What do reporters need to know about covering health and medical news?

What is the relationship between health and poverty in Athens-Clarke County?

The basic mission of this graduate-level course is equipping students to report critically and write intelligibly about the major sources for health and medical news: peer-reviewed journals, scientific meetings, government agencies, pharmaceutical and biotech companies and academic experts.

The course also challenges students to apply these skills by writing about health and wealth in Athens-Clarke County. Students will explore how advances in research and shifts in government policy impact our own community, where the number of people living in poverty is double that of most Georgia counties. Students will work closely with advanced photojournalism students to prepare story packages for publication.

Local and Atlanta field trips will be required. These include visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reporting on sessions at a major scientific meeting, and becoming familiar with local public agencies and health facilities.

Basic news and feature writing prerequisites are required. 3 hours credit.

Students will write four articles, and the class will be taught as a seminar with readings and discussions. No exams.

For additional information:
Patricia Thomas
Knight Chair in Health & Medical Journalism
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Room 254
pthomas@uga.edu
(706) 542-1210

To view Student Portfolios published during Fall 2006