SoJ Web Report | Feb. 21, 2011
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| Photo by Amanda Uhles |
| Five classes and one group of scholars are traveling during spring break as part of coursework. Pictured are students in a 2010 trip who went to Paris. |
About 75 students in the School of Journalism’s spring travel courses will spend spring break immersed in learning about media of different types and in different countries. Along the way, they also will learn about the local culture and meet other students and media professionals.
In each of the five classes, students have spent the first weeks of the semester preparing for the trip, learning from guest speakers and researching media related to the class. Upon their return, they prepare final projects for the class based on their travel and coursework.
Students also will blog about what they are learning. Follow along with their adventures on the Blogs page starting March 12.
The travelers:
J360 Devices of Wonder, Austin, Texas
Assistant professor Hans Ibold teaches and, for the second year, will take a class to the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, over spring break. The course focuses on social media and social movement research.
The festival attracts media companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, and it also draws innovators, who network, lead workshops and present their work.
The festival attracts media companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, and it also draws innovators, who network, lead workshops and present their work.
J360 International Reporting, Japan
Visiting professor Joe Coleman has been teaching J360 International Reporting at the graduate and undergraduate level for a few semesters, but this will be the first time the course is offered with a travel component. It focuses on what it means to be a foreign correspondent, how to decide what stories deserve coverage, how to write for the audience at home and how to report at war.
Students will meet Japan-based correspondents and Japanese journalists, and will produce reporting projects based on their original reporting from the trip. Coleman, who was the former Associated Press bureau chief in Tokyo, also hopes students have an authentic cultural experience.
Students will meet Japan-based correspondents and Japanese journalists, and will produce reporting projects based on their original reporting from the trip. Coleman, who was the former Associated Press bureau chief in Tokyo, also hopes students have an authentic cultural experience.
J460 From London to Paris, London, Normandy, Paris
Associate professor and Ernie Pyle historian Owen Johnson teaches J460 From London to Paris: In the Footsteps of Ernie Pyle and leads the trip to Europe where students cover much of the same territory as the World War II correspondent.
In the class, students learn about Pyle’s impact on readers. An Indiana native who attended IU, Pyle was popular among readers for his unvarnished depiction of the war often through the eyes of soldiers.
In class, students use Pyle’s early columns to track the development of his writing style. Once abroad, they will visit London, Normandy and Paris while learning about Pyle’s reporting from those places. They also write their own columns in the style of Pyle as a course requirement.
In the class, students learn about Pyle’s impact on readers. An Indiana native who attended IU, Pyle was popular among readers for his unvarnished depiction of the war often through the eyes of soldiers.
In class, students use Pyle’s early columns to track the development of his writing style. Once abroad, they will visit London, Normandy and Paris while learning about Pyle’s reporting from those places. They also write their own columns in the style of Pyle as a course requirement.
J460 International Public Relations, Italy
Lecturer Dennis Elliott’s class, J460 International Public Relations: Tourism Communication, takes students to Rome and Florence, Italy, to learn about the tourism business from many perspectives. This is the first-time destination for this course, which has taken students to Japan in past years.
Students will examine the economics of tourism, cross-cultural communication and new trends in tourism, such as the green movement. In Italy, students will visit a variety of government agencies, such as the U.S. Consulate, tourist councils, Italian Ministry of Tourism and the U.S. Ambassador.
Students will examine the economics of tourism, cross-cultural communication and new trends in tourism, such as the green movement. In Italy, students will visit a variety of government agencies, such as the U.S. Consulate, tourist councils, Italian Ministry of Tourism and the U.S. Ambassador.
J460 Media of Color, Australia
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Michael Evans' J460 Media of Color: Ethnic and Indigenous Communications Worldwide travels to Alice Springs and Sydney, Australia, over spring break.
During the course, students will learn about ethnic minority media. In studying this, Evans said he hopes to educate students about their country’s media.
During the trip, students will experience Aboriginal song and dance, of which Evans gave a little preview. He played his didgeridoo—a long, wooden instrument that makes a droning sound. Along with visiting media outlets, students will tour the Australian outback.
During the course, students will learn about ethnic minority media. In studying this, Evans said he hopes to educate students about their country’s media.
During the trip, students will experience Aboriginal song and dance, of which Evans gave a little preview. He played his didgeridoo—a long, wooden instrument that makes a droning sound. Along with visiting media outlets, students will tour the Australian outback.
Ernie Pyle Scholars, St. Petersburg, Fla.
The sophomore class of the School of Journalism Honors Program will immerse themselves in media at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., one of the most renowned centers for journalism studies in the United States, where they meet and learn from award-winning professionals.
This spring, they are led by associate professor Jim Kelly, one of the photojournalism instructors at the school.
Throughout their four years as honors students, Ernie Pyle Scholars travel as a group several times, including this trip. They also travel as part of their individual coursework, and many of the older scholars are members of the other classes traveling this spring.
This spring, they are led by associate professor Jim Kelly, one of the photojournalism instructors at the school.
Throughout their four years as honors students, Ernie Pyle Scholars travel as a group several times, including this trip. They also travel as part of their individual coursework, and many of the older scholars are members of the other classes traveling this spring.
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