Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Spanish Journalism
The Bilingual Spanish Journalism degree prepares students to work in multiple markets that serve Latinx communities. It values and reinforces their cultural and language heritage by giving them tools and skills to report, investigate, produce and write news stories in Spanish and English for print, online and electronic media. Students take classes in the Spanish, International Relations, Latino/Latina Studies, BECA and Journalism departments so that they understand the complexity of the Latino/Latina community in the United States and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. By having a degree in bilingual Spanish journalism graduates will be attractive to bilingual publications, mainstream Latinx media, and English language publications covering issues affecting Latino/Latina communities.
Entering students must be proficient in speaking and writing Spanish. Applicants are required to take an online writing test provided through iLearn and based on the current Spanish program placement test.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Apply the United States principles and laws of freedom of speech and press to all aspects of story production.
- Produce stories that demonstrate a critical understanding of the contextual factors that shape journalism in a diverse, globalized media landscape.
- Produce stories showing the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of journalism in a global society.
- Use technology appropriate to publishing mediums.
- Produce stories that are clear and concise and engage the audience’s attention.
- Apply ethical guidelines to the story production process.
- Conduct research and evaluate information by journalistic standards.
- Critically evaluate work for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
- Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts to stories when appropriate.
Bilingual Spanish Journalism (B.A) — minimum 46 units
Core (34 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BECA 375 | Non-Fiction Scriptwriting | 3 |
| JOUR/SPAN 223 | Bilingual English and Spanish Newswriting | 3 |
| JOUR/SPAN 224 | Newswriting Lab in Spanish | 1 |
| JOUR 226 | Introduction to Multimedia Journalism | 3 |
| JOUR 300GW | Reporting - GWAR | 3 |
| JOUR 307 | News Media Law | 3 |
| JOUR 310 | Journalism Ethics | 3 |
| JOUR/SPAN 323 | Translating the News in English and Spanish | 3 |
| JOUR 575 | Community Media | 3 |
| SPAN 215 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 3 |
| SPAN 301 | Advanced Grammar | 3 |
| SPAN 305 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
Electives (6 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism Guided Electives | ||
| Photojournalism I: Foundations of Photojournalism | ||
| Photojournalism II: Staff Photojournalism | ||
| Online Journalism | ||
| Video Journalism | ||
| Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Guided Electives | ||
| TV Studio Basics | ||
| News Reporting for Television | ||
Practicum (3 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| JOUR 617 | Advanced Journalism Internship | 3 |
Capstone (3-4 units)
Select one:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BECA 660 | Television Center News | 4 |
| JOUR 609 | Newspaper Publication Laboratory | 3 |
Complementary Studies
Required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Bilingual Spanish Journalism are 12 units of Complementary Studies, which must come from courses bearing a prefix other than JOUR, and not cross-listed with JOUR. Complementary Studies courses must come from the following course list and include at least 6 units of SPAN.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| I R/C J 306 | Crisis in Central America: U.S. Policy and the Root Causes of Chaos | 4 |
| I R/PLSI 322 | Policy Analysis: The Latin American Cases | 4 |
| I R/PLSI/C J 362 | The Making of US Foreign Policy | 4 |
| I R 453 | Women and Media in International Relations | 4 |
| I R/PLSI 459 | Refugees in Global Perspective | 4 |
| I R 734 | International Migration | 3 |
| LTNS/HIST 278 | History of Latinos in the U.S. | 3 |
| LTNS 315 | Latina/os in California | 3 |
| LTNS 430/C J 435 | Race, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| LTNS 460 | Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage | 3 |
| LTNS 465 | Mexican American and Chicana/x/o History | 3 |
| LTNS 467 | Caribbeans in the U.S.: History and Heritage | 3 |
| LTNS 470 | Latina/o Immigration to the U.S. | 3 |
| LTNS/C J 485 | Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| SPAN 305 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| SPAN 306 | Advanced Reading and Conversation | 3 |
| SPAN 350 | Introduction to Translation (Spanish to English) | 3 |
| SPAN 371GW | History and Development of the Spanish Language - GWAR | 3 |
| SPAN 401 | Culture and Civilization of Spain | 3 |
| SPAN 405 | Culture and Civilization of Spanish America | 3 |
| SPAN 880 | Seminar in Individual Authors or Works | 3 |
| SPAN 868 | Contemporary Literature from a Transatlantic Approach | 3 |
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.
All Students Must Meet the Transfer Eligibility Requirements Outlined Below for Admission.
For more information, visit the Undergraduate Admissions section.
- Complete 60 or more transferable semester units or 90 or more quarter units.
- Earn a college grade point average of 2.0 or better in all transferable courses. Non-local area residents may be held to a higher GPA standard.
- Be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
- Complete 30-semester units (45-quarter units) of General Education, including four basic skills courses:
- One course in oral communication (same as CSU GE Area A1)
- One course in written composition (same as CSU GE Area A2)
- One course in critical thinking (same as CSU GE Area A3)
- One course in mathematics or quantitative reasoning (same as CSU GE Area B4)
- The four basic skills courses and a minimum of 60 transferable semester units (90-quarter units) must be completed by the spring semester prior to fall admission, or by the fall semester prior to spring admission. Earn a C- or better grade in each basic skills course.