Journalism

This is a workshop in factual writing and what has become known as literary non-fiction, emphasizing writing assignments and including several reading assignments. Students will examine masterpieces about social inequality and to what extent it is possible for authors to know the struggles of their subjects, and to create empathy for them. One three-hour seminar.

This seminar will discuss such topics as secrecy, national security and a free press; reputation, privacy and the public's right to know; muckraking and the "establishment" press; spin and manipulation; the rise of blogging; and the economic impact of technological change on the news business. One three-hour seminar.

This course offers a chance to think about and practice different kinds of writing. Students will strive to identify and emulate the best--the smartest, the most vivid, the most humane--in a variety of journalistic genres. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

This 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.

Courses offered under this rubric will investigate ethical questions in literature. Topics will range from a critical study of the textual forms these questions take to a historical study of an issue traditionally debated by both literature and ethics (responsibility, rhetoric, justice, violence, oppression). Two lectures, one preceptorial.

Each year a different kind of writing is featured, depending on the specialty of the McGraw Professor of Writing. One three-hour seminar.

This course looks at investigative reporting both as a practice, with its own methods of research, and as a force in society. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

This seminar is an examination of political journalism and the role of the press in society. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

This course is an examination of the ways in which the media both cover and influence social issues. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

This seminar explores the particular challenges of writing about other cultures, as well as the powers and limits of international reporting in shaping American public opinion. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

In this course students will learn to combine precise writing, compelling interviews, sound, scene, and narrative to produce thoughtful, compelling, broadcast-quality news and features. Readings, listening sessions and guest speakers will explore style, ethical issues, and innovative models of audio storytelling in the digital landscape. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.

Readers increasingly follow the news on television and the internet. This seminar explores the potential as well as the limitations and dangers of on-screen journalism. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar.