LEST WE FORGET THESE IVORY TOWERS
This project was inspired by Samuel Freedman's book, Letters to a Young Journalist. The Columbia professor's book, published in 2006, is a send-off to aspiring reporters. He writes of his experiences, his frustrations, his observations. "When I first took an adjunct-instructor position at Columbia, I did it as an agnostic on the whole notion of whether journalism even can be taught," Freedman writes. Describing his undergraduate courses as mostly "a waste," Freedman continues, "The college paper, the Daily Cardinal, was my classroom, and experience was my teacher."
So, how shall we convince the agnostic?
The Missouri School of Journalism was established in 1908 as the nation's first school of journalism. It was founded upon the Missouri Method, a process where students learn by doing. The Missouri curriculum and the Missouri Method newsrooms of the Missourian daily newspaper, NPR affiliate KBIA and NBC affiliate KOMU have been nationally recognized.
Missouri is the best, but the best needs to be better.
The journalism school talks frequently about change and adaptation, but we need to respond to these discussions with action that changes the notion of journalism education. Faculty are ingrained in their sequences. Certain classes and structures are untouchable. Tradition trumps transformation. The demands of the 21st century job market require a revitalization of journalism curriculum. Graduates must be prepared for today's newsroom, not the newsroom of five years ago.
Inspired by discussions with our classmates and peers, we set out to discover ways that the Missouri School of Journalism, which we love so much, could be transformed into an institution able to prepare its students for today's media world. We conducted extensive interviews with current students and alumni, seeking out ideas for how to improve a Missouri journalism education. We strove to break free from the bureaucracy of faculty groups and credit counts to focus only on how to best serve students.
As a result of our research and from thoughtful reflection on our own experiences, we are prepared to propose meaningful changes to the journalism school curriculum.
-Sarah D. Wire, Taylor Rausch, William Powell, Rebecca Beitsch, Emily Coleman and Jenn Ballard
So, how shall we convince the agnostic?
The Missouri School of Journalism was established in 1908 as the nation's first school of journalism. It was founded upon the Missouri Method, a process where students learn by doing. The Missouri curriculum and the Missouri Method newsrooms of the Missourian daily newspaper, NPR affiliate KBIA and NBC affiliate KOMU have been nationally recognized.
Missouri is the best, but the best needs to be better.
The journalism school talks frequently about change and adaptation, but we need to respond to these discussions with action that changes the notion of journalism education. Faculty are ingrained in their sequences. Certain classes and structures are untouchable. Tradition trumps transformation. The demands of the 21st century job market require a revitalization of journalism curriculum. Graduates must be prepared for today's newsroom, not the newsroom of five years ago.
Inspired by discussions with our classmates and peers, we set out to discover ways that the Missouri School of Journalism, which we love so much, could be transformed into an institution able to prepare its students for today's media world. We conducted extensive interviews with current students and alumni, seeking out ideas for how to improve a Missouri journalism education. We strove to break free from the bureaucracy of faculty groups and credit counts to focus only on how to best serve students.
As a result of our research and from thoughtful reflection on our own experiences, we are prepared to propose meaningful changes to the journalism school curriculum.
-Sarah D. Wire, Taylor Rausch, William Powell, Rebecca Beitsch, Emily Coleman and Jenn Ballard
