Summer Sessions | Courses | Journalism and Media Studies

The Introduction to Video Storytelling course teaches students the basics of conceiving, researching, and reporting a story through video. Students will learn to think critically about what makes for a good video story--what makes it newsworthy, what makes video the proper medium for conveying that story--and how to execute using the latest technology. Students will learn how to use and handle a camera, how to best record sound, how to properly frame and light a subject or scene, as well as learn how to use Adobe Premiere editing software. Students will have one complete video story at the end of the 6-week course.

War Reporting: The Coverage of Armed Conflict explores the origins and roles of modern war reporting, examines the challenges journalists face, and discusses journalism's place in the public discourse of armed conflict and political violence, most notably terrorism. Taught by U.S. Marine corps veteran and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and author, C.J. Chivers, class discussions will be lively and require student engagement. There will be guest lectures and seminars with leading journalists with experience in recent wars, as well discussions with security and legal professionals who assist and guide news organizations in their coverage of war. The examination of risks to journalists on conflict beats will include detailed case studies of real kidnappings and battlefield deaths, and study examples of risk mitigation and best practices in the field. The course is intended for students with a deep interest in war, terrorism and journalism, including both news consumers and aspiring practitioners. It aims to promote skepticism of official narratives and critical thinking about journalism itself.

Political journalism--from the campaign trail to the halls of Congress--has played a vital and important role over the last four years. This course will offer an overview and critical examination of political journalism and the interaction of media with the White House, Congress, campaigns and statehouses. It will explore how technology and polarization have changed coverage of politics, as well as ethical considerations, shifting newsroom expectations and the challenges facing journalists as they cover campaigns and American political institutions.

The course is intended for students with a deep interest politics and journalism, including both news consumers and aspiring practitioners. It aims to both provide practical training and promote critical thinking about political journalism itself. The focus will be largely on print journalism, though radio and television work will be briefly explored along with opinion writing. This will be a writing intensive class with a focus on practical skills. Workshopping of written articles will be required and there will be in-class writing and reporting exercises. Students will both examine their own biases and meet with leading practioners of the craft. 

The course is led by New York Times political reporter Lisa Lerer.