Advanced Media Writing

About the Class

This 3000-level course is designed to be collaborative and learner-friendly. It is mainly experience-based and free range. What do I mean by free range? Well, for starters, you need to get comfortable with doing more than sitting in your desk for three hours each week. Journalists learn by doing. There will be reading assignments, which we will discuss in class. These readings will be interviews with Pulitzer Prize winners and one of their related articles. All readings should be completed prior to class so we can have an active discussion. The very best writers also are avid readers, so this is not only about class discussion but also about honing your skills as a writer.

Each week, we’ll have one classroom discussion and activity day and one day spent reporting, writing and editing. Class will be conducted as if we are a team at a media outlet. Your behavior should reflect the same.

You will have developed a digital portfolio by the end of the course.

The Journalism Curriculum

The Journalism curriculum has 11 goals for students to achieve throughout their academic career. These are adopted from the ACEJMC, and this course includes several of them:

• Understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press
• Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society
• Understand concepts and apply theories in the use of and presentations of images and information
• Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles
• Think critically, creatively and independently
• Conduct research and evaluate information
• Write correctly and clearly
• Critically evaluate your own work and the work of others
• Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communication professions in which you (want to) work

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will have:

• Mastered field reporting, interviewing and storytelling skills needed to ethically produce professional quality stories of various types
• Developed news judgment with an emphasis on finding stories and defining what is news in an accurate, ethical and verifiable manner
• Developed competency in multimedia journalism and social media for news
• Developed attributes for career success in the fast-changing field of journalism
• Display competency in AP style/grammar and current affairs literacy