New Semester Begins Monday
I’ll be teaching JRN270 Introduction to Journalism this semester. As I did last fall, I’ll be posting regularly on Rhetorica about the class and what students are discussing.
One big difference this time: No more Bang It Out! class blog. I now require my students to have their own media blogs. There was a time when that move would have been controversial–even for journalism students who should expect their work to be public. Today’s journalism student, however, must have web skills.
I will create a page of links to the class blogs. Keep an eye on the sidebar. I expect to post the link to the new page within two weeks.
I’ve done some significant revamping of the class. I’m no longer requiring them to read Discovering the News. It’s a great book. I’ll be replacing that reading with even more reading of news texts (plus I’m using a new, larger textbook). I’ll handle the historical and sociological context of journalism myself in class.
This semester I’ll be teaching two sections of MED581 Issues in Media Ethics. The students in those sections will also have their own media blogs. I intend to use the presidential campaign as the focus for the class. We have a good opportunity to keep a close eye on how the press and other media (Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, talk radio, etc.) behave.
I’m always ready for the new school year to begin 
Tags: journalism, rhetoric
