MPAD4300B Specialized Journalism: Civic Institutions
Fall Term
It will be offered on Wednesdays and will be taught by Kate Porter. It will include a range of guest speakers. This course will examine head on the contention that media coverage of our civic institutions has been compromised by changes in the journalism industry. Students will explore the current state of media coverage of major civic institutions through discussion and assignments that identify best practises, gaps or deficiencies in coverage and ideas for how best to foster more comprehensive coverage.
MPAD4500B Special Topic – Photography
Fall Term
This course will be delivered on Wednesdays by Katie Graham. The course will focus on storytelling through photographs in a workshop environment. Through hands-on tutorials, demonstrations, and lectures, students will learn the fundamentals of photography using a DSLR camera. Basic camera techniques and functions – such as depth of field, aperture, and shutter speed – will be covered to show students how to take great photographs using manual settings.
MPAD4300A Special Topic – Extended Reality Journalism
Fall Term
The course will be offered on Fridays in the fall term and will be delivered by contract instructor, Max Lu. In this course, students will delve into Extended Reality (XR), fostering an understanding of its applications in journalism and its impacts on consumers. The course highlights the practical steps to execute innovative projects, such as XR stories, in a newsroom, rather than focusing on specific software skill sets. Critical evaluation of current XR technologies, idea pitching, user experience, newsroom business models, and ethical implications will be covered. The course aims to equip students with the mindset to transform the future of journalism and pioneer immersive storytelling experiences within dynamic newsroom environments.
MPAD4500A Special Topic – Storytelling with a focus on Podcasting
Fall Term
The course will be offered on Thursdays in the fall term and will be delivered by contract instructor, David McGuffin. Podcasting is a media format where difficult, complex social problems are being explored through narrative storytelling. In this class, we will listen critically to podcasts to understand how this format engages audiences on challenging topics. We will discuss how the process of centering historically marginalized voices is changing the nature of how we do journalism. How can we handle stories in an intentional, trauma-informed way? What are the ethics of handling sensitive, personal stories?