Journalism
- JRN 240/CWR 240/ENG 280: Creative Non-FictionVast differences in power, income and social status divide our society, and these differences are explored deeply in literary non-fiction. In this course students will read masterpieces of non-fiction writing about social inequality and will examine to what extent it is possible for authors to know the struggles of their subjects, and to create empathy for them. Students also will sharpen their own skills at writing non-fiction in both first- and third-person styles: the personal essay, participatory reportage, immersion journalism, reconstructed narrative non-fiction and reflective autobiography.
- JRN 445: Investigative Journalism: Accountability ReportingIn this seminar students will learn the sophisticated reporting, research and writing techniques that investigative reporters use to root out corruption in public and private institutions. While learning to produce compelling news pieces, students will discover how these tools can be used to advantage in other fields and in everyday life. In addition to exploring new models of journalism (crowdsourcing, social networking, etc.), they will meet with some of the nation's most successful investigative journalists.
- JRN 447: Politics and the Media: The Art of the Political ProfileAll politics is personal, and this seminar will focus on how the lives and actions of individuals fit into, and shape, the broader political landscape. Shining the light away from Washington, away from pundits and operatives, away from "people with knowledge of the situation," this course will explore how political power is acquired, leveraged or denied; how ordinary Americans understand and navigate politics; and how we consume media coverage of our democracy. Students will learn foundational journalistic skills as well as the reporting techniques and writing strategies used by masters of the political-profile genre.
- JRN 449: International News: Migration ReportingMigration and pandemics: This seminar will focus on the migration crisis at a time of extreme turmoil, as the nation reckons with a worldwide pandemic, an ongoing economic crisis and social upheaval over systemic racism. The course will combine the fundamentals of journalism and narrative reporting with historical studies and data and immigration-policy analysis. Students will examine the polarization around migration and determinations of who can become an American, while conducting interviews with local sources and producing original reporting in various journalistic forms, including news, profiles and features.
- STC 349/ENV 349/JRN 349: Writing about ScienceThis course will teach STEM & non-STEM majors how to write about research in STEM fields with clarity and a bit of flair. Goal will be to learn to convey technical topics to non-experts in a compelling, enjoyable way while staying true to the underlying facts, context and concepts. We'll do this through readings, class discussion, encounters with professional writers and journalists of all sorts, across several different media. Most important of all, students will practice what they learn in frequent writing assignments that will be critiqued extensively by an experienced science journalist.