2016 - Spring

Specialized Reporting: Children and Families; Memoir and Memory

Course Number: JOUR-GA 1182.008

Day & Time: Tuesday, 9:00am-12:40pm

Location: Room 655

This course takes on the question of how you report and write about families and family history, including your own; it will offer an opportunity to read and write in a variety of genres ranging from personal memoir to investigative journalism about children, families, and family issues. We’ll consider the narrative voices used to represent children, the questions of truth, memory, and memoir, and the ethics of writing about childhood, from the problems of “reporting” on your own family members (and family secrets) to the ethics of using underage sources in reported pieces. Students will read a wide range of narratives, including literary memoirs and immersive journalistic accounts of family experiences; they will experiment with a variety of exercises in memoir and personal writing, and they will pursue stories that build on issues related to childhood and family. The class will include writing exercises and workshops which allow students to experiment with narrative styles and techniques.