Capturing a Sense of Place through Journalism

Check back on December 15th for Summer 2010 courses.

What does it mean to embark upon a journey in which you encounter new people, cultures, and environments? How does one capture a sense of location through language or art?

This summer, explore the art of communicating about "place" with one of our journalism courses focusing on travel writing or landscape writing or drawing.

Join College of Communication faculty member Lou Ureneck for two journalism courses that explore how writing or art can capture—and help us understand—the nature of human experience through interaction with landscape, travel, and new environments.

Read about the genesis of Professor Ureneck’s recent book, Backcast: Fatherhood, Fly-fishing, and a River Journey Through the Heart of Alaska.

Travel Writing: The Journalism of People and Place
COM JO 502
Travel writing has a rich and lively tradition in journalism. It has been the source of some of the best nonfiction writing in recent decades. Among the widely divergent practitioners are Jon Krakauer, Bill Bryson, Robert Kaplan, Susan Orlean, Annie Dillard, and Tim Cahill. In the more distant past, the genre has cultivated many great writers: Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, and Mark Twain. This course is designed for writers (undergraduate and graduate students, amateurs, and professionals) who travel, want to improve their writing skills, and develop a fuller appreciation of the places they visit. The goal is to produce work of professional quality for newspapers, magazines, or possibly book-length works. It requires in-class and out-of-class writing assignments. The course mixes brief lectures with a seminar environment in which students read and discuss the work they produce for class. 4 cr.

The Journalism of Place: Landscape Writing and Drawing
COM JO 502
It has long been acknowledged that there is a correspondence between writing and drawing. In both endeavors, the writer and the artist attempt to see their subjects—in this case, the landscape—with fresh eyes and to communicate their personal visions to readers and viewers. This course is designed for people who are interested in conveying a vivid sense of place in their writing or drawing by understanding the skills involved in observation and the application of writing and drawing skills. The course develops a workshop atmosphere and makes use of local landscapes as well as authors with strong New England connections, including Henry James, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson; and iconic New England painters such as Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent. Students can elect to emphasize writing or drawing in the class, but in all cases students will be asked to attempt exercises in both fields. The course is team taught by writer Lou Ureneck and artist Narda Boughton. Prior drawing experience not required. 4 cr.