Topics in Journalism: The Art and Craft of Journalistic Nonfiction
WRCT 250W
Spring 2021
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
CSPL 250W |
Journalistic nonfiction uses the tools of the newsroom to create long-form stories that read like novels. Students will learn the skills to ensnare readers in any medium of narrative nonfiction writing, from articles and books to screenplays and teleplays. Journalists excel in conducting interviews and marshaling facts. But few journos ever master the art of narrative storytelling. Nonfiction book writers can wield a narrative arc to tell a story. But many book writers are weak on basic reporting. We will read the work of newspaper reporters who learned to write long-form narratives, and magazine writers who learned the skills of the newsroom. By semester's end, students will know tools of both trades. We will hear from some of the writers about their work. To keep the focus on journalism, we will mostly skirt the genres of history and memoir. Students will write mostly in the third person, and primarily about events in living memory. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA WRCT |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
This course will emphasize magazine- and chapter-length readings. We'll cover some of the biggest names in narrative nonfiction and New Journalism. We'll survey some of the finest magazine work of recent years, stories ripped from the pages of The New Yorker and Rolling Stone. We will purchase two books:
Storycraft, by Jack Hart. A seminal book on journalistic nonfiction, penned by one of a vanishing breed, the newsroom writing coach.
Telling True Stories, edited by Mark Kramer and Wendy Call. A collection of short essays on journalistic nonfiction from Harvard's Nieman Foundation.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Students will report and write a series of journalistic nonfiction articles, ranging in length from one thousand to three thousand words (six major articles in all, totaling 9,000 to 12,000 words). Students will revise each article based on teacher edits and in-class critiques. We will read articles and passages aloud to hear what good writing sounds like. Each student will submit a final portfolio that comprises all written work from the semester, including drafts and revisions. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): de Visé,Daniel Times: .M..... 01:00PM-03:50PM; Location: DWNY200; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: -3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 3 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 2 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 1 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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