Course details

Name: ENWR - 250

Title: ST: Column Writing

Section: 01

Semester: Spring - 2013

Credits: 3

Description:
Column Writing and Reporting: A course designed to not only study and experience the craft of column writing in newspaper, magazine and on-line form but to differentiate the work from opinions routinely expressed in editorials, blogs, essays and reported analyses. Through close examination of the best American columnists -- tabloid and broadsheet, past and present -- students will become familiar with various styles and methodologies, from the gum-shoe municipal story telling of a Jimmy Breslin to the global fearlessness of a Nicholas Kristof to the high-minded preachings of a George Will. They will learn about the latitude bestowed on the holder of such important real estate in any publication, along with the limits and often shifting set of expectations and ethics. There will be a strong focus on transcendent generalist voices -- those empowered to comment on any subject they choose -- as well as the emerging specialty columnist; a Ben Smith on politics, a David Carr on media, a Peter King on football. Students will follow a select group of columnists throughout the semester and will compare and contrast their work, both orally in class and in project form. They will write their own columns on a variety of subjects and stories from developing news cycles and be expected to present and defend their work in class, as well as submit it for grading.
The course will use as its text: "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns (Overlook Hardcover, 2011)," edited by John P. Avlon, Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis.
The three-credit course will count toward a Journalism minor and is also open to English majors

The course will meet Thursday evenings, 5:30-8 pm and will be taught by Harvey Araton, a 35-year veteran of newspaper reporting and column-writing with the New York Post, Daily News and for the past 21 years The New York Times. Much of that time has been spent as a sports reporter and columnist, although Araton has written for multiple sections of the Times and has been an ardent reader of newspaper and magazine columnists on a wide-ranging set of issues and subjects.
For the past three years Araton has co-taught (with Dave Kaplan) as an adjunct professor at Montclair State a variety of sports and media related courses -- most recently, "The Reporting and Romance of Baseball," as well as "Sports, Media and Society," and "Introduction to Sports Writing. He is the author or co-author of six books, the latest of which -- "Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry and Baseball's Greatest Gift" -- became a New York Times bestseller in April 2012.

Schedule: Thursday From 5:30 pm To 8:00 pm

Graduation requirements:

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Teaching Faculty: Araton Harvey (aratonh)

Is course canceled: No