2014 - Spring

The Beat: Reporting Downton

Course Number: JOUR-UA 201, Section 002

Day & Time: Tues 3:30pm-710pm

Location: 20 Cooper Square, room 653

Prerequisites: Foundations, Inquiry

This course is designed to hone the student journalist’s ability to research and report deeply and to be able to imagine and develop fresh ideas, test them with the strength of his or her reporting and resarch, and then to present them in story form. Students will be expected to keep weeky beat notes or blogs, exploring what is current in the topic and demonstrating week after week the shoeleather they have worn in pursuit of their subject matter. Out of this work will come four or five stories in narrative, explanatory or investigative style, depending on the instructor and the specific assignment. Syllabi differ by content of the course but all sections emphasize idea development, interview technique, reporting, background research and writing skills across genres. Broadcast sections vary only by medium.

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Whether you’re based in Paris or Los Angeles, Beijing or Wyoming, covering a geographic beat is a unique experience because you need the confidence and skills to write about everything. For this class, our territory is the world situated south of 14th Street. Each of you will be based in a specific neighborhood, where you’ll cover a wide range of stories. Whether you’re reporting on crime or culture, politics or hot parties, you’ll learn what it takes to parachute into a new locale and find your bearings. This class will unleash your inner adventurer by strengthening your interviewing/writing abilities while you’re developing a reportorial voice. Guest speakers and field trips will be essential to our journey.