Indiana University School of Journalism

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Courtesy photo

Associate professor Jim Kelly visited the Buffet Farm, an AMPATH-sponsored project that produces fresh fruits and vegetables for patients at the Moi University Hospital. Kelly plans to lead a class to Kenya next summer to report on these types of projects.

Related Read about Kelly's trip last summer to plan the new course. Read about Kelly's work with Indian journalists covering the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Students tour Pyle's first home as part of 'Footsteps' class (Jan. 25) Study: More than half of journalism students travel abroad, highest percentage at IU (Dec. 27) Apply for Australia class by Jan. 17 (Jan. 5)

Students already are looking into the School of Journalism’s newest travel course, Reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa, which will be offered in Summer Session I. Deadline to apply is Jan. 19.

The Indiana University Overseas Study program just approved the four-credit course, which associate professor Jim Kelly planned and will teach. It features travel to Eldoret and Nairobi, Kenya, to work with journalism students in those cities on ways to research and report on the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The course is open to students with junior or senior standing who have completed J110 Foundations of Journalism and Mass Communication, J200 Reporting, Writing and Editing I and J210 Visual Communications, and to graduate students who have completed or been excused from J505 Intensive Reporting, Writing and Editing Workshop.

Following an April orientation, the course begins May 11 with two weeks of preparatory work in Bloomington. During this time, Kelly said he has invited four guest speakers to inform the students about their travels to Kenya, including Fran Quigley, author of the course text about IU’s Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH); Andrea Morehead and Deshong Perry, reporter and producer at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis who produced an Emmy-award winning report on Eldoret and AMPATH; and School of Journalism doctoral student Kioko Ireri, who is from Kenya and has worked at The People’s Daily in Nairobi.

Students will set out for Kenya May 21. As part of their work there, they will create multimedia news projects about AMPATH, which treats 70,000 HIV-positive patients at 18 sites in urban and rural Kenya, Kelly said. He has traveled extensively in east Africa and south Asia, where he led workshops for reporters covering HIV/AIDS.

The AMPATH reporting experience will be followed by a short trip to Nairobi, "the hub of journalism" in east Africa, according to Kelly. Students will meet with reporters, editiors and correspondents at the two largest Kenyan media houses and at several international news bureaus.

Upon their return to Bloomington, students will spend one week debriefing and producing their projects, which will likely include a written story, photos, video and audio slideshows. Kelly said he hopes that the stories can be posted to the School of Journalism Web site and marketed to local media outlets.

Director of Experiential Learning and Recruitment Kathleen Lee and Riley Visiting Professor Dennis Elliott will accompany Kelly and the students on the trip. Lee, who handles administrative details for the school’s overseas travel, will co-host the upcoming info session.

Kelly said the information session will include photos, a description of the AMPATH project, and time to answer any and all questions about the course and Kenya. Kelly and Lee will outline the course description and rationale as well as important health, safety and security information. Kelly said that student safety is a high priority.

“Because Kenya is under a State Department travel advisory, we’ve taken a number of steps to increase the safety conditions for our students,” said Kelly, who has traveled several times to 10 east African cities.

In addition to ensuring that every student carries a cell phone at all times, Kelly said that IU students will travel with partners from Moi University who speak Swahili and who know the local conditions. Anytime they leave Eldoret, they will be with their partners in university vehicles driven by university officials. Third, they will be staying at the IU house, a secure compound operated by IU.

Questions?

• Read this briefing describing more details of the class, the trip and students’ responsibilities.
• Read this info sheet with details of deadlines and costs.
• Request a DVD of a recent presentation about the course, the trip and the requirements.
• View a slideshow of the recent presentation.
• Apply online by linking to the school’s Forms page, scroll down to Academics and click on "Summer 2010 IU School of Journalism Kenya Travel Course Application." Deadline is Jan. 19.
• Contact Kathleen Lee at (812) 855-1725 or by e-mail.