J276 – Audio on Assignment

Audio on Assignment (Advanced Audio I Reporting)

Course Description

Assigned stories are part of life as a professional journalist.  This course teaches students how to be creative, resourceful and rigorous in pursuing a wide range of stories, of the sort students could be expected to do as public radio journalists.  Students in this class will report early and often, building on their existing audio journalism skills and honing their ability tell mid-length (5-12 minute) audio journalism stories well.  Guest-speakers will include award-winning audio journalists and editors, who will share tips for making audio stories memorable and impactful.

Learning Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to function as professional public radio reporters.  Close editing and substantive feedback will help students improve their ability to conceptualize and pitch audio stories, and report, structure, write, narrate, edit and mix those stories.  First Year students who complete this course will have a varied portfolio of audio work to share with potential employers for internships.  They will also be well-positioned to do their MA final project in audio.  Second Year students who complete this course will similarly be able to share a varied portfolio of audio work with potential employers in public radio and podcasting.

NB: Prerequisite for this class: J275: Intro to Audio. Those with other previous audio journalism experience can see instructor for a waiver to this prerequisite.