The department of Journalism has added two Special Topics classes (JRN 3900) that address the political turmoil in our lives and the concerns that many of us share. To enable interested students to enroll in courses, they are both scheduled to meet only on Fridays – from 9-11 a.m. and noon-3 p.m. Of courses, students are free to enroll in only one course.
If you would like more information, please contact the instructors directly (emails for each professor are hyper-linked). If you are interested and lack the prerequisites please inquire about whether they can be waived.
JRN 3900, Spring ’20, Special Topic: Covering City Hall and Local Politics, Fri 9-11 a.m.
Prof. Gregg Birnbaum
What happens at City Hall touches virtually every aspect of every New Yorker’s life – from schools to subways and buses to health care to the diversity of the city’s neighborhoods and much more. This course will cover City Hall inside and out, through a journalistic examination of the roles and powers of the Mayor and other citywide officeholders, the City Council, city agencies, special interest groups and the news media. Among other issues, we will look at homelessness, rent regulations/affordable housing, the fight for control over education, why Amazon didn’t build its headquarters in Queens – and even the battle over horse carriages in Central Park. We will visit City Hall, explore case studies of how decisions are made and venture into the city’s communities to report on how actions taken inside that building – City Hall – affect all New Yorkers.
JRN 3900, Spring ’20, Special Topic: Covering the Border During the 2020 Election, Fri 12-3 p.m.
Profs. Andrea Gabor and Vera Haller
This course offers students the opportunity to learn and practice political reporting for print and multimedia on a national scale. The class will explore the issues and political landscape during the 2020 election cycle, with particular attention focused on how the Trump administration’s immigration policies affect local and national politics along the U.S.-Mexico border. Students will have the opportunity to do research and reporting assignments in both New York and the Southwest. We will begin by reading widely on border-related issues and interviewing local experts. The course includes a reporting trip during spring break to the Mexican border in Texas and/or New Mexico. There, students will interview local officials, aid workers, business people and residents, and use their reportage to produce articles and multimedia features after the class returns to New York. Two notes:
- Financial assistance is available; ability to pay the cost will not be a criterion for permission to enroll in the class.
- You cannot enroll unless you are able to make the trip during spring break.