Course Description
The final course in a three-course sequence, this advanced class engages students in a creative and rigorous practice of journalism to help prepare them for entering the highly competitive media ecosystem. Students build on a growing proficiency in traditional journalism and design methodologies by creating a series of projects, some of which will be collaborative. Using skills developed in News, Narrative & Design I and II, as well as other Journalism + Design courses, students will develop projects that ask hard questions and overcome reporting hurdles, and will be encouraged to experiment and push themselves. Work will be published on Medium, the New School Free Press, and/or other social media channels. A designer and a data reporter are embedded in the course. Students must have already taken News, Narrative, & Design I and II to register.
Theme: Higher Education
In this course, you will find and tell stories on deadline about higher education.
Your goal is to better understand journalistic principles: What makes a story? What is a reliable source? How do you conduct an interview? How do you describe a scene? How do you compress and organize what you learn? How do you meet a deadline? How do these principles play out in different formats (text, audio, visual, infographic, push notification…)?
Learning Outcomes
By the successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate growth as news writers, building speed, accuracy, transparency, and an ability to convey complex subjects in clear, concise prose
- Demonstrate deepening mastery of a broad range of reporting skills
- Demonstrate proficiency in using social media as a reporting and distribution tool
- Deepen your understanding of how digital technology is changing journalism
- Deepen your understanding of the role of journalism in a democratic society
Course Requirements, Assignments, and Graded Activities
These include reporting assignments, design exercises, readings, and a daily observation. Expect to spend 8-10 hours a week on out-of-class assignments.
Much of our work will be done in class. Your attendance, preparation, and participation are essential.
Your grades will be based on effort and progress. There are no inflated grades. A C is for satisfactory work, a B for good work, and an A for outstanding work.
Final Grade Calculation
The formula for your final grade is:
| Line Item | % of grade |
|---|---|
| Attendance and Participation | 30% |
| Writing assignments | 30% |
| Final Project | 30% |
| Daily Observation | 10% |
Course Readings + Materials
- Keep up with the news. Follow news through RSS, Twitter, Nuzzel, and other digital tools. Read, watch, listen. Get a digital subscription to The New York Times No excuses!: ($1 / week) , The Washington Post, or The Wall Street Journal. Listen to NPR’s On the Media podcast.
- And since we’re talking about higher education, The Chronicle of Higher Education via library.
- Articles, book excerpts, audio stories, et al. will be assigned over the course of the semester.
week 1
Introductions. Expectations.
What is news for? What is higher education for?
Assignments
- Daily Observation
- Readings: Bruni, Casselman, Leonhardt
- Writing: Interview a student from another NYC institution of higher education. Draft a 500-750 word profile.
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 2
- Daily observation.
- Discuss readings.
- Cluster exercise from interviews.
- Workshop drafts.
Assignments
- Daily Observation
- Readings: Bruni, Casselman, Leonhardt
- Writing: Interview a student from another NYC institution of higher education. Draft a 500-750 word profile.
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 3
- Data: Coulter Jones
- Display copy.
- Discuss Chronicle.
- Discuss pitches.
Assignments
- Editing: Proofread another student’s profile. Display copy.
- Reading: Ford, Vinh
- Writing: Write a 750-word piece based on your pitch
- Publish your student profile on Medium. Send to your subject. Ask for feedback.
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 4
- Check in: Daily Observation
- Discuss story feedback
- Digital news as conversation
- Social Media: reporting, lists, distribution
Assignments
- Reporting: Pose a question related to your pitch topic on social medium.
- Writing: Assemble a Twitter Moment or a collection of tweets on a topic.
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 5
- History of Higher Education
- Visual reporting
- Design
Assignments
- Research: Dig up an archival article on higher education.
- Reading: Christensen et al.
- Writing: Visual assignment
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 6
- The business of Higher Education
- Audio reporting
Assignments
- Listening: Michael Wesch, Life101; Malcolm Gladwell
- Writing
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 7
- Check in: daily observation
Assignments
- Texas Tribune, the Price of Admission
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 8
Assignments
- Writing: Proposals for final projects
week 9
- Data: Coulter Jones
- Ledes
Assignments
- Data exercise from Coulter TBD
- Write a lede for your story.
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 10
- Data: Coulter Jones
Assignments
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 11
- Check in: daily observation
- Status on final projects
Assignments
- Come up with a plan for presenting your daily observation as a story
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
- First draft of final project.
week 12
Assignments
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 13
- Workshop for final projects
Assignments
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 14
- Working as a journalist
Assignments
- Find a story you liked. Share and be ready to present and discuss.
week 15
- Daily observation projects.
- Course evaluations.