2020 - Summer

Writing the Profile: Capturing Character (Session 1)

Course Number: SS1: JOUR-UA 204.001

Day & Time: Mon/Wed 5:30 - 8:30 pm

Location: Online

Instructor: Jen Ortiz

Albert Class Number: 4999

Profiles come in all sizes: 5,000-word magazine long forms; 2,500-word celebrity covers; 750-word Q+As; even 150-word one-question Q+As. This course will explore how – and when, and why – to write them all. We will discuss what makes for a compelling profile: from preparing and strategizing for the interview, to story structures and editing. We will dissect a selection of profiles (ranging in type), peer edit, and hear from guest speakers who’ve written some of your favorite profiles. We will focus on remote reporting strategies/skills for assignments – it’s possible! Oh, and we’ll write, a lot. By the end of the course, among other assignments, you will have a feature profile with your byline on it. And of course, we’ll go over pitching, too.

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