Hunter’s journalism program has some exciting course highlights for the upcoming semester that students should know about when registering.
Courses that will be offered include News Literacy in a Digital Age, Studio News Production, Magazine Writing, and Reporting & Writing I, just to name a few. A new, experimental course called “Classroom to Career” will be taught for the first time in the fall as well.
“Classroom to Career” will be taught by Professor Jeanie Ahn, which is geared towards preparing journalism students to transition from the classroom into a professional career. It offers one and a half credits with two in-person labs on Fridays. Students will practice their interviewing skills, how to write résumés and cover letters, job searching, salary negotiation, and much more. Each lab has 16 spots, allowing for greater individual attention.
Professor Ahn is well-versed in both career coaching and journalism. Outside of the classroom, she is a career/money coach for corporate and non-profit clients as part of her business, Millionaire Money Habits. She not only consults adults but she teaches a workshop for children called “Millionaire Money Habits for Kids.” Additionally, she has worked as a personal finance and senior producer for over eight years.
“This is something that I enjoy, which is why I do it for my own business,” said Ahn.
“Classroom to Career” is highly recommended for junior and senior students, and they can find it listed as “MEDPL/30N01 College to Career: Get Hired!” on Schedule Builder. They also must email David Pavlosky at pav10023@gmail.com or Sissel McCarthy at sm2932@hunter.cuny.edu for permission to join the class. If students have any questions, they can email Professor Ahn at sk7073@hunter.cuny.edu.
Another notable course being offered in the fall is Studio News Production, instructed by Professor Sissel McCarthy. The capstone class, which can be taken twice, is meant to simulate a newsroom where students produce, report, and anchor their own Hunter News Now (HNN) newscast. HNN, which airs bi-weekly, focuses on news stories impacting the Hunter and overall CUNY community. Professor McCarthy said this is a “must-take course” that offers real-world experience for anyone wanting a background in visual storytelling.
“When I offered it last fall, the students told me it was a life-changing course,” said McCarthy. “Many of the students who took the course are now going into television news.”
Students who have taken Reporting and Writing II that are interested in enrolling in Studio News can email David Pavlosky or Professor McCarthy to be cleared for registration.
Professor McCarthy will also be teaching lectures for News Literacy in a Digital Age this fall. The course takes examples that are “ripped from the headlines” to teach students how to seek out reliable information online. They’ll be given a team project to work on that analyzes and debunks a conspiracy theory. It offers eight sections total, six in-person and two online.
“This is such an important life skill that you need,” said Prof. McCarthy. “Not just at Hunter, but beyond in your life to be an informed and engaged citizen in our world.”
Magazine Writing is also set to be offered next fall with Professor David Alm. Students will focus on the four of the most common types of stories found in magazines: feature, review, personal history, and profile. They’ll do close readings of published pieces to analyze their style and form, then workshop their own pieces to bring out their voice. This kind of writing takes a more literary approach that’s often deemed as “creative nonfiction.”
In addition, Reporting and Writing will be offered next semester. It’s an introductory course that teaches the fundamentals of journalism and is writing intensive. It serves as a prerequisite for many writing and production classes within the journalism program.
