We begin in August with
an important preparatory program. It is designed to increase your understanding
of journalism history, deepen your knowledge of New York City and sharpen
some basic skills. You also will begin to explore your assigned neighborhood,
cultivate sources and zero in on issues. You will get the feel of being
a street reporter.
In September, we quicken
the pace and move into our regular RW1 schedule. We usually have a weekly
theme. However, we’re also flexible, especially in the final third of
the course, Much depends on the pace of our progress.
|
Week 1: Covering New York City
|
|
Tues. Sept. 4: Neighborhood-life assignment due
|
|
Seminar:
|
New York City today
Discuss "beatnotes" and getting people to open
up
|
|
Guest:
|
K.C. Baker, reporter, People magazine,
former New York Daily News reporter (class of ’95)
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
City Council primary in your neighborhood, due Monday
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapters 13 through 17; Chapter 24 (pages 610-614)
|
Week 2: Covering Welfare and Poverty
|
|
Mon., Sept. 10: Beatnote due
|
|
Seminar:
|
The welfare reform controversy
Discuss neighborhood-life and lab stories
Discuss enterprise project
|
|
Guest:
|
Professor LynNell Hancock, former education editor, Newsweek
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Human impact of welfare reform, due Wednesday
Three enterprise project ideas, due Monday, Oct. 1
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapters 18, 20; Cose, Chapter 5
|
|
|
|
Mon., Sept. 17 Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown
|
|
Seminar:
|
The cops and their culture
Quotes: uses and abuses
|
|
Guest (tentative):
|
John Marzulli, police reporter, New York Daily News
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Police story, due Wednesday
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapter 19, 24
|
Week 4: Covering Local Government
|
|
Mon., Sept. 24:
|
|
Seminar:
|
News at the grassroots
Discuss police story
|
|
Guest:
|
TBA
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Neighborhood issue story, due Wednesday
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapter 21
|
|
|
|
Mon., Oct. 1: Three enterprise project ideas due
|
|
Seminar:
|
Covering courts
|
|
Field trip:
|
Manhattan criminal courts (No lab drill)
|
|
Assignment:
|
Courts story, due 8 p.m. Wednesday
Neighborhood personality profile, due Nov. 19, 9 a.m.
Enterprise project, due Dec. 3, 9 a.m.
TENTATIVE: "Police ride" assignment completed by
Monday
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapters 8, 10
(Ullmann & Colbert, Chapters 1 through 7, worth reading)
|
Week 6: Covering Education
|
|
Mon., Oct. 8: Police-ride assignment due (tentative) Columbus Day
|
|
Seminar:
|
Inside the schools
Discuss police ride and courts story
|
|
Guest:
|
Jacques Steinberg, national education reporter, The New York Times
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Neighborhood school story, due 9 a.m.
Thursday
Enterprise project progress report,
due Oct. 22
|
Week 7: Enterprise Reporting
|
|
Mon., Oct. 15:
|
|
Seminar:
|
Discuss projects and long-form writing
|
|
Guest (tentative):
|
Ken Wells, correspondents editor, Wall Street Journal
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
All-city story, due Tuesday or Wednesday
Start enterprise project
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapter 17 (review pages 420-425)
Handouts
(Cose, Chapters 1, 2, 3; Sleeper, Chapters 4, 5, worth reading)
NOTE: Schedule midterm one-on-one session
|
Week 8: Covering Race and Ethnicity
|
|
Mon., Oct. 22: Progress report due on enterprise project
|
|
Seminar:
|
Race, ethnicity, immigration
Discuss school story
|
|
Guest:
|
Elizabeth Llorente, immigration reporter, The (Bergen) Record
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Race in the neighborhood, due 9 a.m. Thursday
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapters 26, 27; review Chapter 24 (pages 610-614)
|
Week 9: Covering Politics and Elections
|
|
Mon., Oct. 29
|
|
Seminar:
|
The political beat
Discuss race story
|
|
Guest:
|
Michael Powell, Washington Post, New York bureau chief
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
TBA
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapters 11, 12
|
Week 10: Open Week (Elections)
|
|
Mon., Nov. 5
|
|
Seminar:
|
Profile writing techniques
The Jeffrey Dahmer case
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Work on personality profile, due Wednesday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m.
|
Week 11: Covering Health Issues
|
|
Mon., Nov. 12:(Deadline
for approval of master's project)
|
|
Seminar:
|
The changing face of AIDS
|
|
Guest:
|
TBA
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Living with AIDS (or alternate illness), due 9 a.m. Thursday
|
Week 12: Investigative Journalism
|
|
Mon., Nov. 19: Personality profile due Wednesday, 9 a.m.
|
|
Seminar:
|
Digging out the tough story
Discuss health story
|
|
Guest:
|
Heidi Evans, investigative reporter, New York Daily News
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Work on enterprise story, 800-word draft due 9 a.m. Wednesday,
Nov. 28
|
|
Reading:
|
Mencher, Chapter 23
|
Thanksgiving recess
11/22-11/25
|
Week 13: Covering Business and the Economy
|
|
Mon., Nov. 26:
|
|
Seminar:
|
Business news today
Discuss final touches on long-form stories
Discuss profiles
|
|
Guest (tentative):
|
Jason Zweig, Money magazine columnist
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
Assignment:
|
Work on enterprise story. Due Monday.
|
Week 14: Covering Gender Issues
|
|
Mon., Dec. 3: Enterprise story due (Deadline
for master's project outline)
|
|
Seminar:
|
Gender issues
|
|
Guest (tentative):
|
Ruth Padawer, gender/relationships reporter, The (Bergen) Record
|
|
Lab:
|
Deadline writing
|
|
|
|
Mon., Dec. 10:
|
|
Seminar:
|
How to get a job
|
|
Guests:
|
Former RW1 reporters
|
|
Assignment:
|
Polish enterprise story
|
|
|
|
Mon., Dec. 17: Final version of enterprise story due
|
End-of-term holiday
recess, 12/21 to 1/15
|