Course Innovation and Development
The profound changes in the news media in the last decade have demanded changes in our curriculum and our approach to teaching journalism. I have been at the forefront of that effort by introducing the study of news literacy to Emory and by reworking existing courses to integrate new technology into my instruction.
Advanced News Writing and Reporting is an example of a course that I have adapted to the changing media landscape, adding new digital elements every semester. This fall, I have changed the name of the course to " Digital Media Workshop" because that is what it's effectively become with students using an iPad3 to complete online print, podcast and video assignments. This semester, each student is also building their own website as part of the pilot program, "A Domain of One's Own."
I've also redesigned our News Video course to focus on visual storytelling rather than newscast production. This class now concentrates on storytelling techniques unique to television, practical skills like shooting and non-linear editing, and more than any other course I teach, teamwork and collaborative learning. I’ve also spearheaded efforts to update the Journalism Program’s equipment and computer lab. This fall, students are using Canon Vixia HD cameras and Final Cut Pro X software, a state of the art non-linear editing program on our classroom computers. Our students also get a firsthand look at news production during field trips to CNN and WSB.
In 2008, I won a grant from The Program in Democracy and Citizenship to develop a freshman seminar on news literacy for Fall 2009. I designed this course to give incoming freshman an appreciation for the history of a free press in our country and to teach them to think more critically about the news and media they consume. After teaching this seminar twice, I revised the syllabus to eliminate the overlap with our Ethics course and applied for a permanent course number as well as the WR designation and HSC tag. The Emory Journalism Program is now one of only 25 universities nationwide offering undergraduates a course on how to become more discriminating consumers of news. The goal of the new and improved course is to give students the tools they need to access reliable information and to hone their critical thinking skills so they can analyze and evaluate any news story. This class has resonated with students, and in response to strong demand, I doubled the enrollment from 16 to 32, the largest enrollment of any journalism class. Last fall, 32 students enrolled, and there was still a waiting list, making it the most popular courses in the Program. In addition to traditional lectures, this course also offers a community engagement component I designed with support from Emory’s Center for Community Partnerships. This community initiative is an opportunity for Emory students to share news literacy skills with students at the Coan Middle School and Druid Hills High School. It has become a hallmark of this course connecting Emory’s unique expertise and resources with community needs.
The profound changes in the news media in the last decade have demanded changes in our curriculum and our approach to teaching journalism. I have been at the forefront of that effort by introducing the study of news literacy to Emory and by reworking existing courses to integrate new technology into my instruction.
Advanced News Writing and Reporting is an example of a course that I have adapted to the changing media landscape, adding new digital elements every semester. This fall, I have changed the name of the course to " Digital Media Workshop" because that is what it's effectively become with students using an iPad3 to complete online print, podcast and video assignments. This semester, each student is also building their own website as part of the pilot program, "A Domain of One's Own."
I've also redesigned our News Video course to focus on visual storytelling rather than newscast production. This class now concentrates on storytelling techniques unique to television, practical skills like shooting and non-linear editing, and more than any other course I teach, teamwork and collaborative learning. I’ve also spearheaded efforts to update the Journalism Program’s equipment and computer lab. This fall, students are using Canon Vixia HD cameras and Final Cut Pro X software, a state of the art non-linear editing program on our classroom computers. Our students also get a firsthand look at news production during field trips to CNN and WSB.
In 2008, I won a grant from The Program in Democracy and Citizenship to develop a freshman seminar on news literacy for Fall 2009. I designed this course to give incoming freshman an appreciation for the history of a free press in our country and to teach them to think more critically about the news and media they consume. After teaching this seminar twice, I revised the syllabus to eliminate the overlap with our Ethics course and applied for a permanent course number as well as the WR designation and HSC tag. The Emory Journalism Program is now one of only 25 universities nationwide offering undergraduates a course on how to become more discriminating consumers of news. The goal of the new and improved course is to give students the tools they need to access reliable information and to hone their critical thinking skills so they can analyze and evaluate any news story. This class has resonated with students, and in response to strong demand, I doubled the enrollment from 16 to 32, the largest enrollment of any journalism class. Last fall, 32 students enrolled, and there was still a waiting list, making it the most popular courses in the Program. In addition to traditional lectures, this course also offers a community engagement component I designed with support from Emory’s Center for Community Partnerships. This community initiative is an opportunity for Emory students to share news literacy skills with students at the Coan Middle School and Druid Hills High School. It has become a hallmark of this course connecting Emory’s unique expertise and resources with community needs.