Students take photos with Richard Wagamese after his talk at UBC.
One of the key elements at UBC Journalism is to ensure our students gain hands-on experience. Through internships and research scholarships, we encourage our students to dive into the world of journalism.
Equally important is bringing the professional world into the classroom.
During the fall term of 2014, UBC Journalism welcomed several journalists, scholars and professionals to our classrooms to speak on topics from photography and war reporting to media law and storytelling.
Below is a sample of the speakers from the fall term.
Richard Wagamese
Richard Wagamese is an author from the Ojibway Wabasseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Wagamese has published six novels, five non-fiction works and one book of poetry – several of these publications are award-winning. He was in Vancouver for the 2014 Writer’s Festival when he stopped by UBC Journalism to talk about why we share stories and storytelling as an innate human trait.
Richard Lam
A critical component of the Integrated Journalism (IJ) class is learning how to use digital tools to tell stories. This year the first year students’ photography lesson came from prolific photographer Richard Lam. Based in Vancouver, Lam is a freelance photographer for the Canadian Press, The Vancouver Sun and the UBC athletics department among others. Lam’s rise to notoriety came during the Vancouver Stanley Cup riot in 2011 – where he captured a couple kissing. Lam’s visit to the IJ class focused on how to “make” a photo and how to use those photos to document history.
Stephanie Nolen
Stephanie Nolen was one of several speakers in this year’s International Reporting class. Nolen is the Latin America Bureau Chief for The Globe and Mail. She has been working as a foreign correspondent for nearly 20 years. Previously she was based in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Her book, “28 Stories of AIDS in Africa,” won the PEN “Courage” award. Second-year student Darryl Hol said, “I got to meet one of Canada’s best journalists. Nobody tells more beautiful stories than Stephanie Nolen.”
Charlie Smith
Charlie Smith is the editor of the Georgia Straight, a Vancouver weekly publication. Smith, a seasoned political reporter in Vancouver, spoke to the Integrated Journalism course as part of a panel following the 2014 elections. Smith presented alongside Frances Bula, CBC’s Jason Proctor and UBC alumni Emily Jackson.
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is Canada’s only Pulitzer-prize winning photographer. Watson is a photojournalist for the Toronto Star. He is the author of Where War Lives and Magnum Revolution: 65 Years of Fighting for Freedom. Watson spoke to the International Reporting class about witnessing atrocity and journalism ethics.
Wally Oppal
This year’s Media Law class played host to former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal. Oppal was most recently commissioner on the 2012 report, “Forsaken,” an inquiry into the missing and murdered women in B.C. Media Law professor Jon Festinger said Oppal spoke to the class about the intersection of the media and the courts.
Coming in winter 2015
Also making an appearance at the j-school last term: Ian Stewart, Chris Frey, Erin Baines, Taylor Lambert, Michael Vonn, Cameron Bell, Marko Vesely, Travis Rummel, Kim Bolan, David F. Sutherland, Robert Anderson, Tyee Bridge, and Alden Habacon.
Next term we have several more speakers lined up including Craig Silverman and Michelle Aleksandrovics to name just two.
