Journalistic Reporting and Writing

This course is designed to teach students the fundamentals of journalism - reporting, researching, and writing news and feature articles, with a focus on fairness, accuracy, balance, and thoroughness. The course involves intensive writing and reporting; students will produce 8 to 10 written assignments, including in-class news-writing assignments, longer feature pieces, and thorough rewrites of stories that have been critiqued by the professor. Students will cover stories on a range of topics, most of which will be culled from their own communities. Assignments are designed to give students an introduction to reporting on both individuals and institutions. Interviewing techniques, database research, and writing style will be developed during the semester. Students will also be expected to read the newspaper and understand the important stories and issues of the day.