NYU JOUR-UA9204P01 International Reporting Spring 2019

Instructor Information ● Ms. Dinah Richter Spritzer ● Email: [email protected] ● Office hours: By apointment ● Telephone: 777804758

Course Information ● JOUR-UA9204P01 ● International Reporting ● None ● Monday/Wednesday from 1:30 pm-2.50 pm ○ Masaryk, BB]

Course Overview and Goals How do you write about a country when you don't speak the language, can't find the courthouse and aren’t sure how the government works? Find out, in this hands-on, practical journalism course that provides you with an unrivaled opportunity to learn the craft of the foreign correspondent right here in the . You will discover what makes foreign reporting different from domestic reporting by DOING IT. That means focusing on the issues foreign reporters frequently cover in the Czech Republic and other transitional countries including education, health, gender, history, the arts, corruption, politics, drugs, minorities, tourism and intriguing personalities. You will have a chance to fine tune your news and feature writing skills and interviewing tactics in four well researched-articles. We will continuously review current foreign reportage in a variety of medias to see what we can glean from the best and the worst. Stimulating debates on style, ethics and story structure are guaranteed. Guest speakers will be real, live foreign correspondents from outlets such as Bloomberg, and . There will be visits to political hot spots (Parliament, Radio Free Europe) and other sites representing journalistic areas of interest. SPECIAL NOTE: This class is by necessity a hybrid, addressing the needs, experience and abilities of journalism majors as well as non-journalism majors. To try to accommodate both groups, we will review some basic reporting-writing techniques. However, non-journalism majors are expected to consult instructor and do extra reading if needed to bone up their knowledge of journalism fundamentals and style. Those with no journalistic writing experience will be graded on their level of improvement in the course.

FLEXIBILITY: Changes in class topics and special events reflect the unpredictability of the news cycle. You might get a note from me 24 hours before class that we are going to meet at a ministry or school instead of in the classroom. Those who are seeking a class where the syllabus is followed word for word with few surprises should probably not take this course.

Page 1

Upon Completion of this Course, students will be able to:  apply the basic reporting skills of a foreign correspondent  write in accordance with the fundamental journalistic rules of a foreign correspondent  use the specific interviewing techniques of professional foreign correspondents  apply research sand networking skills relied upon by foreign correspondents

 will have completed 4 journalistic articles using the above skills and techniques Course Requirements

Class Participation Students are expected to ask questions in each class, offer comments and also provide feedback on the work of their fellow students. Students are also expected to reguarly seek help with research and networking directly from the class instructor. Quizzes once to four times a semester on current events as detailed in the Prague Monitor are also counted towards class participation. Any ungraded assignments also count towards class participation, such as occasional research homework or your first ungraded practice news article.

Assignment 1; due Feb. 25 SHORT NEWS ARTICLE: An article of 500-800 words that analyzes and follows up on a newsworthy event of interest to international readers.

Assignment 2 due March 21 PROFILE ARTICLE: An article of 800-1,200 words on a Czech person who represents a newsworthy trend or issue of interest to international readers.

Assignment 3 due April 15 FEATURE ARTICLE: An article of 800-,1200 words on a newsworthy Czech issue using real life 'characters' to illustrate a trend of interest to international readers.

Assignment 4 due May 23: Rewrite of feature or profile article using additional reporting.

Grading of Assignments The grade for this course will be determined according to the following formula: Assignments/Activities % of Final Grade Particpation 20 News 10 Profile 20 Feature 20 Rewrite of feature or profile 30

Letter Grades Letter grades for the entire course will be assigned as follows:

Page 2

Letter Grade Percent A 92.5% and higher A- 90.0 – 92.49% B+ 87.5% - 89.99% B 82.5% - 87.49% B- 80% - 82.49% C+ 77.5% - 79.99% C 72.5% - 77.49% C- 70% - 72.49% D+ 67.5% - 69.99% D 62.5% - 67.49 D- 60% - 62.49% F 59.99% and lower

Assessment Expectations Grade A: Work is at or very close to professional level. Student has taken every possible opportunity to improve and develop required skills and techniques and improvement is demonstrable. Grade B: Work is very good but could still use some fine tuning and basic skills and techniques still need greater attention and development. Grade C: Work is fair, needs much more attention to skills and techniques. Grade D: Work is poor and incomplete. Grade F: Work is unacceptable and incomplete

Course Schedule

Topics and Assignments Assignment Week/Date Topic Reading Due “Foreign Correspondence in Flux,”The Yale Globalist, 2011; “The Overview of course World in Eight Weeks,” Johns Review of topics Hopkins Magazine, 2009; “Citizen Session 1 frequently fodder for journalism, Foreign correspondents, Monday, foreign news articles Amateur journalists create jobs for February 4 The categories: hot professional ones,” The Economist, news, feature/trend, 2013 ALSO START READING profile, first-person PRAGUE.MONITOR.COM, YOU WILL BE QUIZZED IN NEXT CLASS!!!! Where do reporters “The power of leads,” “The Nut graf, Session 2 abroad get their ideas? part 1,” “Writing from the Top Wednesday, How do you give a Down,” “Putting Endings First,” February 6 foreign story context for “Unmuddling Middles,” Poynter.org, a U.S. reader? Sources 2014

Page 3

Assignment Week/Date Topic Reading Due and resources: The "The Second-Day Lead and Other pitfalls for foreign Variations," INTRODUCTION TO reporting. AND ONLINE JOURNALISM AT THE KING'S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, CANADA - “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell, Horizon, April 1946; Words and Phrases Session 3 Basic news writing tips Commonly Misused, The Elements Monday, and interviewing tips for of Style, 1918; Basic News Writing, February 11 international reporting Ohlone College, Journalism Department; “Czechs See Peril in a Bootleg Bottle, “ New York Times, 2012 PRACTICE NEWS STORY, 13 SIMPLE JOURNALIST 500-800 words Session 4 Street interviews! TECHNIQUES FOR EFFECTIVE (NOT GRADED) Wednesday, Let's get out there and INTERVIEWS, IS DUE February 13 talk to strangers! MATDORNETWORK.COM SUNDAY, FEB. 17 AT MIDNIGHT PAPER DISCUSSIONS HOMEWORK: -- LET'S LEARN START Session 5 TOGETHER HOW TO RESEARCHING Monday, CRAFT A NEWS YOUR February 18 STORY BASED ON PROFILE YOUR DRAFT! ARTICLES! Session 6 IN CLASS Wednesday, INTERVIEWS WITH February 20 RAs!!!! INTERNATIONAL PROFILES, PART 1 – “First Grader. Model Student. Great-Grandfather," New Make up Day. YOUR York Times, 2004; “Shyne the Wednesday Class GRADED Rapper Embraces Orthodox Session 7 Schedule NEWS STORY Judaism, New York Times, 2010; Friday, FIELD TRIP TO A IS DUE “JiříDoležal: Still toking for change,” February 22 REAL NEWSROOM, MONDAY, FEB. The Prague Post, 2007, "Sharing REUTERS OR 25 AT the Secrets of Fine Narrative BLOOMBERG MIDNIGHT! Journalism," NeimanReports.org, 2002. What is Narrative, Anyway? Poynter.org, 2014 THE PERSONALITY PROFILE: WHAT IS IT? WE NAIL DOWN YOUR PROFILES! Session 8 WRITING ABOUT Monday, PEOPLE: HOW IS IT February 25 DIFFERENT WRITING A PROFILE FOR A LOCAL TV STATION/AMERICAN MAGAZINE VS. AS A

Page 4

Assignment Week/Date Topic Reading Due FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT? INTERNATIONAL PROFILES PART WRITING ABOUT 2: New York Times: “On Web, PEOPLE AS SYMBOLS Storeroom Crooner From Tajikistan OF A COUNTRY AND Is a Star,” 2009; “With Sharp Satire, YOU SHOULD Session 9 ITS ISSUES: Enfant Terrible Challenges Czech KNOW WHO Wednesday, BALANCING Identity,” 2009, " Berlin Mayor, YOU ARE February 27 HISTORICAL Symbol of Openness, Has National PROFILING BY CONTEXT WITH Appeal," New York Times, 2006; THIS CLASS! PERSONAL DETAILS Changing Face in Poland - Skinhead Puts on Skullcap,” New York Times, 2012 Make up Day. Wednesday Class Schedule; THE GREAT The rule for descriptive writing: Less PROFILE PASTE UP! is more, James K. Kilpatrick, The Session 10 WE PUT TOGETHER A Buffalo News, 2006. Friday, 'DISECTED' PROFILE Reading: Feature Writing for March 1 FROM SCRATCH TO and Magazines, 149- BETTER 170, Friedlander and Lee UNDERSTAND STRUCTURE! Feature writing tips: Word choice and International Features, PART 1, Session 11 clichés, setting the New York Times: Wanted - Czech Monday, scene Nurses. Bonus - Free Breast March 4 THE DO’S AND Implants.,2009; Spain Says Adiós DON’TS OF FEATURE Siesta and Hola Viagra, 2007 WRITING! REVIEW: Your profile Session 12 writing essentials! IN TIMELY POLITICAL FEATURE Wednesday, CLASS WRITING READING TO BE ASSIGNED March 6 PRACTICE IN-CLASS POLITICAL QUIZ! Making foreign politics International Features, part 2: New Session 13 relevant to Aunt Agatha: York Times: "Medical Care in Monday, How politics affect every Romania Comes at an Extra Cost, " March 11 aspect of international 2009; "How to Avoid Honor Killing in reporting. What do you Turkey? Honor Suicide," 2006 need to know about the political scene? International Features, Part 3 -- New YOU SHOULD York Times: Dark Film on KNOW BY Teenagers Echoes From Mall to NOW WHAT Session 14 Church, 2010; In Its Efforts to YOUR Wednesday, Visit to Parliament? Integrate Roma, Recalls FEATURE March 13 US Struggles, 2013; Gay Muslims ARTICLE WILL Pack a Dance Floor of Their Own, BE BY THE 2008 NEXT CLASS! Session 15 YOUR IN-CLASS WRITING; Monday, PROFILE IS PRACTICING YOUR March 18 DUE MARCH

Page 5

Assignment Week/Date Topic Reading Due LEDE ANDNUT 21 AT GRAPH. MIDNIGHT! Social issues features : "Czeched Out: The Losers of Prague's Drug Liberalization," Spiegel Online Session 16 International, 2013; Where Having It Wednesday, PAPER REVIEWS All Doesn't Mean Having Equality, March 20 New York Times, 2010; "Fewer Tomatoes in Ketchup? East Europeans Pursue Parity at the Grocery," New York Times, 2017 Social issues features; "Their Identities Denied, Afghan Women Ask, ‘Where Is My Name?’," New Session 17 CZECH SOCIAL York Times, 2017; "Europeans Monday, ISSUES 1: Minorities, Debate Castration of Sex March 25 gender, sex Offenders," The New York Times, 2009; "Letter From Sweden: The Trauma of Facing Deportation," New Yorker Magazine, 2017 CZECH SOCIAL Session 18 ISSUES 2; Education, HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTING TO Wednesday, drugs/alcohol, BE ASSIGNED March 27 economics, healthcare Reading: New York Times: "Who’s a Journalist? A Question With Many Session 19 Facets and One Sure Answer," FIELD TRIP: RADIO Monday, 2013;"An Uncomfortable Truth," FREE EUROPE? April 1 2009; "NYT Argentina Story lifted material from ," The Argentine Post, 2008 Session 20 THE ETHICS OF A Wednesday, FOREIGN April 3 CORRESPONDENT IN CLASS WRITING: Session 21 WORK ON YOUR Six Tips for Crafting Scenes, Laurie Monday, LEDES AND NUT Hertzel,Niemenstoryboard.org, 2005 April 8 RAPHS! FEATURE YOUR Session 22 REQUIREMENTS FEATURE IS Wednesday, REVIEW; 10 WAYS TO DUE SUNDAY April 10 MAKE YOUR APRIL 14 AT STORIESSHINE! MIDNIGHT! Make-up Day Make-up day for missed Friday, April 12 classes (9am-5pm) Session 23 FEATURE ARTICLE Monday, DISCUSSIONS April 15 Session 24 CLASS SPEAKER: Wednesday, ROB CAMERON OF April 17 BBC

Page 6

Assignment Week/Date Topic Reading Due Spring Break Spring Break April 20 - 28 Session 25 FIELD TRIP TO Monday, RESPEKT MAGAZINE April 29 National Holiday Wednesday, No Classes May 1 Session 26 Monday, TBD May 6 National Holiday Wednesday, No Classes May 8 Session 27 HOW TO SELL YOUR Monday, WORK! May 13 Session 28 Wednesday, May 15 CLASS REVIEW (last day of classes) Session 29 YOUR Monday, Final exam REWRITE IS May 20 DUE MAY 23! Session 30 Wednesday, Final exam May 22

Course Materials

Required Textbooks & Materials ● READING CAN BE FOUND ON OUR NYU CLASSES SITE IN A PDF, SOME ADDITIONAL READING WILL BE PROVIDED VIA LINKS

Resources ● Access your course materials: NYU Classes(nyu.edu/its/classes) ● Databases, journal articles, and more: Bobst Library (library.nyu.edu) ● Assistance with strengthening your writing: NYU Writing Center (nyu.mywconline.com) ● Obtain 24/7 technology assistance:IT Help Desk (nyu.edu/it/servicedesk) ● NYU Prague library:Tritius Catalog (https://nyu.tritius.cz/?lang=EN)

Course Policies

Attendance and Tardiness

Page 7

Absences only for medical reasons and for religious observance will be excused. To obtain an excused absence, you are obliged to supply either a doctor’s note or corroboration of your illness by a member of the housing staff (either an RA or a Building Manager). To be excused for religious observance, you must contact the instructor and the Academic Director via e-mail one week in advance of the holiday. Your absence is excused for the holiday only and does not include days of travel associated with the holiday. Unexcused absences will be penalized with a 2% percent deduction from your final course grade for every week of classes missed. Please note that Friday, April 12 (9am – 5pm) is reserved as a make-up day for missed classes. Do not schedule any trips for this day.

Late Submission of Work FIVE PERCENT DEDUCTION IN GRADE FOR EACH DAY A PAPER IS LATE

Academic Honesty/Plagiarism According to the Liberal Studies Program Student Handbook, plagiarism is defined as follows: Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were one’s own. More specifically plagiarism is to present as one’s own a sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer, a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work; facts or ideas gathered, organized and reported by someone else, orally and/or in writing. Since plagiarism is a matter of fact, not of the student’s intention, it is crucial that acknowledgment of the sources be accurate and complete. Even where there is no conscious intention to deceive, the failure to make appropriate acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism. The College of Arts and Science’s Academic Handbook defines plagiarism similarly and also specifies the following: “presenting an oral report drawn without attribution from other sources (oral or written), writing a paragraph which, despite being in different words, expresses someone else’s idea without a reference to the source of the idea, or submitting essentially the same paper in two different courses (unless both teachers have given their permission in advance). Receiving help on a take-home examination or quiz is also cheating – and so is giving that help – unless expressly permitted by the teacher (as in collaborative projects). While all this looks like a lot to remember, all you need to do is give credit where it is due, take credit only for original ideas, and ask your teacher or advisor when in doubt.” “Penalties for plagiarism range from failure for a paper, failure for the course or dismissal from the university.” (Liberal Studies Program Student Handbook)

Classroom Etiquette NO USE OF ANY ELECTRONICS IN CLASS, INCLUDING PHONES AND LAPTOPS UNLESS THE PROFESSOR SPECIFICALLY REQUESTS ELECTRONICS USAGE.

Disability Disclosure Statement Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (212-998-4980 or [email protected]) for further information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for assistance.

Page 8