Non-JRMCers Learn Valuable Lessons Through JRMC Courses
By: Farah Abbas
@itsfarahabbas
There has been a high demand for Journalism and Mass Communication (JRMC) courses by non-JRMC majors in recent years which has resulted in the opening of more sections, said the Senior Director at the Academic Advising Center, Noha Saada.
Speaking to The Caravan, Saada explained that no one knows the exact reason as to why non-JRMC students are interested in taking them for their general electives, as each student has a different reason.
When The Caravan asked students why they chose JRMC courses as electives, a few recurring factors that appealed to them emerged.
Political Science junior Malak Sameh explained that she likes taking JRMC courses because of how some of the courses complement her major and could help her in her future career.
“Personally, as a Political Science student, I like taking courses such as Public Opinion & Propaganda as it focuses on techniques of sociological and political persuasion in mass media,” Sameh told The Caravan.
Another factor non-JRMC students shared they enjoyed learning was that of valuable communication skills.
“I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to work in a studio and in newsroom environments. After taking a course like AUC TV, I was finally able to get out of my comfort zone and realize how much hustling and communication skills are needed in any industry,” said Civil Engineering alumna Lujainne Hafez.
Hafez reiterated that improving this basic skill, albeit in a media setting for the class, extends far beyond one single career, giving the example of how it would be ineffective to be a doctor who could not speak to a patient or a fellow nurse.
Among all the students who were interviewed, the media literacy course was the one thing that they all seemed to agree on.
“Mass Communication courses can make you aware of what you are actually consuming in your daily life, differentiate between real news and fake news, and turn you into a person who is media literate,” Hafez added.
Additionally, another reason non-JRMC students feel they have benefitted from taking JRMC courses rests in the fact that it forced them to step outside of their comfort zones and in doing so, helped build their confidence.
Economics junior Hussain Ayman explained that he had been terrified at first when taking media writing because of how different it was.
“When I first took the media writing class as an elective, I panicked, groaned, and was almost about to drop the class since I was absolutely terrified of walking up to people to ask them questions for my paper. But as soon as I dived into the course, I learned new skills to carry with me and help me out with my relationships, internships, and future careers,” said Ayman.
Professor of Practice in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Mervat Abou Oaf explained that the media literacy core course that has been created specifically for non-JRMC students to raise their awareness of how to critically use media.
“This [media literacy] is one segment of realizing you don’t need to study mass communications to be able to realize that you can be abused by it. That’s why I think there’s this approach towards knowing more and more about the media,” said Abou Oaf.
Abou Oaf added this can be attributed to the fact that in the past, the media, namely news and entertainment, was not like the 24/7 coverage which exists today. Regardless of whether consumers are studying mass communications or not, media is used for several everyday activities such as education, work or even for fun.
Abou Oaf added that she believes that this is why Introduction to Mass Communication, a course that is offered as an elective to all non-JRMC students, is another popular course.
“I believe that one of the major factors that make such courses very popular is the fact that students started to realize or wanted to avoid being abused by social media,” said Abou Oaf.
