This course equips students with an understanding of the principles and practice of journalism: how to recognize good stories, gather facts through skillful interviewing and research, develop sources, craft welcoming leads and satisfying endings, and create news and feature articles that inform and engage readers. Rewriting to achieve mastery is particularly emphasized. Students also learn the difference between journalism and public relations and how to structure narratives to fashion different types of articles. Prerequisite: a college-level writing course. (4 credits)
JOUR E-100 Graduate Journalism Proseminar: Writing and Reporting
Fall term (12584)
Angelia Herrin, BA, Editor, Research and Special Projects, Harvard Business School Publishing.
This proseminar introduces students to the fundamentals of journalism at the graduate level—research, interviewing, reporting, and writing—by exposing them to a variety of reporting assignments. Students learn how to construct a lead as well as how to structure a story. They experience the difference between a feature story and a news story by having to write them both. Prerequisites: a satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills. At the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level writing skills. (4 credits)
JOUR E-110/W The Constitution and the Media
Spring term (22424)
Allan A. Ryan, JD, Director of Intellectual Property, Harvard Business School Publishing.
This course examines the concept of freedom of the press— the basis for it and the restrictions on it —in the United States. We begin by examining the concept of free speech and free press as used in the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and trace its historical development to the present. We discuss the ways the Supreme Court has addressed three contentious press issues: the conflict between disclosure and national security (for example, the Pentagon Papers case); the defamation of public figures in news reporting (New York Times Co. v. Sullivan); and reporters' shield laws and the limits of the journalist's privilege to keep sources confidential. We also examine the constitutional basis for governmental regulation of broadcast content, and interplay (or tension) between cyberspace and freedom of the press (for example, the 2011 Wikileaks controversy). (4 credits)
JOUR E-125 Watergate to Wikileaks: Journalism Ethics Through Film
Spring term (23631)
June Carolyn Erlick, MSJ, Publications Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and Editor-in-Chief, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Harvard University.
Mondays beginning Jan. 23, 7:35-9:35 pm. Optional movie screenings to be arranged.
This course considers many of the ethical issues journalists must confront: When does national security trump free speech? Under what circumstances, if any, should a journalist be required to disclose the name of a source? How can a reporter balance a public figure's right to privacy against the public's right to know? What does the public have the right to know? We examine these issues via case studies, current debates (for example, Wikileaks), and classic and recent films, The Year of Living Dangerously, All the President's Men, and Shattered Glass among them. Six films are screened outside of class hours; a different guest lecturer introduces each film and conducts a discussion following it. Guest lecturers may include faculty members, Nieman Fellows, and visiting journalists. Writing assignments give students practice in a range of journalistic forms: the movie review, the op-ed piece, the feature story, and news analysis. (4 credits)
JOUR E-137 Feature Writing
Fall term (13538)
Billy Baker, MS, Features Writer, The Boston Globe.
Feature stories give print media and magazines their dynamism and flavor. In this workshop, students explore feature writing techniques and philosophies, including slice-of-life, interview, profile, and narrative, with the goal of publishing the stories they write. Offered for graduate students who plan to pursue journalism and undergraduates interested in experimenting with different storytelling strategies, the course focuses on learning by doing and peer critique. Prerequisite: an introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)
"All politics is local," a famous Boston politician once said. One might say the same thing about journalism. In this course, students cover a community—their own, or a local community of their choice. Students write stories aimed at readers who want to know how their children's schools are doing, if local officials are raising their taxes, or if the town zoning board will permit the construction of a cell phone tower across the street. Community journalism is thriving—in print and online—and local publications provide opportunities for both beginning and experienced journalists. In this course, we study print publications such as GateHouse Media Inc. and The Boston Globe's regional editions, and the Web sites www.wickedlocal.com and www.patch.com, and develop strategies for submitting stories to them. (4 credits)
JOUR E-140a News Reporting for the Web, Print, and other Platforms
News reporting requires the discipline to understand both sides of the story, to check the facts, and to separate truth from rumor. This course focuses on teaching students these skills. Assignments range from stories with a print focus to posts that could be made on a blog or a website. They include reporting, drafting, and revising several pieces as well as in-class writing exercises and interviews of invited speakers. Occasional unannounced reporting assignments are completed on deadline outside the classroom. The course also features appearances by several journalists who have distinguished themselves in print and online. Prerequisites: an introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)
Modern journalists operate in multiple media, almost by default. They need at least a basic understanding of digital journalism tools and digital storytelling techniques. This course allows students to develop experience with the major aspects of practicing digital journalism, including digital photography, video stories, video-blogging, audio components and audio slide shows, as well as using social media both as a reporting tool and for promoting stories. Students practice moving between traditional text stories to the bursty, bulleted style favored in online text. We also explore the emerging trends of very long-form digital journalism, such as the Atavist, and contrast these approaches with the fast-paced, search-engine driven aspects of online news. The course is hands-on, with the goal of giving students the ability to integrate multiple kinds of storytelling. Students should not expect to master all aspects of digital journalism via this course (or any other). But they become familiar with the different tools and formats, and they are expected to develop competence in at least two kinds of tools and techniques. (4 credits)
JOUR E-147 Media Management and Marketing: New Business Models in an Evolving Industry
This course provides an overview of publishing and media from a business perspective with a particular focus on marketing. Business models in consumer publishing, broadcast media, and the Internet are examined using industry case studies. Marketing strategies are discussed, including branding, competitive positioning, strategic selling, and strategic alignment. (4 credits)
JOUR E-150 Advanced Narrative Nonfiction
Spring term (23695)
Paige Williams, MFA, Narrative Writing Instructor, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University.
This course immerses students in the works and techniques of the best narrative writers, from Joan Didion and John McPhee to current magazine writers who are masters of the form. The course also explores the definition of narrative nonfiction: the genre is popular for writers (and readers) but what is it? What distinguishes narrative nonfiction from creative nonfiction and literary journalism, and what does the best narrative nonfiction require of its writers? Students read intensively across storytelling platforms, complete writing exercises on fundamental narrative elements such as voice, scene, and dialogue, and write one full-length narrative piece. Prerequisite: a beginning or intermediate course in creative nonfiction, memoir, fiction, or journalism, or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)
This course teaches students the skills required for successful freelance writing, including making an effective pitch, planning a compelling story, and developing a good working relationship with an editor. We review the basics—interviewing, gathering information, drafting, and revising—as we discuss freelancing for newspapers, magazines, professional publications, and websites. Guest speakers include several successful freelance journalists and editors. The course requires several written assignments, which are designed to prepare students to submit stories for publication. Prerequisites: an introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)
Magazine writing is the home of good storytelling and in-depth feature writing, both online and in print. In this workshop, students write at least one long magazine feature (1,500 to 2,500 words). Shorter exercises emphasize developing a strong writing voice and the ability to adapt a story to different magazine house styles. We cover a range of magazine channels (health and lifestyle, politics, business) and explore magazines from The New Yorker to Salon. We also consider the role of professional bloggers in online magazine journalism. Prerequisite: an introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor. (4 credits)
JOUR E-158 Arts in a Digital World
Fall term (13773)
*** JOUR E-158 Fall term (13773) has been CANCELED. ***
How has the digital world facilitated exposure to and experience of the arts? For some, the digital world signals a crisis. For others, an exciting opportunity, if not a revolution. In this experience-based course, students explore the arts and report in a variety of digital media forms, as well as engage with digitally networked communities around art. The culminating project is a digital arts hub built by the class. Journalistic writing assignments, attendance at live arts events, and discussions with artists and arts industry leaders are integral to the class. Prerequisites: intermediate journalism course, media or arts profession experience, or the equivalent.
JOUR E-165 Documentary Photography
Spring term (22790)
B. D. Colen, BA, Senior Communications Officer for University Science, Office of Government, Community, and Public Affairs, Harvard University.
This course is an introduction to the great tradition of documentary photography. Students produce a documentary project and learn to see the world around them in a new way. Course includes readings, writing essays, and photographing on a regular basis. (4 credits)
JOUR E-180 Media, Democracy, and Development
Fall term (12895)
Philippe Aghion, PhD, Robert C. Waggoner Professor of Economics, Harvard University.
Benedicte Berner, MA, Vice President, Civil Rights Defenders, Sweden.
The course gives a short historical perspective on the relationship of media and democracy. It considers some of the most prominent ideas about the role of the press in a democratic system, as well as on the principles of the first amendment and pertinent Supreme Court rulings. The course then covers the role of the media in current democratic societies, focusing on privacy, accuracy, coverage of national security issues, and media bias, as well as on the role of the media in elections and its influence on public policy. We also study the various legal and political instruments used to protect or pressure media in countries both democratic and non-democratic. Finally, the course provides an analysis of the current economic pressures facing the media, from the web and other possible new models. We discuss the use of media as an instrument in promoting economic growth and social development, as well as fighting corruption, and its role in corporate governance, government accountability, and the provision of the public good. (4 credits)