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John's courses at Bakersfield College
Full semester journalism courses or workshop-style courses at BC's Levan Institute!
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| Some of the photojournalism class students on lighting day, spring 2009 semester. |
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| Pioneers! Bakersfield College's first-ever multimedia reporting class, fall semester 2008. |
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Full semester-length courses in the Bakersfield College Journalism Department
These are graded courses running from August 24 through December 12, 2009. You must be enrolled in Bakersfield College to take these classes. Classes are also open to high school and home school students. Those students should consult your counselor if you are interested in these courses.
Journalism B15 - Press Photography
Days and times: Saturdays 9:10 am to 2:20 pm
First class: August 29. Last class: November 21. Final exam: December 5.
Location: Campus Center 1, Renegade RIP office for on-campus classes.
Various locations in Bakersfield for on-location assignments.
Course description:
This is the journalism department's beginning photojournalism course. It combines beginning photography instruction with beginning Photoshop instruction. The subject material that is both photographed and discussed involves working with events, occurrences and activities involving people, as this is a journalism course. This course prepares students to work on the student newspaper, the Renegade RIP, but is also very popular with non-journalism students wanting to learn basic photography skills. The course also involves discussion of relevant journalism topics, including legal issues, right to access issues, photojournalism ethics, and journalism trends.
In class sessions are generally divided between lecture/discussion from 9:10am to11 am. Break from 11am to 11:30am and lab from 11:30am to 2:20pm. On location classes meet at the designated site between 9:10am and 9:30am, then begin photographing until the class ends.
Assignments:
There are eight assignments, one approximately every two weeks. All assignments can be covered during class time, so students who attend class regularly can easily complete this course during the allotted class hours.
Required materials:
Each student must posess a camera with at least partial manual controls. Cameras that are fully automatic, allowing no adjustment of settings, may not be used in this class. There are no film processing facilities at the Renegade RIP. Students who shoot with a film camera must have the images developed and a CD of digital files included in their processing. (We have not had a film camera used by a student for several years now.) Digital SLRs are highly recommended. More-sophisticated all in one cameras may be used.
Prerequisites: None, however basic computer skills are required.
Stuff you should know:
This is my 14th year teaching this course. We have a lot of fun in this class and I try to run it similarly to what you would experience as a photographer on the Renegade RIP. However, please keep in mind that the lab portion of this class is not optional. You must attend lab! Also, the on-location shooting schedule will at times dictate how much time is allocated to lecture/discussion and lab. If you miss class, you will fall behind very quickly. Do not take this class if you have a job that requires you to work on Saturday! Many have tried with disastrous results. You are graded in this course primarily on your eight submitted assignments, though your class participation, Photoshop skills and final exam also contribute to your grade.
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Journalism B16 - Multimedia Reporting
Days and times: Tuesday and Thursday 6pm to 8pm
First class: August 25. Last class: December 3. Final exam: December 8.
Location: Main campus, Fine Arts Room 10
Course description:
Is the printed newspaper terminally ill? Will the web deliver virtually all information people will access? Will the two settle into a new world of co-existence, delivering on their strengths and staying away from their weaknesses? What role will social media like Facebook and Twitter play in delivering news? No one knows for sure what the new world order of news delivery and consumption will look like, but one thing’s for certain: the topic is fascinating and changing week by week. In this course, you will keep tabs on the breathtaking changes shaping the industry while learning what has emerged as a proven and powerful commodity in the new media world: multimedia reporting.
As the journalism world struggles to define its role on the web and the future of the printed product, multimedia journalism - reporting through the use of still photos, audio, video and text - has emerged as a powerful new way journalists can tell stories. For the first time, photojournalists are no longer confined by the space limitations of newsprint and have discovered powerful and exciting ways to bring stories to life online. Best of all, virtually anyone can become their own publisher, completely free of startup costs and massive capital that would have to be raised to start a print publication. This class shows you how to do it all! You will produce your own multimedia stories and publish them to your own web site, then will learn how to use social networking to get your work viewed by the outside world.
Assignments:
Each student will shoot and produce two multimedia stories. The stories must contain still photographs, text and recorded and edited audio interviews. Video may be incorporated into the second story, with permission of the instructor. Additionally, each student will become his or her own publisher of a journalism-related web site and will maintain that site through the course of the semester. The student will publish both multimedia stories on their site and will be required to add at least six news items to the site throughout the semester.
Required materials:
You will need a digital camera with at least partial manual controls to take this course. A video camera that produces digital files is optional, you will not be required to shoot video in your projects, but may do so if you wish. Video instruction will be included in this class. You also must have a digital voice recorder producing either .wma, .wav, or .mp3 files. The recorder must be capable of transferring the files to a computer via a USB cable. ABSOLUTELY NO TAPE BASED AUDIO RECORDERS OR VIDEO CAMERAS MAY BE USED IN THIS CLASS. A text book is not required, but there will be a fair amount of internet reading assigned.
Prerequisites:
It is strongly recommended that you take Journalism B15 - Press Photography, before enrolling in this course. Basic computer skills are mandatory. We will work with several software programs in this course. You will learn the basics of those programs, but this is not a technology course and we cannot teach you basic computer skills. You must know how to turn the computer on and off, how to access and save files, how to find and open applications, and the difference between files, folders and programs. You will receive basic instruction in Photoshop, Final Cut, Sound Slides Plus and Audacity.
Stuff you should know:
This will be second year for this course, which is now a requirement for the AA in Journalism. Last year we did a lot of trial and error as the course took shape. The current format, as described above, came about as we evaluated what worked, what didn't work, what was covered and what wasn't covered. The students played a big part in helping us come up with the format as we move forward with this exciting course. By moving to the Fine Arts computer lab, we believe that one of the big obstacles faced last year, computer and technology compatability, has been addressed. This means we will be able to spend more time on journalism content and hopefully little if any time dealing with technology issues. It is important that prospective students understand that this is not a technology class; it is a journalism class. It is NOT a filmmaking class, a broadcasting class, or a video production class. The software programs will be taught to the extent that they are needed to produce your multimedia projects. At semester's end, it will be all about the stories you have told. This is a journalism content class above all else.
View a multimedia show produced in class last year. Click here.
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Workshop-style courses at BC's Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning
For older folks or working adults who do not have time to enroll in full-length courses, Bakersfield College's Levan Institute is the perfect place to learn a craft in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. There is no grading involved and you do not have to be enrolled as a BC student to sign up for a class. The courses are workshop-style, and are just several hours long. This super-cool new school at Bakersfield College is funded by a grant by Dr. Norman Levan. My courses are listed below. You can learn more about the Levan Institute and their other courses by visiting their site.
Digital slide show presentation
Six two-hour sessions, Wednesdays 6pm to 8pm
September 16, 23, 30 and October 7, 14, 21
Bakersfield College main campus, Fine Arts Room 51
Course description:
The old Kodak slide projector is obsolete and digital slide shows are all the rage. For good reason, as there is virtually no limit to how you can present your shows and share them with your family, friends and even the rest of the world! In this course you will learn how to construct interesting shows, with sound and special effects, that will hold your audience's attention. You will learn the basics of the industry-standard slide show program Photodex ProShow for PCs and Boinx Fotomagico for Macs. Best of all, both of these powerful programs are very affordable, at around $70, so you are not learning on a platform that is too expensive or complicated to install on your own computer.
Required materials: Just have digital files that you would like to assemble in a show. If you have a laptop with the program installed, feel free to bring it to class. The programs are not installed on the computers in the lab, this is more of a "how to do it" workshop by viewing demonstrations by the instructor.
Stuff you show know:
The course will be primarily taught on ProShow with some Fotomagico instruction. ProShow is a great program in that the basics can be easily learned, but is sophisticated enough that very complex and advanced slide shows can also be created. This class will deal with basic show creation techniques. I have been assembling digital slide shows since 2001, when I began offering them to my clients. I am a big fan of "simple is best" when assembling a show, but I do know that you will have a blast discovering all the crazy, wild and cool ways to present a show!
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Beginning photography: use of digital cameras
Five two-hour sessions, Wednesdays 6pm to 8pm
October 28, November 4, 18, 25 and December 2
Bakersfield College main campus, Fine Arts Room 51
Course description:
This course teaches you how to take that new digital camera off the "auto" mode and how to use its manual features to really learn how photography works! You will learn how to set up your camera to get the best results and we'll tackle those confusing concepts like resolution, color balance, ISOs and write and flush times. You'll learn just how a digital image is made, without having to learn all that crazy math and science! And of course you'll learn how to take better photographs by understanding composition, lighting, motion and depth of field.
Required materials:
A digital camera is required. The class is best suited to digital SLRs and full-featured all-in-one cameras that allow manual controls. Cameras that are fully automatic with no ability to switch to at least partial manual control are not recommended.
Stuff you should know:
It is important that you bring your camera's instruction manual to class. Cameras are essentially computers, and the manufacturers build them differently, sometimes making it very tricky to find the controls you will need to access to set up your camera.
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