George's classes at Temple University:
Spring 2011 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society:
The news media are essential to informing us of the world out there, especially since much of the world is beyond our direct experience. Ideally, they tell us what happened, why it happened, what the consequences are and how it fits into a larger context.
The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with concepts and functions of journalism and the related industries of advertising and public relations in American society. Students will gain knowledge about the history, economics and structure of these industries, focusing on how mass media content is determined and disseminated. We will explore underlying values associated with journalism, relationships among journalism and other social institutions, and current issues facing journalists. By the end of the course, you will have developed familiarity with how journalism works as well as some perspective on how well (or not) journalism performs its function in American society.
The main goal is to help you become a more critical consumer and prot the Journalism & Society blog with ethical debates, job hunting links, internship advice aducer of media content.
Click here to find links to nearly 100 Philadelphia area media outlets.
J5601 Documentary Journalism:
This course is dedicated to the study of long-form, documentary journalism in various forms.
We will dissect longitudinal journalism projects from newspapers, magazines, broadcast outlets and online and determine whether documentary journalists follow the same code of ethics as traditional journalists. We will examine the role of the documentarian in society, and we’ll delve into the history of the form.
We will study the production methods of documentary journalists from conception of ideas to selling the products.
A large portion of the course will be devoted to the production of a long-form story in the medium of the student’s choosing, accompanied by complementary multimedia elements.
Fall 2010 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J2396 Magazine Article Writing:
In this class, we will study magazines style writing - from short copy blocks to long-format, 6,000 word articles. We will concentrate on the differences between newspaper reporting and magazine writing.
We will discuss the development of stories: from generating ideas, to pitching editors, drafting the story, revising it and then working through the editing and fact checking processes.
Students will complete a series of writing exercises. They will draft a query letter, craft three front-of-the-book features, write a mid-length essay (1,000 words), and then report and research a second, longer article (2,000 words). One of the two essays will be revised and expanded upon as the final project.
J3710 The Entrepreneurial Journalist:
As the business of journalism evolves and traditional journalism jobs disappear, opportunities arise for people who understand the media landscape and can recognize under-served niches.
In this class, we'll look at the state of the media to understand why things are changing so rapidly, and we'll try to anticipate where the field will go. We will study existing models of niche journalism and try to learn from their experiences. We will discuss the business of journalism, not with the idea of becoming wealthy through journalism, but with the notion of creating viable products that can provide a service to their audiences (as well as provide a living for the producers).
Since the media models we will be discussing are small businesses. We will also discuss the potential pitfalls and ethical dilemmas that may arise while performing the duties of both the journalist and publisher/ business-owner.
We will ultimately design a business model, create a media kit and begin the process of creating a new journalistic outlet.
Check our class website here.
Summer II 2010 Courses
J38709 The London Beat
A magazine writing/ photography course studying the life and culture of the city through its music (and music journalism).
We're going to study the diversity of London by learning about the music scenes around the city - from the working class stiffs chanting football songs in the Hackney pubs to the South Asians dancing in the Southhall Bhangra clubs, from the punks frolicking on King's Road to the ravers sneaking off to their secret "squat parties" in random, shifty-looking locations. We'll document in words and images the pulse of the city, from the lavish West End musicals to the street performers in Covent Garden - and everything in between. Ultimately, we'll craft an indispensable music lover's guide to London.
Summer I 2010 Courses
J1196 Writing for Journalism:
Writing for Journalism is designed to give students an introduction to the various forms of journalistic writing - from newspapers to magazines, broadcast to the Internet. We will start with the concept of a "story" and follow that conception through the reporting and interviewing process, the writing stage and then the editing and production stages.
In addition, we focus on three major issues in journalism today: the role of the media in modern society (including the importance of the First Amendment), ethics in the media and diversity in the media.
Spring 2010 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J2396 Magazine Article Writing:
J5012 Reporting and Writing II (graduate level):
The is the second semester Reporting & Writing course for graduate students.
We will dedicate the semester to reporting, writing and creating multimedia packages revolving around investigative projects.
Our primary subject for the semester will be the relationship between arts and culture and the citizens of Philadelphia. We will meet and interview numerous people involved in the arts world. We will analyze what the media covers in terms of arts and culture. We will investigate spending on the arts as well as the return on investment for the city. We will delve into public spending, private contributions, pet projects and the processes that brought about such public buildings as the Kimmel Center. And then we'll craft long-form essays and multimedia packages that inform the audience about the work being done in their name.
Fall 2009 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J2396 Magazine Article Writing
J3710 The Entrepreneurial Journalist
Spring 2009 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J1196 Writing for Journalism
J5601 Temple Journalism Review (graduate level):
We are going to take a critical look at the Philadelphia area media, and analyze the products and services provided to the consumers of the region. We will investigate ethical dilemmas, the impact of technology, the effect of financial decisions, and the overall role of journalism in the region.
Our goal is to champion outstanding efforts, to point out erroneous or otherwise poor journalism, and to identify means and avenues to better serve the consumers. Via the website and content we produce, we will strive to stimulate excellence in Philadelphia area journalism in all its forms - from newspapers and magazines, to radio, television and the Web, including non-traditional news outlets.
Ultimately, we will develop a process by which to gauge the quality of journalism produced, and a set of standards that can be applied to journalistic products beyond this region.
The course is designed to combine research and journalism skills. While our focus will be to scrutinize locally produced journalism, students will also craft journalistic stories.
Fall 2008 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J2396 Magazine Article Writing
J3710 The Entrepreneurial Journalist
Spring 2008 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J1112 Writing for Journalism:
J2396 Magazine Article Writing
Fall 2007 Courses
J1111 Journalism & Society
J2396 Magazine Article Writing (2 sections)
Summer 2007 Course
Armagh Project:
The Armagh Project is an intensive, multimedia journalism program operated in the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Over four weeks, students documented the city in words, images and video, and then created a comprehensive website.
Visit our website by clicking here. To see some of the students' photojournalism work, click here.
Spring 2007 Courses
J150 Writing for Journalism (2 sections)
W231 Magazine Article Writing
J260 Journalism Research:
In this class, we will discuss the methods of gathering information required to produce quality, in-depth journalism. We will discuss how, where and from whom to retrieve information. Among the topics will be interviewing techniques, Internet searches, database analysis and the ethics behind computer assisted reporting.
Fall 2006 Course
J150 Writing for Journalism