Courses

• COM JO 546: Statehouse Program
  Taking advantage of our location in the state capital of Massachusetts, the Journalism Department offers students the chance to cover the Statehouse for professional news clients. The prime component of The Boston Statehouse Program, this advanced study in government and political reporting offers the opportunity to write and report from Beacon Hill for a Massachusetts news organization. The course goal is to develop writing and reporting skills through the daily experience of covering state government that will apply in many fields. Working with a professor and a professional editor, students acquire the skills necessary to work in a daily news environment, including interviewing, developing sources, archival research and deadline writing. Students develop a substantial portfolio of published work. Taken with JO511, 8 cr., either sem. See Statehouse Program: http://www.bu.edu/statehouse
• COM JO 550: Advanced Online Journalism
  This course focuses on producing long-form, interactive multimedia projects. Working in teams, students learn to produce documentary-style multimedia packages that combine still photography, audio, video, interactives and text. The course will offer an overview of techniques and best practices currently employed by news organizations to produce advanced multimedia projects. 4 cr, either sem.
• COM JO 702: Advanced Science Writing
  Students learn to research, organize, and write a major magazine article of publishable quality. Projects for the course, with appropriate revision, may be submitted in lieu of a separate master's project.
• COM JO 703: Magazine Writing
  This is a course in long-form magazine journalism such as appears in the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Outside, and the New York Times Magazine, as well as websites such as Medium, The Atavists and others. Students read and analyze superb examples of the genre and report, research and write long-form pieces. Topics intensive, in-depth reporting and research; the writing process; the use of fine language and the development of a personal voice; the importance of a point of view; structuring long pieces; digging deeply into subjects in order to truly enlighten readers. Also discussed is a reporting and writing strategy rooted in the methods of anthropology and ethnography. Other issues: the importance of complexity, the organic development of characters, the nature of narrative, the depiction of otherness and difference; the use of empathy; mindful journalism; and the development of relationships with sources through deep preparation, emotional connectedness, and conversation. 4 cr.
• COM JO 704: Online Journalism for Graduate Students
  Required of journalism majors. This course introduces students to multi- platform journalism. Students will gain practical experience producing and editing news and features for delivery via digital platforms. This class critiques and analyzes news sites to examine how multiple elements such as text, photo's audio, video, social media and interactive graphics are currently used in multimedia reporting. 4 cr, either sem.
• COM JO 705: Science Unbound-Writing at the Edges of Science and Society
  A course in which students read, think and write about several areas where science and society interact, how that interaction has played out in the media and how that has affected the public's perceptions and policy decisions. We'll examine three thematic areas in which science has has a particularly prickly relationship with the media, perhaps because they touch on primal emotions:(1) Uncertainly and Doubt, (2) Hope and Fear, and, (3) Truth and justice. Students will also complete a series of short to medium length magazine style pieces suitable for front of the book sections of popular publications- such as Wired, Discover, Technology and New Scientist.
• COM JO 706: Digital Toolkit
  This course description is currently under construction.
• COM JO 707: TV Reporting
  This introductory course is about reporting, writing and producing the news for television and the internet. Students learn the fundamentals of news- gathering, story generation, research, videography, writing, editing and presentation. Strong stories air on BUTV and are posted on the BU News Service website. 4 cr., Fall.
• COM JO 711: Video Journalism
  Recommended for students in the TV journalism specialization. Students learn to set up, shoot and edit video news reports, using current HD cameras and editing software. This is a production class requiring students to produce several video news reports broadcast on television and posted to the Internet. 4 cr., fall.
• COM JO 712: Online Radio Newsroom
  For students who like the teamwork and adrenaline of a real newsroom. Students produce a half-hour LIVE news show on the student radio station, WTBU, during each class. Students report, write, produce and engineer all the news sports and commentary on deadline. Students use social media to report stories. Content is uploaded to the Boston University News Service website. Students file stories frequently, and programs from NPR, BBC, WBZ and other audio news outlets will be critiqued. 4 cr., either sem.
• COM JO 718: Magazine Workshop
  This capstone magazine writing course is designed to create a published magazine as a writing portfolio for students. This is a studio course, taught by two professors, that covers writing and design in a setting that captures the dynamics of professional practice. Working in groups, students assume professional positions and conceptualize, write, edit, design, and publish magazines. Magazines are designed and published using required Adobe Creative applications. Design concepts and techniques, along with computer programs used in this course, are taught with step-by-step instructions. 4 cr 2nd sem
• COM JO 719: Feature Writing
  In this course, students are invited to go beyond the demands of hard-news writing and to explore a much broader range of topics and a richer array of approaches. The essence of feature writing is "enterprise" -- feature stories are those that do not have to happen and cannot be written by formula; individual journalists make them happen. Through readings and by reporting and writing their own features, students develop a sophisticated sense of stories and a stylish prose technique. Emphasis is on telling great stories at various lengths and in different formats. 4 cr.
• COM JO 721: Intro to Reporting
  Required of all journalism grad students. Students learn newswriting and reporting by covering a full range of news stories in a newsroom environment. This foundation course emphasizes stress on deadline pressure, writing, and reporting for all media. Includes weekly discussion of journalism principles as illustrated by current events and controversies. 4 cr., Fall sem.
• COM JO 722: Advanced Journalism Seminar
  Required of journalism grad students in all specializations other than broadcast, photo, and science. Using the city as our subject, students cover working "beats" in Boston and surrounding areas. Students are responsible for proposing and covering stories dealing with courts, crime, education, local and state politics, and other essentials of community reporting across all media. Stories may appear in the BU News Service or in professional news outlets. 4 cr., Spring sem.
• COM JO 723: Science Newswriting I
  Students develop experience in writing about science, technology, and medicine for the consumer press. At instructor's option, students may write scripts for broadcast and/or articles for publication in scientific, professional, or business magazines and periodicals.
• COM JO 724: Science in the Crosshairs
  This course guides students toward writing short, pithy features and reports on issues of scientific controversy, introducing students to the technical basics of short form narrative, while also taking a hard look at a number of scientific issues. Also a refresher unit on statistics and one on the politics of scientific journals. The focus will be on learning to think, report, research and write as a journalist while at the same time building a sound understanding of some of the most critical issues of our day. Students will be expected to produce four pieces of writing- ranging from brief expository pieces to a fully formed profile.
• COM JO 727: Special Studies
  
• COM JO 732: Conflict and Commentary in Science Reporting
  A course in writing about science policy issues, including in-depth coverage of controversial issues and writing scientific-related essay, such as those that appear in Slate and Salon. classroom discussions will involve complex areas of science reporting, including scientific fraud and business issues related to science.
• COM JO 733: Video Enterprise Reporting
  Students will produce in-depth, original video reports similar to those seen on network TV news magazine programs, news web sites or local television series. Course includes a review of job trends in the industry and instruction in how to produce a resume/reel website. 4 cr., Spring sem.
• COM JO 734: TV Newsroom
  Students produce a weekly half-hour newscast, broadcast on cable TV and the Internet, with live coverage and video reports on local, national and international news as well as sports highlights and weather. Students rotate positions weekly, using television studios and the control booth, collaborating to broadcast a fresh, informative and accurate newscast while facing the daily deadlines of a working newsroom. 4 cr., Spring sem.

Back to full list of College of Communication