Writing and Publishing

A study of the news media in America, including how they work, their strengths, weaknesses, problems, and priorities with an emphasis on print journalism and journalists. Students also receive instruction in the art of news reporting and writing.

This course is designed to help students develop their skills in humor and comedy writing. Although the focus is on prose intended for readers, students will also have the opportunity to write commonly performed pieces that also apply when read (such as podcast scripts and short plays). Similar to the creative process used in writing longer prose, students will also brainstorm and refine very short forms of humor that sometimes stand alone in popular culture, such as jokes and wordplay associated with standup comedy, bumper stickers, and t-shirts.

The principles, techniques, and requirements of scriptwriting. These are developed through the analysis of existing materials and through the construction and composition of original scripts.

Students explore the rhetorical and cultural effects of social media as well as the shifting expectations for writers in these environments. Along with investigating how self and society are shaped by the ways information is presented, collected, vetted, and shared, students work with a variety of social media platforms to create a coherent web presence designed for real audiences. In the course, students learn to effectively curate information, create infographics, podcast, blog, and vlog.