RACE & ETHNICITY IN THE NEW URBAN
Sig Gissler, professor
At
E-mail: sg138 E-mail: carlab@nytimes.com
cabara@aol.com
At home: 212-595-2938 At home: 201-864-4426 201-864-4789 (FAX)
Gissler’s office:
Room 604A
Office hours: Tuesday and Wednesday (
OBJECTIVES & PHILOSOPHY
You will explore racial and ethnic issues in
a changing urban
1.
Greater awareness of racial and ethnic complexity, pushing beyond black and
white into a wider realm of problems and perspectives.
2. Greater skill in reporting and analyzing
racial and ethnic issues.
3. Greater ease in dealing with race and
ethnicity as a journalist and a human being.
I will share what I know about racial and
ethnic issues, and draw on others -- journalists, scholars, activists -- to
share what they know. I want the seminar marked by candor, trust and rich
conversation.
ORGANIZATION
New York City will provide the issues,
settings, resources and personalities. You will be on the street and in diverse
neighborhoods. Think shoe leather. Think ideas. Think voices. Think of this
seminar as a news-beat. In addition to several stories and profiles, you will
write a brief racial autobiography, a book review you will present in class,
and an enterprise story that will be part of an anthology posted on the Web.
We'll have guest speakers and field trips. Two books are required. Mainly we'll
use copies of salient articles and videos, many of them excellent pieces honored
at Columbia’s "Let’s Do It Better" workshops on journalism, race and
ethnicity. We also suggest, but do not require, that you keep a personal
journal as you explore new frontiers.
* Our seminar meets Monday, 10 a.m. to
2:00 p.m., in Room 601C. However, reserve all of Monday and Tuesday for
the course. You will be on call. For example, we may change the seminar time to
accommodate a field trip or hold an added meeting to accommodate a speaker.
Generally, I try very hard to keep Tuesday open for reporting, reading,
reflecting, writing.
* Our seminar is our newsroom. Be
professional. Be on time.
* Deadlines will accompany all assignments.
Every assignment must be completed and every deadline must be met. Unless
otherwise specified, the story deadline is 10 a.m. Monday.
* Instructors will critique stories in
detail. So will seminar members (on a rotating basis). You'll write for each
other, not just for your instructors.
* In seminars, we will share experiences and
discuss techniques, ideas, issues and problems. Strong participation is
essential. You also should contribute weekly to our seminar’s private
electronic bulletin board where reporters further swap thoughts, tips and
impressions.
* The syllabus is a tentative road map. Use
it to plan your work, but remember: Everything is subject to change because of
news developments, a speaker's altered plans, etc. As in daily journalism,
we'll adapt. The seminar's final weeks are loosely structured so we can discuss
enterprise stories in depth and deal with other issues that might deserve more
attention.
* Check your E-mail daily. I send frequent
messages. You should also check our class bulletin board regularly.
REQUIRED READING
All handouts must be read
Newspapers
Read the New York papers daily. We will
discuss stories in class. The New York Times and the New York Daily News are a
minimum daily requirement.
Books (on sale at Columbia bookstore and on reserve in the journalism school
library)
Ellis
Cose, "The Rage of a Privileged Class." Paperback.
Andrew
Hacker, "Two Nations." Paperback.
RECOMMENDED READING
Newspapers and magazines
You should look occasionally at the Wall
Street Journal and be familiar with New York magazine, the Village Voice, the
New York Observer.
Books
A recommended reading list is attached.
ASSIGNMENTS
Format
Double space all stories. On the upper left
of the first page, list your story slug, your name, your instructor’s name,
your mailbox number and the word count. On the upper right, list significant
sources and their phones numbers (a key requirement). Be sure to
include three story ideas at end of every story. That is mandatory.
Length
A length will be assigned with each piece,
usually about 1,000 to 1,200 words. The enterprise story will be 2,000-2,500
words. The aim is keen analysis and graceful writing -- not bulk.
Book review
Pick a book from the recommended reading
list. The review will be 600-700 words and presented orally in class. Be
prepared for questions. If you wish to read a book that is not on the list be
sure to clear the choice with me.
Enterprise story
Examples of enterprise stories written by
last year’s class can be found on the school Web site, under www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/race.
MISCELLANEOUS
If absent because of illness or emergency,
be sure to call before class.
SEMINAR SCHEDULE
WEEK
1 -- JAN. 28 Introduction
to race and ethnic reporting
Values, standards,
techniques, trends
Tentative speaker: Lena Williams,
reporter, New York Times
Videos: "The
N-Word," WVEC, Norfolk, Va.
"Acting
White," ABC News 20/20
Assignment: A brief racial
autobiography. Due Wed., 1/30,
Feature on
racial/ethnic attitudes. Due 2/11,
Required reading: Part I of
Hacker (Chps. 1 - 4) by 2/4
WEEK
2 -- FEB. 4 What are race and ethnicity anyway?
What sciences says, what
society does
Field trip: Harlem in
two parts
Sunday Feb. 3: Attend
Abyssinian Baptist Church (11 a.m. service)
Leave: 9:30 a.m. from
J-school lobby
Monday Feb. 4: Tour of
Harlem
Leave: 9:00 a.m. from
J-school lobby
Visit: Rev. Calvin Butts at
Abyssinian
Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture
Barbara Askins,
director, 125th Street Business Improvement District
Lunch in Harlem at United
House of Prayer for All People
Rescheduled Monday
seminar: 4:30
p.m. Room 607B
Videos: "About
Race," KRON, San Francisco
"Colorism," ABC News Nightline
Assignment: Three
enterprise story ideas (for class anthology). Due 2/18
Your three most
important "standards." Due 2/18
Required reading:
"Equality on the job: Are We There Yet?" Seattle Times (1999
Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/seattle/default.htm
WEEK
3 -- FEB. 11 Civil Rights: From clarity to ambiguity
Video: Excerpts from
"Tulsa"
Excerpts
from "Eyes on the Prize."
Excerpts
from "The Faltering Dream," produced by Walter Cronkite.
Speaker: Electra Yourke, enforcement supervisor, EEOC
Assignment: Assignment
(Pick one) Due 2/25
Profile -- An old
civil-rights warrior or a new one (or both)
Feature --
Affirmative action: what next?
Feature –
Discrimination today
Feature -- Integration
today
Required reading:
"Majority of None," San Jose Mercury News (2000 Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/mercurynews_majority.htm
"Koreatown," Los Angeles Times (1999 Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/Koreatown_LATIMES.htm
WEEK
4 -- FEB. 18 Beyond black and white (Part 1).
Closer look at Asian
Americans and the nation’s changing makeup
Speakers:
Margaret Fung, executive director, Asian American Legal Defense
& Education Fund
Steve Yun,
executive director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
Mae Cheng, reporter, Newsday
Video: "Asian
Fears," ABC News Nightline
Assignment: Story on
neighborhood "pressure points" OR "parallel lives." Due
3/4
Required reading: "Tug
of War," Allie Shah (2001 Workshop)
http://www.startribune.com/news/metro/tugofwar
Part
II of Hacker by 2/28
WEEK
5 -- FEB. 25 Beyond black and white (Part 2)
Covering Muslims in America
Speakers:
Timur Yuskaev,
Interfaith Center of New York
Others: TBA
Assignment: Feature on
stereotypes or on multi-racial lifestyles Due 3/11
Two-page
memo on enterprise story Due Wednesday, 3/13 at
Required reading:
"Tale of Two Cultures," Elizabeth Llorente (1999
Workshop)
http://www.bergen.com/news/newkorea1199808231.htm
http://www.bergen.com/news/guats19980824.htm
"Best Friends, Two Worlds Apart," Mirta Ojito (2001 Workshop)
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/featured_articles/000606tuesday.html
Suggested reading: "Hispanics
in Suburbia," Elizabeth Llorente
http://www.bergen.com/news/lizproj200012032.htm
http://www.bergen.com/region/lizside200012035.htm
http://www.bergen.com/news/newcome200012042.htm
WEEK 6 -- MARCH 4 Beyond black and white (Part 3)
Latino issues and growing
Latino influence
Speakers: Elizabeth Llorente, reporter, The Record
Others:
TBA
Required reading:
"From the Heart: Lauren’s World," Gary Pomerantz
(1999 Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/ajc/default.htm
Cose, Chps. 1-4 and Chp.
6, by 3/19
Special session:
Tuesday, March 5. Evening meeting with Pulitzer jurors.
Time and place: TBA
Required reading: "At a
Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die," Charlie LeDuff
(2001 Workshop)
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/featured_articles/000616friday.html
WEEK 7 -- MARCH 11
Racial twists, turns and stereotypes
A look at multi-racial
Americans and at enduring stereotypes – spoken and unspoken
Speaker: Charlie LeDuff, reporter, New York Times
Video:
"True Colors,"
ABC, discrimination testing
WEEK 8 -- MARCH 18 Spring
break
WEEK 9 -- MARCH 25 The middle class
How class affects racial
and ethnic issues (Master’s
project deadline; evening class)
Speaker: Ellis Cose, Newsweek associate editor and author
Assignment: Feature on
views from the middle class. Due 4/8.
Required reading: Cose, Chp. 5, by 3/30.
"Locked In," Jonathan Kaufman (1999
Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/wsj/kaufman1.htm
"Crime Scene," Angelo Henderson (2000
Workshop)
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/workshops/wsj1.htm
WEEK 10 – APRIL 1
Crime, race and ethnicity: What journalism misses
Urban crime's deeper causes
Field Trip:
Leave: Monday, April 1,
from
Special session: Tuesday
morning, April 2
Speaker: Maria Hinojosa,
CNN correspondent
Assignment: First-person
piece on jail visit. Due 4/3 10 a.m.
First draft of enterprise story Due 4/15
WEEK 11 -- APRIL 8
Urban Politics: Role of race and ethnicity
How racial and ethnic
issues shape the urban agenda (Gissler at ASNE, April
9-12)
Speaker: Jim Sleeper,
journalist, author of "Liberal Racism"
Share pieces on jail trip.
WEEK 12 -- APRIL 15
Suburbia and race
From tract housing to gated
communities
Video: "Why Can’t We
Live Together?" DuPont Award winning program by NBC News.
Field Trip: Monday,
April 15, NBC News,
Meet with Tom Brokaw, watch
Nightly News.
Time:
Assignment: Work on
enterprise story. Due 4/29
WEEK 13 -- APRIL 22 Looking for solutions
Easing racial and ethnic
tensions
Tentative speaker: Bob
Herbert, New York Times columnist
Special session: "Native Americans in
Discussion of book reviews
(I).
WEEK 14 -- APRIL 29
Race in the newsroom
Roundtable: Newsroom issues
Speakers:
Others: TBA
Special guest: Chris Hedges, reporter, New York
Times
Discussion of book reviews
(II).
WEEK 15 -- MAY 6 The class anthology
Discussion of enterprise
stories (I).
WEEK 16 -- MAY 13
Wrap-up of course
Discussion of enterprise
stories (II).
Farewell party
COMMENCEMENT MAY 22