2021 – Summer

Covering a Beat Through the LGBTQ Lens (Session 2)

Course Number: SS2: JOUR-UA 204.005

Day & Time: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:00 pm

Location: Online

Albert Class Number: 5999

Sex stories! Love stories! Fun and funny and quirky stories! Business stories, healthcare stories, legal stories, political stories, stories about inequality and intersectionality.

The LGBTQ story is diverse and evolving. LGBTQ people face discrimination that takes many forms. Violence against the community is on the rise. Mental health disorders affect the community at disproportionate rates. Conversion therapy is still legal in many states. They must overcome obstacles to adopt children. But it’s not all grim: Comprising more than five percent of the population, the community is growing. Its buying power is strong, making it a lucrative market for businesses. LGBTQ voices are getting louder and prouder.

In this course, students will learn fundamental reporting skills by investigating a community that has been overlooked and often reviled throughout history. They’ll learn to cover it in a fact and science-driven way that is nonpartisan, informed, and fair. They’ll learn the difference between a topic and a story as well as the difference between a work of advocacy and a work of journalism. They’ll learn to identify when they’re getting spun by a source and they’ll develop interview tactics that enable them to approach subjects with a combination of compassion and skepticism.

Notes: Counts as an elective for the journalism major and both journalism minors.