News Reporting and Writing

This course examines the role race plays in news reporting and writing. Students read a variety of opinion pieces and news stories on politics, criminal justice, business, and sports, and they develop multiple original stories involving issues of race, race relations, and demographics in the United States. The course also brings in guest speakers from the highest levels of the journalism industry at outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, and others to discuss reporting on race. Critically, the course does not focus solely on the most controversial and polarizing topics involving race, but expands the spectrum of stories involving race to push for a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of media and race.