media Day’ where industry professionals from across Southern California will be on hand to share their experiences and provide advice to future and current students.
Many of our former MEA students are currently working in newsrooms and media outlets across the country. Our alumni have gone on to become news anchors, reporters, editors, photographers, producers, sports commentators, with some also entering the field of public relations. The very same students who once sat in front of me in class are now telling news stories that impact a global audience, and that is something we are especially proud of.
For more information please visit www.canyons.edu/MEA.