Creation of multimodal texts, including audio, visual, and alphabetical modes, for different audiences, purposes, and contexts. Examines the impact of digital technologies on writers’ considerations of purpose, audience, design, accessibility and ethics.
Restricted to students with at least third year standing.
Course description
This course introduces students to the possibilities and constraints of writing in multiple modes through the creation and discussion of multimodal writing. Working from the idea that the 21st century presents opportunities to engage a range of communities using digital technologies, the course focuses on writing and communication approaches associated with multimodality and offers students a space to discuss key theoretical issues associated with multimodal writing, including accessibility and ethical considerations.
While there are several approaches to the study of multimodality, including cognitive approaches, this course takes a distinctly writing-and-communication perspective to the study of multimodality. Through a variety of hands-on projects, students will examine multimodal writing as a situated practice of communication and compose accessible and ethically-informed texts in multiple modes, including audio, visual, and mixed modes for different kinds of audiences, purposes, and contexts. By so doing, the course enhances students’ knowledge in writing for professional, personal, and civic purposes. Each iteration of this course will focus on a set of contexts, audiences, and purposes of the instructor’s choice.
Course overview
Integrated Journalism is a core journalism course which will provide you with hands-on experience to learn how to think and operate like a professional journalist in a multimedia environment. The course is based on a core journalistic skill set of research methods, editing, interviewing, reporting and writing. We use the most current technical tools to enable students to conceptualize, plan and tell stories through a variety of media. You will be given training in key content areas, such as the city, diversity and public policy, and how to integrate research and complex context into news stories and media content.
A key component of Integrated Journalism is contributing to TheThunderbird.ca, the School’s award-winning online news service. This publication is produced by individual students and is led by a team of editors who will rotate four times throughout the year. Students will have an opportunity to learn and experience a number of editorial or supervisory roles. Students are encouraged to use a range of storytelling methods in order to present strong multimedia journalism. Each edition will have a subject focus and will allow students to publish their work, while addressing major civic and global issues.
Course type
This is a 1st year core course.
Special Note
This is a 2nd year elective course. It is a competitive entry course that spans two terms (full academic semester).
Course overview
This course addresses the need for student journalists to gain experience in the field of international reporting while honing their research, organizational and technical skills. Students will develop video and multimedia projects, and enhance their critical analyses of current global issues as well as their aptitude in digital technologies. The class will be structured around a specific issue. Past projects have focused on development pressures in Brazil, global illegal logging and the role of young environmentalists in
China, exploration of the supply chains in the global fishmeal industry, and journeys of migrants throughout Turkey’s two-tiered immigration process.
These topics are selected in preparation for a field reporting trip to a collaboratively chosen global destination. A major objective of the course is to prepare students for reporting through both skill development and studies of best practices. Students are selected through an application process in their second year of studies. For more information about the International Reporting Program/Global Reporting, their past fellows and to learn more about their award-winning investigative projects, please visit the GRP website. A call out for applications will be circulated in late June.