Introduction

            The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Punjabi University was established in 1974. During the last 36 years of its existence, the Department has produced over 400 journalists who are now occupying important positions in print and electronic media. Besides working in various newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television channels, our students are also active in the fields of public relation, advertising and teaching.  In the beginning, the Department offered only one-year degree course i.e. Bachelor of Journalism. Master's Degree course was started in 1984 and the students had the option to join one-year course of Bachelor of Journalism or to go for two-year course of Master of Journalism and Mass Communication.  From 1994, the Department switched over to the two-year integrated course of Master of Journalism and Mass Communication.

            The Department takes great pride in sharing that the students produced by this Department are serving almost all the media today. They are working in leading newspapers like The Tribune, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Punjabi Tribune, Ajit and many more as Editors, News Editors, Sub-Editors and Correspondents etc. There are many others who are serving in leading journals. The number of our students working in leading television and radio channels has increased tremendously during the last decade. Many are working on very important posts in Indian Information Services and in State Government's Department of Public Relations. More than 10 students are occupying senior positions as faculty in state universities, whereas more than 15 are teaching in private universities and colleges. 

The Fulbright Link

            Two prominent Fulbright Scholars from USA have served the Department. Prof Richard Buttny from Syracuse University taught in the Department for 45 days in November-December, 2003 and Dr Shakuntla Rao came to the Department for six months in 2004. She taught in the Department from September 9, 2004 to March 2005. Both the scholars contributed to the teaching and research in the Department. They have also been contributing books, CD's and DVD's to the Departmental library ever since they have left the Department. In 2008-09, Dr Buttny taught an on-line course to the students of the Department.

            Dr. Harjinder Pal Singh Walia presently Head of the Department is also the Director of IAS & Allied Services Training Centre, Punjabi University, Patiala.

Film and Television Institute of India, Pune Connection

            The Department has been collaborating with Film and Television Institute of India, Pune for the last 10 years. Almost every year, FTII, Pune organizes a workshop on television production for the students of this Department. The Department was the first in the country to take initiative in this regard and it was appreciated in I & B Ministry's annual report. Recently in March, 2011 the students of M.A. Part-II and two faculty members participated in the workshop at FTII, Pune.

            Prof. Navjit Singh Johal did Film Appreciation Course from FTII in 1989. Dr Bindu Sharma did this course in1998.

Foreign Students in the Department

            Nine students from Ethiopia, who came to the Department on Government Scholarships, completed their Masters Degree programme in 2000. All of them are working in various media in and outside Ethiopia. In the light of the high standard of this Department, as it has been duly projected outside, they were recommended and sponsored by their government for advanced training in this Department. Baruk Opio, a student from Kenya also did his Masters degree from this Department.

Patronage of Eminent Persons as Heads

            The Department was fortunate in enjoying the patronage of experienced persons as heads of the Department. The Department was established by eminent Indian Journalist Mr. Kuldip Nayar in 1974.  Professor L.R. Nagpal, the senior most media teacher of Northern India served the Department as head for a long period of 15 years. Thereafter, Prof. K.M. Srivastva took over who is at present Senior Professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Mr Gulzar Singh Sandhu, the former editor of Punjabi Tribune and Desh Sewak and well known short story writer, served the Department for a period of four years. Eminent Prose writer Prof. Narinder Singh Kapoor was the Head of the Department from 1995 to 1999.

The Faculty

            Professor Navjit Singh Johal worked in Press Information Bureau, Chandigarh and read news from All India Radio, Chandigarh before joining this Department in 1983. In 1989 he did Film Appreciation Course from FTII, Pune and got Fulbright Scholarship in 1993. He became reader in 1996 and got promoted as Professor from 2004. Dr Johal has edited two books and has 40 research papers and more then 100 articles to his credit.  He was head of the Department between 1997 and 2004 and is having second tenure as head of the Department. In April 2010, he attended World Journalism Education Congress in Grahams Town, South Africa and also visited American University at Sharjah, UAE. At present Dr Johal is also serving as the Dean of Faculty of Education and Information Science.

            Dr H.P.S. Walia, Professor of Journalism started his carrier as editor of a Punjabi monthly magzine 'Manch' in 1979. He also worked as part time correspondent with Tribune Group of Newspapers. He joined this Department in 1985 as a lecturer. He has done his Ph.D on the subject of Literary Journalism. He attended three international conferences in Australia, Canada and Pakistan. Dr Walia organised two international conferences as Head of the Department in 2007 & 2008.  He is also running a website www.punjab.com. He also started net radio, "Radio gpunjab". He is the author of three books and one book edited by him 'Development Communication' was published by Punjabi University, Patiala. He is also writing weekly column for various newspapers and magazines in India as well as abroad. Mr Walia is hosting an interview based Programme in a Television Channel and also gives talk shows regularly on various Punjabi Radio Channels.

            An alumni of 1993-1994 batch of this Department, Dr.Bindu Sharma has done her doctorate in ‘Interface of Interpersonal and Mass Communication’ from Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar. She has served Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra for about 15 years and has joined this Department in May 2010. She also holds the post of Asstt. Coordinator, Distance Education for Journalism Courses in Kurukshetra University. Dr. Sharma has worked as Communication and Documentation Officer (on deputation) with Haryana Government under the project 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.' She has presented papers in two international seminars and ten national seminars. She has seven research publications to her credit. She has presented various programmes on All India Radio, Kurukshetra and Rohtak and has written scripts for various documentaries for DD, Chandigarh. She is visiting faculty for Punjab University Chandigarh, GJU Hisar, HP University Shimla and Sagar University. Her Area of specialization is Communication Theory and Media Research.

            Dr Happy Jeji joined Indian Information Services, Government of India in 1993 and worked with Press Information Bureau Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Jalandhar and Chandigarh. In 2002, she served as Field Exhibition Officer in Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity, Chandigarh. In 2006, she joined as faculty, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Punjabi University, Patiala.

 

 

Faculty Strength

            The present strength of the faculty & other senior staff for the Department is as follows :

                  Professor                                        :           two

                  Reader                                           :           nil

                  Lecturer                                         :           three

                  Editor (Punjabi Feature Service)     :           one

                  Technical Assistant             :           four

Doctorate Programme

            The information regarding Ph. D completion, registration and enrolment is given below : 

            a)   Completed             07

            b)   Registered              21

            c)   Enrolled                  05

            Ours became the first Department in this part of the country after Jamia Milia to provide facilities for research leading to Ph. D in 1995-96.

Faculty and other staff with qualifications and specializations

Sr. No.	Name	Designation	Qualification	Specializations
1.	Dr  Navjit Singh  Johal	Professor	M.Sc., M.S., (Syracuse Univ. USA), M.Phil. Ph.D	Communication Theory, Audio and Audio-visual Communication, Film Studies
2.	Dr Harjinder Pal Singh Walia	Professor & Head	M.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.	Print Journalism, Developmental Communication
3.	Dr Bindu Sharma	Lecturer	M.Sc., MJMC	Communication Theory and Media Research, Media Management
4.	Dr Happy Jeji	Lecturer	M.A., MJMC, Ph.D	Advertising, Public Relations, Development Communication
5.	Dr. Narinder Singh Kapoor (On Contract)	Professor (Retd)	Ph. D.	History of Press, Punjabi Press, Press Laws, Advertising and Public Relations
6.	Ms Nancy Devinder Kaur	Lecturer (Adhoc)	MJMC, M.Phil	Advertising and Public Relations
7.	Ms Surinder Kaur Tiwana	Technical Assistant	M.A., MJMC	Reporting/Editing/Translation
8.	Mr Gurdial Singh Bal           (on Contract)	Editor (Punjabi Feature Service) (Retd)	M.A.	Print Journalism
9.	Mr Amarpreet Singh   (on Contract)	Technical Assistant	MJMC	Television Journalism

Courses offered and intake

Sr. No.	Course Title	Duration	Intake
1.	M.Phil	One year (Teaching & Research)	15
2.	Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC)	Two years	Allocated   : 25 Additional  : 02
3.	PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism	One year	10

Thrust Areas

*          High quality of theoretical and practical training to the students in all areas of Mass
            Communication such as Public Relations, Advertising, Newspapers, Radio and
            Television.

*          Theoretical and practical education covering various components of Desktop Publishing
            (DTP) including page making, editing, computer graphics and designing, using such
            softwares as PageMaker, Paintbrush, CorelDraw and Quark Express, FCP etc.

*          Theoretical and practical training of photography and relating to it-the newly-emerging
            needs and trends in Photojournalism.

*          Mass Communication Research and its applications in various fields, such as, corporate
            communication, advertising and marketing etc.

Infrastructural Facilities

            The Department has its own library, furnished classrooms and seminar room, well-equipped Television and Film Studio and a Computer Lab. The Department has its own television, a VCR, public address system, a projector, professional still cameras, two video cameras and editing machines.   

Significant Achievements

            *    With highly qualified faculty supporting the cause, the Department has been
                  providing high quality manpower to the newspapers, magazines, radio stations,
                  television centers, advertising agencies, public relations and corporate sectors.

            *    Our students are systematically trained in multi-media enabling them to adapt
                  themselves to the latest techniques at their work places.

            *    The Department regularly keeps on updating its syllabi to cover the latest
                  developments and trends at the international level in the field of mass
                  communication.

            *    The students of the Department have produced some commendable dissertations on
                  various subjects.

            *    The Department has conducted many surveys which have been published in the
                  Departmental Lab Journal. Some of them have also got coverage in various
                  newspapers.

            *    The Department attracts students not only from all over the country but also from
                  abroad. 

            *    The Department is publishing a Lab Journal on its Desktop, "Campus Times" which
                  helps the students to readily adjust themselves in newspapers and magazines after
                  completing their course. Some of the students have also been picked up by various
                  newspapers and TV Channels, even while they were studying.

            *    The Department is also bringing out special issues of this journal on significant
                  occasions.

(Seminars/Conferences/Workshops/Lectures)

            a)   A seminar on Punjabi Literary Journalism was organised in 1985.

            b)   A seminar on Punjabi Literary Journalism was organised in 1988.

            c)   A workshop for working journalists was organised in May, 1989.

            d)   A workshop was organised in collaboration with Punjab Union of Journalists in
                  February, 1991.

            e)   A national seminar was conducted on Punjabi Journalism in 1992

            f)    The Department has been actively participating in all the seminars and conferences
                 organised by Department of Punjabi and other Departments to update their knowledge
                  and to meet the requirements of the newly emerging inter-disciplinary approach of
                  education.

            g)   Many guest lectures/discussions have been organised by the Department on
                  various aspects of Mass Communication.

            h)   The Department arranged a special lecture by Ms Kishwar Ahluwalia, CEO of the
                  Tara Channel in October, 2,000 under the Multi-Faculty Millennium series of
                  lectures.

            i)    Seminar on Development Communication-March 08-10, 2006.

            j)    Seminar on Media Parents and Children, March 20-22, 2008.

            k)   Seminar on Challenges and Opportunities before Indian Media, March 24-26, 2009.

Activities during August-November, 2010

            a)   Guest Lecture by Prof Gulzar Singh Sandhu on Creative Journalism and Column
                  Writing, August 13, 2010.

            b)   Workshop by Pankaj Garg on Audio Production, September 07-08, 2010.

            c)   Workshop on Media Education Academia-Industry Interface, November 15, 2010.

            d)   Special lecture by Mr Kanwar Sandhu on National Press Day, November 16, 2010.

            e)   Guest Lecture on Paid News Syndrome by S. Jaspal Singh Sidhu, November 22,
                  2010.

            The students of the Department participated in Media Festivals organised by Punjab University, Chandigarh and Chitkara Institute and won many prizes.  

            On 15 March, 2011 the students of the department for the first time organized a Media Fest "Kadam".

            The Department organized a workshop on Media Education on November 15, 2011 and celebrated Press Day on November 16, 2011. In addition to this the department organized many special lectures and interactive sessions with experts from various media organizations.

            Renovation of class rooms and computer lab has also been done.  In December 2010 five students got job/internship offers from Punjabi Tribune and Zee Punjabi.

Contribution to the Development of Punjabi Journalism

       *     Publications

            A book," Punjabi Pattarkari--Nikas, Vikas ate Samaseyavan" based on the research papers presented at a seminar (1992) was published   by the university.  Prof. L.R. Nagpal, a former head of the Department, Prof N.S. Kapoor, Dr N.S. Johal and Dr Gurmeet Maan, Dr Harjinder Pal Singh Walia have written/edited more than 10 books on various aspects of Mass Communication. They have written few books on Punjabi journalism also. All the faculty members of the Department have been regularly contributing to the Punjabi newspapers and magazines in addition to participating in radio and TV talks and discussion.

            In December 2002, the Department brought out "Samajak Vigyan Pattar's" a special issue on "Mass Communication in Punjab : Challenges and Opportunities". All the copies of this journal has been sold out and now the Department is planning to bring out a book based on the revised and updated versions of the research papers published in this journal.

            The faculty of the Department has regularly been writing and publishing research papers and articles in various international, national and regional journals, magazines and newspapers. "Ethics and News writing in the changing Indian Mediascape", co-authored by Dr N.S. Johal was published in International Journal of Media Ethics in its November, 2006 issue.

Punjabi Feature Service

            The Department has been running a Punjabi Feature Service for the last 25 years.  Every month five to six features, written by students, teachers and other scholars are released to the Punjabi Newspapers which are prominently published on the editorial pages and magazine sections. The Punjabi Press has always appreciated our efforts in this regard.

 

Future Plans

            a)   To create facilities for imparting advanced training in media production

            b)   To impart training on web journalism\multi media etc. by modernising the computer
       lab.

            c)   To enhance interaction with the media industry. (A workshop in this regard was
                  organised in Nov., 2010)

            d)   To organise more seminars\conferences and workshops.

            e)   To prepare a "Style Book for Punjabi Newspapers".

            f)    To undertake various projects related to the field of mass media.

Plans for new courses/Ventures

            Keeping in view the latest developments and trends in mass communication education, the Department is planning to introduce the following courses in the near future:

            1.         PG Diploma in Web and Citizen Journalism

            2.         PG Diploma in Media Marketing and Management

Community Radio

            The Department is planning to start a Community Radio in the near future.

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