Drew University Moodle

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of journalism using an immersive, hands-on approach. Through close reading and analysis of published journalism—everything from shorter news pieces to reported essays—we’ll identify the core elements of a strong story and use them to inform our own reporting and writing. Students will develop and hone key reporting skills, including researching, fact-checking, interviewing, writing, editing, and pitching. Using their curiosity and questions as the driving force to poke and pry with purpose, each student will develop their own “beat”—closely following and reflecting on coverage of a topic/issue on which they will then report and write their own story. Driving all the work will be the exploration of questions such as: What is the role and responsibility of journalists within a democracy? How can we practice responsible journalism that informs and deepens readers’ understanding of the issues that impact their lives?

Students will be expected to regularly read stories from a variety of outlets. This course will be heavily discussion- and writing-based. Later in the course, we will focus intensively on editing and supportive feedback in a workshop-style setting.