JOUR 2269 Covering College in America

Note to Journalism minors: this course satisfies the requirement for an elective with a craft" orientation."Higher education has become among the most important beats in journalism, from political and cultural attacks to questions about its business model and the return on families' investment. What happens at colleges and universities not only affects the lives of students on campuses across the country, but also the nations economic competitiveness and socioeconomic divides. This course will cover how to convey the human side of higher education--the experiences of students attending prestigious private universities as well as community colleges and other less-well-resourced institutions--while mining and analyzing rich data sources on cost, performance, and trends. Other topics will include career outcomes, the use of AI, intercollegiate athletics, and student mental health. While the focus is higher education, these skills translate to all kinds of feature journalism.