JOUR335
Specialized Writing
In this course, you will learn how to research and write online news stories on a variety of topics, including science, medicine, business, entertainment, and sports. Writing for websites is not the same as writing for traditional print and broadcast media—you’ll learn about the possibilities, limitations, and interactivity of the web. You’ll also learn how people read web and print copy differently.
Instructors: Amanda Vogel, Roberta Staley, and Katherine Brodsky
This course is available only as part of the New Media Journalism Certificate.
What will I learn?
By the end of the course, you will be able to do the following:
- Focus on research and writing techniques for specialized writing genres such as business, politics, science, medical, entertainment, and sports
- Reshape stories, if necessary, to improve the relevance for online readers
- Develop questions that elicit information quickly from interviews, press conferences, research findings, surveys, polls, scientific conferences, papers, and events
- Tailor and adapt content for the web
How will I learn?
You will learn course concepts and skills through the following activities:
- Lectures
- Guest speakers
- In-class exercises
- Assignment
How will I be evaluated?
- Assignments: 85%
- Participation: 15%
Learning materials
You need a copy of the Canadian Press Stylebook. We will provide other custom course materials.