Journalism at Ripon College

Academics | Journalism

Journalism

Most educators believe that a liberal arts education is essential for any good reporter. Journalists need to be well-informed in many areas and often face the challenge of interpreting and explaining complex, technical information in plain language for a diverse public. A liberal education prepares students to think rationally, to evaluate situations judiciously and to write clearly and gracefully. These are the journalist’s most valuable skills.

Journalism students most frequently select majors such as English, politics and government, history, economics, philosophy or particular interest areas like music or art.

A self-designed major is yet another option. For example, one student designed a major in political communication involving an internship in Washington, D.C.; another supplemented a French major with a self-designed journalism major in preparation for a career as a foreign correspondent. If you wish to go on to specialized training in journalism, you may arrange to do so after three years at Ripon, receiving degrees from both Ripon and the journalism school of your choice.

 

Faculty

Dean Pape

 

Self-designed major in Journalism

Students planning a self-designed major in journalism usually select courses which correspond with their area of interest, such as art, the sciences or political reporting. The following courses are frequently taken by journalism students:

  • Contemporary Issues in International Relations
  • Ethics
  • Text Analysis
  • 20th Century Thought and Culture
  • Nonfiction Writing
  • Contemporary World Cinema
  • Political Communication
  • Human Nature
  • Comparative Politics
  • Comparative Religions
  • Persuasion and Mass Media
  • Leadership Roles and Processes
  • Journalism I
  • Journalism II
 

Advising

Ripon College encourages all students to embrace a Four-Year Career Development Plan. This plan is based on the premise that career planning is a development process that involves learning and decision-making over an extended period of time.

First Year

  • Incoming students are assigned a Faculty Mentor based on their interest area(s). Please see the FACULTY tab under your major area;
  • All Freshman are required to enroll in a First-Year Seminar, which is designed as a transition from high school to college learning, providing an interdisciplinary introduction to the liberal arts and the pursuit of in-depth study;
  • Freshman are encouraged to meet the career development staff early on and complete interest and skills inventories, and self-assessment tools; and,
  • Attend the pre-Fall Break “Major Fest” to explore the various major options and career tracks.

Third Year

  • Assume leadership positions in on-campus clubs and organizations;
  • Participate in mock interviews with the Career Development Office;
  • Attend the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges Job Fair in February and other relevant career fairs;
  • If relevant, begin to research potential graduate school programs and take the appropriate entrance exam(s);
  • Continue to meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor;
  • Continue to build a solid network and a list of work references, and build your resume;
  • Consider off-campus study: Semester and/or alternative Spring Breaks;
  • Continue to job shadow; and,
  • Gain further career experience associated with your education during the academic year and as part of a summer job or internship.

Second Year

  • Get involved with on-campus clubs and organizations, athletic teams and/or intramural sports;
  • Attend the pre-Fall Break “Major Fest” to explore the various major options and career tracks;
  • Declare a major;
  • Meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor or match your interests with a faculty member in your major department. Determine which professors have areas of expertise most similar to your interests. Talk to people in the academic department to find out about faculty research, scholarly, and creative interests;
  • Attend on-campus career workshops;
  • Work with the Career Development Office to create an approved resume;
  • Job shadow people involved in various careers and professions of interest; and,
  • Gain further career experience associated with your education during the academic year and as part of a summer job or internship.

Fourth Year

  • Complete a Senior Capstone/Thesis in your major area(s);
  • Continue to meet regularly with your Faculty Mentor;
  • Perfect your interviewing skills;
  • Expand your existing network of contacts;
  • Finalize your resume and prepare cover letter;
  • Build a credential file in the Career Development Office;
  • Interview with on-campus recruiters;
  • Set-up informational interviews with target companies;
  • If relevant, apply to graduate school programs, and if necessary, re-take entrance exams; and,
  • Practice career goal-setting.

 

Unique Opportunities

Hands-On Experience

Students have excellent opportunities to gain direct journalistic experience by working for one or several of the following campus organizations:

  • College Days, Wisconsin’s oldest college newspaper
  • WRPN-FM, the campus radio station
  • Photo Genesis, a photography organization
  • The Crimson, Ripon’s yearbook
  • RCTV, a student-run video production organization
  • Parallax, an annual literary magazine

Recent Awards

  • Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) 1st Place, SPJ Region 6 – General Column Writing Sonya Sorich, Features Editor National Finalist – General Column Writing Sonya Sorich, Features Editor
  • Milwaukee Press Club (oldest and most recognized press club in the nation) 2nd Place – Best News Story “Times of Change,” Michael Timm, Editor-in-Chief 2nd Place – Best Sports Coverage Mike Sumnicht, Sports Editor
  • Wisconsin Newspaper Association 1st Place – Best Feature Story “Harrison Ford & Ripon College,” Sonya Sorich, Features Editor

Off-Campus Programs

Many students choose to study for a semester off-campus. Those students interested in journalism have chosen the Washington Semester (in our nation’s capital) or Urban Studies (in Chicago). Students interested in international affairs have chosen semesters in France, London, Spain and other European countries.

Internships

The following internshipes were held by current journalism students and recent Ripon College alumni:

  • Hardball with Chris Matthews – MSNBC, New Jersey
  • WDJT – CBS 58, Milwaukee
  • WBBM – Chicago
  • WMUR – New Hampshire
  • WEMI/WSCG – Appleton
  • WTMJ – NBC, Milwaukee

 

Our Graduates

Recent graduates have gone on to prestigious journalism schools, including Columbia University, University of Missouri and the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism. Undergraduates also have held part-time jobs and credit-bearing internships at area newspapers and in the College’s own Office of Marketing and Communication.

Prominent Ripon alumni in the field include Bill Roberts, class of ’41, former White House assistant press secretary; Curtis MacDougall, class of ’23, one of the leading journalism professors in the country; Richard Threlkeld, class of ’59, former CBS journalist most recently on assignment in Moscow; Walter Zimmerman, class of ’67, former news director for a Wisconsin regional television station and now a television news director in Hawaii; Marti Spittell Ziegelbauer, class of ’82, former anchor for a Green Bay, Wisconsin, television station and a consultant for Frank Magid & Associates in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Susan Bundock, class of ’84, producer for the C-SPAN cable television network.