WRIT 102:
 
Introduction to Professional Nonfiction
 

Calendar Description:

This introductory course prepares students to enter the Department's nonfiction genre courses and the Professional Writing Minor. The course will introduce students to the practical and theoretical basics of journalism, including writing for newspapers and magazines, as well as media history and analysis, and the basics of creative nonfiction.

Recent Summary:

The role of the journalist requires a solid foundation of skills and an understanding of the issues that affect the craft. This introductory course will give students a grounding in the basic professional skills that are common to reporting in print, radio, TV and online. The course will also help them understand how the news business works—its strengths, its weaknesses and its ethical underpinnings.

Whether or not participants pursue a career in journalism, the hope is that they will emerge from this course better equipped to make sense of the tidal wave of information that floods the world today.