2015 - Fall

The Beat: Fashion

Course Number: JOUR-UA 201, Section 002

Day & Time: Mon 2:30pm-6:10pm

Location: 20 Cooper Square, room 750

Instructor: TBA

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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In this class we will look at fashion, subcultures, and the meaning of style. We will cover the fashion beat in order to hone students’ feature reporting skills.

We will kick off the semester with writing assignments related to New York Fashion Week. Expect to produce work for print and digital formats. Topics may include fashion blogging; historical perspectives on material culture; craftsmanship; fashion as a global economic force; trends; memes; or wearable technology.

Prof. Meredith Broussard served as Features Editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she oversaw fashion and lifestyle reporting.