The journalism minor at Mills offers students the opportunity to study news reporting and writing in the context of a liberal arts education. The emphasis is on critical thinking, information gathering, and clear writing. Students are taught to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the news reports they read, to seek out different points of view, to challenge conventional wisdom, and to create fair and balanced stories on complex topics.

Students who minor in journalism will explore the principles and practices of journalism while also engaging in an ongoing critical discussion about how news is shaped and whose stories are told. Students will study and practice reporting, writing, and editing techniques, as well as develop a critical analysis of how the major media cover social, political, and economic issues.

The aim of the minor is to prepare students—as engaged participants in their country and the world—to evaluate news events and news sources, and to value the free flow of information in a democratic society. There is no journalism major at Mills. Instead, we encourage students to get a background in liberal arts and to develop expertise in one of the traditional academic majors.

Students also are encouraged to write, edit, and produce multimedia stories for the campus newspaper, the Campanil (which has an excellent online platform), and to explore opportunities in multimedia reporting, radio, and video. The San Francisco Bay Area offers a wide variety of internships that enhance the academic program.