All of the following are second 8 week courses, all are 3 credits. None count in the Journalism major. Each is designed for non-journalism students. If a student has taken one of the topics before, then they should not re-take it as the course will be a course repeat.
1. JOUR C201, 31193, Hot Topics: Sports Journalism. 5:45-7:45 pm, MW, EP 220. Instructor Betsy Ross.
Sports Journalism will take a look at the history of covering sports, from the “'golden age” of sports writing to today. Special emphasis will be placed on the evolution of ESPN and similar sports networks and how sports coverage changed from highlight clips to half hour shows. The class also will cover 'new media' coverage of sports on the web and on social media sites and the development of 'bloggers' and other web-based writers as accredited media.
More about the instructor: Betsy Ross, the president and founder of Fame Day Communications, with more than 20 years of experience as a sports and news anchor. As one of the first women to break into national sports news, she recently worked as an anchor at ESPN for five years. Her new book is “Playing Ball with the Boys,” a compilation of interviews she has conducted with women sports pioneers such as Billie Jean King, Janet Guthrie and Lesley Visser.
2. JOUR C 201, 32733, Hot Topics: Sexual Orientation in the News. 7:15-9:15 pm, MW, Psychology 101. Instructor Zak Szymanski.
News coverage of sexual orientation has been reduced to a few narrow issues, including gay marriage, the military, and hate crimes. Much of this coverage ignores the history and nuances of these debates and excludes large segments of the LGBT community. Utilizing a mix of mainstream and gay media along with prominent guest speakers, this course will examine: How are sexual minorities portrayed in the news? What is the evolution of sexual orientation in the news? Who determines what a ‘gay’ issue is, and how does that shape public opinion? Topics range from media “outings” to the desexualization of gay spokespeople to the emerging queer youth activist. The goal is to gain a greater understanding of complex issues and the relationship between sexual minorities and the media.
More about the instructor: As a journalist in New York and San Francisco, Zak Szymanski covered politics--mainly focused on law/legislation, community organizing, minority and LGBT communities, and activism/advocacy circles---for more than 10 years. He served as assistant editor at the Bay Area Reporter from 1999-2006, where he was also an award-winning reporter. Now living in Bloomington, he continues to freelance locally and nationally for a variety of media outlets.
3. JOUR-C201: Hot Topics in Journalism. 2nd 8 week course. 3 credits.
TWO CLASSES:
C 201, 17065. Hot Topics. Woodburn 100, 5:30-8 pm M, 5:30-7 pm W. Professor Teresa White. (Yes, the times are correct. The difference was necessary to get the room)
C201, 31290, Hot Topics. EP 220. 5:45-7:45 pm, TR. Instructor Chang Hee Choi.
Description for both classes: Do the media occupy a “hot” space in audiences’ everyday lives? Without
the media, how do we come to know the “who, what, where, when, and why”
of newsworthy people and controversies in politics, economics, and
entertainment?
The colorful images and words of newspapers, television news and online
journalism have created a shared media culture with audiences across
the world. Many people encounter the media in airports, cafes,
classrooms, living rooms, gyms and in their cars. In the United States,
it has become increasingly difficult to avoid or escape media. In this
course, we will go behind the curtains of online information, newspaper
pages, and television screens to gain a better understanding of how
media shape the reality that we sometimes take for granted. This
includes media coverage of war, politics and sports, and issues such as
media privacy and bias.
More about the instructors:
Professor Teresa White completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at IU. Most recently, she taught English and journalism at Noblesville High School, where she also was publications adviser. She is also the Director of the High School Journalism Institute at IUB.
Chang Hee Choi is completing a Ph.D. in Journalism at IUB.
