Why Study Journalism Abroad?
- Have you ever wanted to see the world…and write about it?
- Hike through lush forests or along ancient cobblestoned streets…and tell your story through a camera’s lens?
- Have you wanted adventure, new friends, a broader perspective…and academic credit?
As NYU students, you’re already studying in one of the most exciting cities on the globe—but the world is wide and fascinating. This is your chance to explore it. Because journalism is an international profession, now more than ever—and because there are important stories everywhere just waiting to be told—we encourage all journalism students to participate in at least one of our Journalism Abroad programs before you graduate.
Where Can I Go?
In order to create the richest possible global experience for our students, we have created an array of exciting semester-long and summer programs and courses:
What Courses Are Offered Abroad?
We currently offer versions of all undergraduate electives abroad, including Journalism & Society, Issues & Ideas, Journalism as Literature, Methods & Practice, Production & Publication, and Elective Reporting Topics.
As of Fall 2007, we’ll also be offering journalism Internships in Prague, Accra, and Shanghai. All these classes count toward your degree.
For more specifics, take a look at recent course listings to see the variety of classes offered abroad.
When Should I Go?
Ideally students will complete the first required classes (Foundations of Journalism, Ethics & Law, and Journalistic Inquiry) here in New York before traveling, so spring of your sophomore year, any time junior year, and the first semester of senior year are good times to go abroad. But we can be flexible about these recommendations when necessary. (We want to make it possible for all students to take advantage of these opportunities!)
Be sure to mention your plans when you come in for advising.
Should I Choose a Semester-Long Program or a Summer Program?
That’s up to you. The semester programs, at NYU campuses abroad, offer many classes other than journalism. You’ll take a regular course load, perhaps choosing just one or two journalism classes. You’ll be taught by local faculty and have more time to get to know the city and country you’re visiting. We currently offer a full array of courses in Prague, with just a sampling in other cities. Very soon we hope to expand to all NYU Global campuses.
The summer programs are shorter, but more intensive. An NYU faculty member travels with you and directs the trip. Journalism in Ghana and Journalism in Russia are graduate programs open to qualified undergraduates (they count as an elective reporting class). Journalism in London, a large undergraduate program that draws students from many colleges and universities, offers a menu of classes, field trips, and cultural events.
If you can’t choose, remember: You can choose both a semester-long program and a summer program. In fact, we encourage it!
What Will I Do as a Journalism Abroad Student?
You’ll visit sites that will make you weep, from the slave castles of Ghana’s Cape Coast to Prague’s Jewish cemetery, the headstones piled one atop another. You’ll take a boat down the Thames, or the Vltava, or the Don, or walk along treetops in Ghana’s Kakum National Park. You’ll see Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre or the circus in Moscow or a classical music festival in Prague.
Most of all, wherever you travel, you’ll report. You’ll cover real stories in both print and broadcast formats; in Ghana and Russia you’ll team up with local journalism students and, in Russia, student interpreters to report on the local scene. The best work from all study-abroad sites will be published on our department website or distributed on NYU Livewire, our news service.
Check out student work from recent trips to Ghana and Russia, and NYU in Prague’s new web magazine, The Prague Wanderer.
Where Can I Get More Information?
Email the Journalism Department’s Director of Global Initiatives, Prof. Carol Sternhell, at cs5@nyu.edu.
