A Practical Introduction to Arts Journalism

Mr Daniel Rosenthal

Reviewing a new play; interviewing a controversial film director; reporting on a dance company’s funding crisis; blogging on the golden age of HBO drama – arts journalism takes many forms. What skills do writers and editors need to cover culture for newspapers, magazines and websites? This course provides a practical introduction to five content areas: news stories, features, interviews, reviews and columns/blogs. It focuses on performing and audio-visual arts, with a particular emphasis on theatre and film (literature and visual art are excluded). Through comparative analysis of a range of publications, students will learn about the editorial priorities and styles of trade (e.g. Variety) and consumer titles, including broadsheet and tabloid newspapers (e.g. Guardian, New York Times and Daily Mail) and specialist magazines (e.g. Empire), and find out how articles are tailored for different readerships. They will then move on to tackle written assignments that mirror exactly the work of professional journalists.

This course is aimed at: Students of Journalism, Communications, Media, Theatre, Film, Film Studies, English Literature.

Pre-requisite knowledge required: A high standard of English composition; a keen interest in the arts and media, and, ideally, experience of high school and/or college journalism.

Transferable Knowledge and Skills: Editing, interviewing, research and writing skills; media literacy.

Recommended Pre-Arrival Reading

Recommended Textbooks

• Celia Brayfield, Arts Reviews and How to Write Them (Kamera Books, 2008).
• Richard Keeble, The Newspapers Handbook (Routledge, 2004).
• Jenny McKay, The Magazines Handbook (Routledge, 2006).

Assesment

• Assignment 1: Film Review (500 to 1,000 words) [20% of final grade]
• Assignment 2: Term Paper (2,500 to 3,000 words) [45% of final grade]
• Final Exam: Timed News Story (300 to 500 words) [25% of final grade]
• Participation [10% of final grade]

Lecture Hours: 12 x 1 hour 15 minutes (total 15 hours)

Seminar Hours: 8 x 1 hour 15 minutes (total 10 hours)