Professor Patricia Thomas
Phone: 706-542-1210
Email: pthomas@uga.edu
Blog: JRMC8350
Office: Room 254, Grady College
Office hours: Monday 1-4, Wednesday 1:30-4, Thursday 1-4
Website: http://www.grady.uga.edu/knighthealth/
Administrator: Anettra Mapp, amapp@uga.edu, 706-542-8506, Room 252
Writing Coach: Kimberly Davis, kddavis@uga.edu, 706-542-8390, Room 256
Office hours: by appointment (schedule is posted)
Introduction
This intensive, graduate-level course challenges students to dig deeper into the connections between scientific research, politics, culture and health care. The health of poor people in the South need not be the main thrust of stories written for this course, but this theme – introduced in the Fall 2007 health and medical journalism course – remains important. Advanced students will research, write, and revise a major feature article for publication by semester’s end. Individual coaching from the professor and writing coach, brainstorming sessions, and peer editing will help students achieve this goal.
Core skills for this course include preparing for and conducting high-yield interviews with experts and translating scientific findings for consumers. Throughout the semester, students will write blogs that make journal articles and interviews accessible and interesting to general audiences.
Guest speakers will share their expertise and students will read and analyze outstanding examples of nonfiction writing about health, medicine, and the translation of scientific research into practice and policy.
Enrollment is limited to graduate students who successfully completed the JRMC 8350 Health and Medical Journalism course taught in Fall 2007 or who are admitted on the strength of a writing portfolio. 3 hours credit. The class is a workshop with readings and discussion. No exams.
The KnightHealth Graduate Travel Fund can subsidize research for this course and participation in professional conferences such as the Association of Health Care Journalists (Washington, DC, March 27-30) and the Gnat Line News Briefing (Lake Blackshear Resort, April 17-18). A faculty committee evaluates funding requests; contact Anettra Mapp for application information.
Requirements and grading
This professional writing workshop aims to strengthen news reporting and writing skills cultivated the previous semester in JRMC 8350, Health and Medical Journalism.
The centerpiece for this course is a long feature article or newspaper-style series that students will conceptualize, research, market and complete by semester’s end. While the final product is important, the process matters more.
The following assignments should be completed by 9:05 a.m. on the due date:
A one-page summary of three story ideas, describing your hypothesis and the resources needed to test it. One of these will be your course project An initial story file, with written sources and a work plan for site visits, interviews, and additional research A 100- to 300-word explanatory piece A 100- to 300-word portrait of a major character A more mature story file with interview notes and backup material An outline A first draft A story proposal/query directed at specific editor(s) A polished second draft
The morning deadline is important because some written assignments will be discussed in class and others will be analyzed in one-on-one consultations with the professor. All readings are required and students should come to class prepared to discuss them. Punctuality and attendance are also crucial. That said, we are a small group and the course schedule can be adjusted if necessary.
Students will also be required to post 12 blogs during the semester. Eight of these posts are due by March 10, when spring break begins. Four more must be completed before April 23.
Grading:
75% long feature 25% blogs
Academic Honesty: All academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture of Honesty.” Students are responsible for informing themselves about these standards before performing any academic work.” Full text may be found at http://www.uga.edu/honesty/ahpd/procedures.html
Reading materials
Required texts:
Hart, Jack. A Writer’s Coach: An Editor’s Guide to Words That Work. Pantheon Books, 2006
Gawande, Atul (editor). The Best American Science Writing 2006. Harper Perennial, 2006
Additional reading:
Journals that can be used for blogs (available in KnightHealth section of Drewry Room): American Journal of Public Health, Health Affairs, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Rural Health, New England Journal of Medicine, Science
Newspapers, journals and magazines needed to research conversations with scientists, news briefs and your long feature Publications where you aspire to publish your long feature Speaker handouts and clips
Free resources:
In addition to the UGA Library collections, additional references are available in the Drewry Room and in Room 256. Scientific journals, medical textbooks and other references are essential for framing solid story ideas, preparing for interviews and checking facts.
Bring to first class: 6 copies of a published interview with a biomedical or public health researcher (from magazine or newspaper of your choice) and one or more science briefs (from New York Times, Science News or New Scientist). Come prepared to analyze strengths and weaknesses of these pieces.
Tentative Course Schedule
The syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.
Class # 1 – January 9
Brief introduction to the course (9:05 – 9:30)
Guest speaker: Thom Berry, director of media relations, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control: what reporters need to know about working with public information officers – especially during a crisis (9:30-11:00).
Reading: Seeger, M. (2006) Best Practices in Crisis Communication: An Expert Panel Process, Journal of Applied Communication Research; Vol. 34 Issue 3, p232-244.
Class discussion about shopping for stories and blogging for the course (11:00-12:00):
Class #2 – January 16
Lecture: The joy and pain of writing long features, focusing on “DNA as Data”
Class exercise: Students use concepts in Hart reading to analyze how hypothesis drives the articles by Gibbs and Mann and how successful these articles are.
Guest speaker: Jan Winburn, special projects editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on long features for newspapers. 404-526-2780 jwinburn@ajc.com
Readings:
P. Thomas, “DNA as Data: In the laboratory of computational geneticist George Church, biologists and “propeller heads” work “on the edge of the possible,” Harvard Magazine
Hart, The Writer’s Coach, introduction, chapters 1 - 3.
W. Wayt Gibbs, “Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic?” Best American Science Writing 2006
Charles Mann, “The Coming Death Shortage,” BASW’06
Winburn handouts
Class #3 – January 23
Student presentations: Each student selects a health or medical feature from a major newspaper or magazine, distributes print or electronic copies in advance of class, and in class makes an oral presentation analyzing the article using concepts from Hart, chapters 1-5
Guest speaker: Alison Young, AJC, on investigative reporting (10:30-12:00 plus lunch)
Readings:
Hart, Chapters 4 & 5, “Force” and “Brevity”
Young handouts
Class # 4 – January 30
Assignment due:
One-page descriptions of three long feature ideas.
Student presentations: Students present their three story ideas for discussion.
Guest speaker: Susan Puckett, editor of AJC health section, on marketing yourself and your work to editors, building and maintaining good working relationships.
OR
Colleen McMillar, coordinator of AJC health and medical news coverage.
Readings:
Hart, Chapter 9 “Color”
Readings from speaker
Class # 5 – February 6
Assignment due: Initial story file for your project, including work plan.
Student presentations: Students report on their research so far and what remains to be done.
Guest speaker: Steven Sears, Barron’s Online – Reporting difficult stories, from the CIA to zip-lipped oil companies and lawsuits about generic drugs (10:30 – 12:00)
Readings:
Michael Specter, “Nature’s Bioterrorist,” BASW’06
Sharon Begley, “Reality Check on an Embryonic Debate,” Newsweek, Dec 3, 2007
Sears handouts
Explore www.howstuffworks.com
Class # 6 – February 13
Assignment due: A 100- to 300-word explanatory piece
Class exercise: Read and discuss the explanatory shorts
Lecture: Organizing complex material – inside a Big Shot chapter
Readings:
P. Thomas, Chapter 4, “Where the Live Things Are,” from Big Shot: Passion, Politics, and the Struggle for an AIDS Vaccine (Copies will be provided.)
Hart, Chapters 8, “Humanity”
Class # 7 – February 20
Kimberly Davis teaches class
Assignment due: A 100- to 300-word portrait of a main character in your story
Guest speaker: Erin McClam, AP, on writing features for the wire
Class exercises:
Read and discuss the portraits
Analyze Harris/O’Connor and Weiner articles using Hart’s concepts
Readings:
Hart, Chapter 3
Gardiner Harris & Anahad O’Connor, “On Autism’s Cause, It’s Parents vs. Research,” BASW’06
Jonathan Weiner, “The Tangle, BASW’06
Class #8 – February 27
Lecture and Discussion: Writing from the inside out (9:05 – 10:30)
Readings:
Hart, Chapter 10, “Voice”
Michael Chorost, “My Bionic Quest for Bolero,” BASW’06
Robert Provine, “Yawning,” BASW’06
Individual meetings (10:30 – 12:00): Each student meets for 15 minutes with Professor Thomas to discuss outline for feature
Class #9 – March 5
Assignment due: Outline for feature
Class exercise:
Guest speaker:
Emma Hitt on writing for specialized audiences, writing as a business developing steady clients
Readings:
Hitt handouts
March 12 – NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK
Class #10 – March 19
Assignment due: First draft of long feature (Thomas and Davis will edit)
Lecture: Being your own best critic
Guest speaker: Rebecca Skloot?
Readings:
Hart, Chapters 6 & 7, “Clarity” and “Rhythm”
David Quammen, “Clone Your Troubles Away,” BASW’06
Speaker handouts
Class #11 – March 26
No group class.
Individual critiques of draft feature with Professor Thomas and Writing Coach Davis.
Class #12 – April 2
Assignment due: Story proposal/query for specific editor(s)
Class discussion: review and discuss the queries, discuss progress toward completing long feature.
Guest speaker: Rebecca Skloot
Readings:
Hart, Chapter 11, “Mechanics”
Speaker handouts
Class # 13 – April 9
Guest speaker: Harriet A. Washington on evolution and anatomy of a book chapter (confirmed 12/18)
Lecture: Proper study of mankind is men – or maybe women or children
Readings:
Harriet A. Washington, “The Black Stork,” Chapter 8 of Medical Apartheid
Neil Swidey, “What Makes People Gay,” BASW’06
Class #14 – April 16
Assignment due: Second draft of feature (Thomas and Davis edit)
Class exercise: discuss
Guest speaker:
Dr. Anne DeGroot on what reporters need to know about covering science, medicine and vaccine development
Class # 15 – April 23 – LAST CLASS
Guest speaker:
Paul Heald, Allen Post Professor Law, UGA Law School, on what reporters need to know about covering intellectual property (9:05-10:30)
Evaluation and debriefing
Readings:
Heald handouts
|
