Why doesn the major include practical skills courses?
If you mean things like TV production and news writing, the answer is that production processes change very rapidly. The goal of the degree is to give students skills that will not go out of use within a few years. So there is no “Journalism 101” or “PR 101” – courses dedicated to entry-level job skills – in the program. Many courses in the Department do involve students in practical activities, from giving a speech to creating a web page, but the point of these exercises fits the department mission to build critical thinking skills and research skills that last a lifetime.
