This course analyzes what is distinctive about Chicago reporting. Students will be introduced to the rich tradition and history of reporting in this city, and the central role this work has played in the development of urban reporting nationwide. To do this, students will take a close look at the institutions, people, neighborhoods, decision-makers and events that impact Chicago residents in their everyday lives. The emphasis will be on localizing our approach to stories through a beat system that will allow students to regularly report on important areas of municipal life.

There are stories hidden in plain sight throughout the city, and this course will cover how to find and cover those stories from the ground up. Urban Affairs Reporting will focus on the stories that happen beyond City Hall, in neighborhoods and communities, among individuals and groups - stories that influence and are influenced by government, business, and other powerful institutions. The course will help students improve their ability to develop sources, find story ideas, and thereby cover critical urban issues with greater depth, originality, and excitement. Students will learn how to report these often fascinating stories across a variety of print and online platforms.

The course examines the explosion in magazine and trade publication journalism that is able to target specific audiences with content designed exclusively for them. Students will use the tools now available in reaching reader communities that share common interests and information. This is revolutionizing the ways in which stories are told, while creating communication communities that share common interests and speak a common language.

This course examines the philosophical roots of the First Amendment and how free speech jurisprudence impacts the journalism profession. Students will learn how legal and moral issues arise when newsgathering and free speech conflict with other constitutional and common law rights, and how developments in technology and economics are creating new challenges for journalists and the courts.

This course will help students better understand the critical role that business and finance reporting plays in the United States and the world economy. Students will develop the techniques that are necessary in responsibly researching, reporting, writing, and editing business and financial news. Segments of the course will be devoted to the history of the discipline, the ethical responsibilities of the business press, and the unique opportunities now available to the digital reporter of business and financial news.

Students will learn what makes for extraordinary opinion and column writing with an emphasis on strong reporting that enables writers to assemble arguments based on the firm foundation of fact. Also examined will be the new ways in which digital delivery systems both empower and threaten the free flow of ideas within and across interest communities.

Topics have included Advanced Reporting; The Chicago Olympics; The Press and The Presidency; Reporting Campaign 2008; and From Franklin to the Internet: A History of American Journalism.

Students learn advanced reporting techniques while developing projects under the direction of a faculty supervisor. This course is designed to take learning out of the classroom and enables students to develop portfolio pieces while gaining critical real world experiences in reporting. Instructor Permission Required

This course examines how political communication and related media affect public opinion, civic life, elections, and public policy, and the impact of these communication dynamics on civic institutions and democratic decision-making. Students will study how journalists, elected officials, citizens, and political strategists construct, use, and understand political messages, including how news, advertising, and entertainment media contribute to the shaping of political perceptions, emotions, and behaviors in a variety of circumstances domestically and internationally.

This course will give students extensive experience doing on-air reporting for the DePaul student television news program, ?Good Day DePaul.? Reporters will cover breaking news stories, features, and serious enterprise stories. Students must have experience shooting in the field and editing in Final Cut Pro, either through previous television news courses at DePaul, or from other work.

This graduate level course is designed to integrate the student's work experience at the internship site with a career-management curriculum that enhances internship success and increases employability.