New pictures minor is “more than just taking pictures” – The Rider News

By Gabriela Tobar

RIDER college students can now seize extra than simply reminiscences, because of a brand new pictures minor that was launched into the curriculum in fall 2025. 

The new 12-credit minor consists of 4 lessons, permitting college students to achieve hands-on expertise with pictures. 

Jessi Oliano, a pictures professor at Rider and two-time alumnus, shares how creating the pictures minor was a venture within the making for the previous 4 years. 

Oliano stated she started her analysis for the minor again in 2021 when she realized that many college students had proven curiosity in her base pictures class; a lot in order that there was nearly all the time a waitlist for the course.

“If there would’ve been a minor in photography [when she was at Rider], I would’ve picked that up too. I’ve always had a passion for photography, it always interested me,” Oliano stated. “As a Rider alum, I’m just excited to see this happen for our students and I’m excited to see what they can do with this.”

Oliano believes that pictures has sparked extra curiosity as a result of we dwell in a world the place photographs can inform extra to a narrative than precise phrases. 

“We’re living in a visual first-culture,” Oliano stated. “If you think about it, 90% of what our brain processes in any moment, is visual and photography drives that engagement.” 

Since most of the media applications fall below the Department of Communication,  Journalism and Media, Oliano felt that this minor would tie all of it collectively. 

One of the 4 lessons required on this minor is a photojournalism class which discovered its manner again into the curriculum. 

According to Barbara Boyer, a journalism professor at Rider and an alumnus, photojournalism was her favourite class when she was a pupil. 

“I think this is such a great course because we live in such a visual world right now and the more photography and video skills that we could bring to our students, I think it will make them all the more marketable,” Boyer stated. “Whether they pursue journalism, photography or public relations, just understanding the visual arts involving news is an important aspect of the curriculum. I think it’ll be a really beneficial class for our students.” 

Boyer’s expertise with photojournalism started when she labored at The Rider News as their photographer. She carried the talents she realized in that job, she carried along with her into her profession post-grad.

Boyer stated she was invited by Oliano to show a course within the spring 2026 semester, which she is trying ahead to.  

The ethics surrounding photojournalism

Often, Boyer identified, information and media current pictures that will increase moral questions. 

“There’s a lot of discussion on the ethics of these graphic images that are available,” she stated. “Just because they’re available, it doesn’t mean that they should be used.”

One of the objectives for the brand new photojournalism course is to show college students learn how to turn out to be extra thoughtful of the moral questions posed in photojournalism. 

“That will be part of the class, for students to understand where to draw the line ethically when dealing with graphic images,” Boyer stated. 

According to Oliano, college students will learn to seize pictures that convey a story, specializing in candid pictures, protection and moral concerns in photojournalism. 

“We might have an event on campus that this class can cover and now we’re doing a little bit more hands-on real world scenarios, which is awesome,” Oliano stated. 

Accessing cameras and tools at Rider has by no means been a difficulty for college students and with a brand new minor that won’t change. 

When requested if there could be any new tools, Oliano stated, “Because this is brand new, we’re still   working on all the details with that.” 

She emphasised that college students may have entry to the Rider TV studio, working alongside Video Technologies Coordinator Scott Alboum. 

While Oliano permits college students to seize pictures with their telephones, she largely encourages them to reap the benefits of renting the tools obtainable. 

With hopes of the photojournalism class to start this upcoming spring, Oliano goals to encourage college students to make use of digital single-lens reflex cameras. 

“I think that would be at the discretion of the professor and see what they say, but we are really pushing to make this feel like a real elevated course, an elevated minor,” Oliano stated. 

Although Oliano couldn’t give a lot element but, she talked about that there are a number of chosen alumni lined as much as return as visitor lecturers. 

“I can’t tell you their names yet, but I can tell you that they have really exciting careers in photography and across multiple industries too,” Oliano stated. 

Oliano hopes that the brand new pictures minor permits college students to view pictures in a broader gentle.

“I want it to be more than just taking pictures for students. I want to give them the skills and the confidence to tell stories… and to see the world in new ways,” Oliano stated. “If we can do that with this new minor, then it’s going to be a success.”