Sonipat, Mar 24 (IANS): The Jindal School of Journalism and Communication (JSJC), O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), an "Institution of Eminence" as recognised by the Government of India, is admitting students to its new B.A. (Hons) Film and New Media Programme.

This innovative programme offers courses on art history, cinematography, direction, screenwriting, film appreciation, video editing, sound design, animation and gaming. The emphasis is on documentary and narrative non-fiction. Like the journalism and media studies programme, the film programme will honour the liberal arts tradition of holistic learning and critical design practice and is perhaps the only one of its kind in the country.

According to Professor Tom Goldstein, Founding Dean of the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, formerly Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism and the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, "Now, more than ever, it is crucial for young, talented minds to be exposed to the kind of broad-based academic subjects that the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication has worked so far to offer."

The Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar said, "JSJC students over the years have reported that they have had a unique experience of studying at an exciting school with an innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum that offers a wide range of international opportunities. The programme stresses on the basics; reading and writing and is rooted in the best traditions of liberal arts education.

"Our students are placed in legacy institutions across broadcast and print in India and at the same time in digital and new media platforms. Since 2017, our students have interned with the BBC South Asia, NDTV, TV18, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Times of India (digital), Newslaundry, Newsminute, The Tribune and other media and production houses."

While JSJC prides itself on producing working journalists through its skill-intensive, studio-based curriculum, many students have gone on to pursuing Masters' degree programmes in universities such as the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Toronto Film School, Columbia University and King's College, London. Frequently, journalism students go on to diverse areas of study such as human rights, law, policy, design and film.

Professor Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Executive Dean, JSJC, a former broadcast journalist who has made several documentaries and reported widely from India's conflict zones, says JSJC has a responsibility in training future storytellers: "We need more and more journalists and truth/storytellers to help make sense of what is happening around us. We try to offer innovative, sustainable, market-driven training focusing on niche reporting and new media skills. Whether they report news or write a screenplay, we encourage our students to question the status quo."

Since its inception in 2017, the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication (JSJC) has also awarded 98 scholarships to journalism students pursuing B.A. (Hons) Journalism and Media Studies. Scholarships were awarded on a Merit-cum-Means basis to students with combined household income below a certain threshold and qualifying board examination marks above 70 per cent.

Over the past two decades, journalism education has gone through a sea-change. Prof. Chandni Mehta, who teaches Gender and Sexuality at JSJC, studied journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi 16 years ago. According to Prof. Mehta, "Over the past two decades, the liberal arts foundations and the interdisciplinary scope of the journalism course has certainly strengthened and grown, as has the training and diversity in production techniques. Hence, the journalism course is no longer niche, but a dynamic and comprehensive area of study and training." JSJC offers a range of courses from social science foundation courses to studio-based multimedia skills courses.