Introduction to Journalism: Honing skills and engaging with the world
Many articles published by The Forum (this one included) began as assignments for ENG 121: Introduction to Journalism, which teaches students the principles of reading, writing, and editing articles.
In the coming semester, Introduction to Journalism will be a 16-week course, meeting twice a week in the Writing Center Lab (M627) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Introduction to Journalism is taught by Dr. Tamara Whyte, professor of English and faculty adviser for The Forum club. Whyte organizes the class as a workshop, with a variety of activities for students to learn, such as Associated Press style guidelines, how to look critically at journalistic writing, how to edit, how to interview, and how to write clearly and concisely.
Almost every week, students will find an article online for the class to discuss and write an article of their own on topics ranging from campus events to in-depth interviews with faculty members. If the student wants, every article they write can be edited and published in The Forum.
Even for students who do not intend to go into journalism professionally, the skills students learn and refine in class are still useful. Whyte said, “You don’t have to be interested in going into journalism to get a lot out of the class because it really helps you with writing, helps you with how to talk to people, how to describe things, and really develop as a writer and thinker.”
Alec Sherwood, a student who is taking Introduction to Journalism this semester, said, “Journalism allowed me to swallow my pride as a writer and challenge my conventions. While my career plans are by no means solidified, I know the critical lens required for journalism will be a useful skill in other areas of my life.”
Beyond the long-term skills taught by Introduction to Journalism, the class also fulfills the Civic Engagement requirement students must meet before they can graduate with an Associate’s Degree. Many article assignments will lead to students attending various events and interviewing PVCC faculty or students, while also giving them the flexibility to write about topics that interest them.
During class, students will get to share both their own writing and professional journalism they found interesting since Whyte uses a wide range of activities to help students engage with the conventions of journalistic writing. “I run it as much like a newsroom as I can,” Whyte said. “It’s a special class in that I feel like we get bonded because it’s so collaborative.”
