CULTURAL JOURNALISM CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
updated July 17, 2009
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Cultural Journalism Program at Emerson College offers individuals an opportunity to learn to write critiques and feature stories about the arts — theater, film, music, and fine dining — for print media and the Web.
The curriculum is structured to help participants develop their writing skills and gain an understanding of the responsibilities of the arts and entertainment writer or critic. Individuals who successfully complete the three required core courses, one elective, and the Final Portfolio Capstone course from the cultural journalism series will earn the Cultural Journalism Certificate.
WHO SHOULD ENROLL
The Cultural Journalism Program offers a series of non-credit courses to writers and aspiring writers interested in developing their skills for reporting, reviewing and feature-story writing.* The program features challenging courses that focus on writing for the arts and entertainment — for print media and the Web.
Also available are enrichment courses covering such topics as cultural trends, in which participants have an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of journalism and its relationship to entertainment from several viewpoints. Participants may enroll in one or several multi-session courses. The certificate, however, will be awarded only to participants who successfully complete all components of the Cultural Journalism Certificate Program.
INSTRUCTORS
Jared Bowen, Terry Byrne, Art Hennessey, Alan Rosenberg, Mat Schaffer, Linda Murphy Sutherland
REQUIRED CORE COURSES
CE0371 Arts, Entertainment and Society
Ten-session course, spring semester $525.00
Art, Entertainment, and Society is designed for participants who wish to pursue careers in writing for the entertainment industry and individuals interested in the relationship of communication and entertainment to popular culture, globalization, cultural studies, marketing, advertising and ethics. The course will focus on the historical context of entertainment, and the roles and effects of entertainment concepts in such areas as high art, popular culture, and politics. (Required for certificate candidates)
CE0372 Introduction to Arts and Entertainment Writing
Ten-session course, fall semester $525.00
Participants will focus on the fundamentals of writing, grammar, spelling, syntax, form, and validity of information, and practice the basics of news writing for the arts. They will learn to research, understand what makes a story interesting, and create written work that exhibits good leads, organization, informative content and polished endings. (Required for certificate candidates)
Ten-session course, fall semester $525.00
Participants will learn and practice good reporting, researching, news-gathering, editing, and rewriting skills. Emphasis will be placed upon writing feature articles, cultural news selection and news values, ability to get the facts, ability to tell a story, accuracy and journalistic responsibility. (Required for certificate candidates)
CE0385 Cultural Journalism: Final Capstone
Six-session course, fall semester $350.00
Participants will learn to rewrite, refine, and present a prepared portfolio of reviews, news stories, profiles, and feature articles for critical review. Participants also will be encouraged to submit their work for publication. (Required for certificate candidates)
ELECTIVE COURSES
CE0374 Refining Your Story for Publication
Six-session course, spring semester $350.00
The writing job isn't done when the first draft is finished. Participants will focus on building their portfolio of work, rewriting their feature articles or beginning a new feature. They will appraise their own work, respond to others' work, and rewrite to reflect adjustments. This course is designed to strengthen writers' work for publication..
CE0375 Freelancing as a Cultural Journalist
Six-session course, spring semester $350.00
Through Freelancing as a Cultural Journalist, participants will find and focus their stories, strengthen their reporting and interviewing skills, and learn survival strategies on the feature-production path. The course will cover professional practices including pitching story ideas, writing query letters, story meetings, final publication challenges, and other pertinent topics related to real-world work as a cultural journalist.
Eight-session course, spring semester $425.00
Come to the theater for press night and talkback discussions for three professional theater companies in Boston: the Huntington Theatre Company, Lyric Stage Company, and SpeakEasy Stage Company. Receive press packets, view the performances, write your critique and discuss your observations in class. (Participants will attend three plays and meet in four separate class sessions for discussion. Play titles to be announced).
CE0378 Critic’s Choice: Fine Dining
Eight-session course, spring semester $425.00, plus dining costs
How many ways can you say delicious? Hone your palate and writing skills as you explore the fundamentals of restaurant criticism. Learn what to order and how to describe your restaurant experience. By structuring restaurant review within editorial constraints and parameters, you will get a feel for what it is like to be a professional diner. Classes will include three restaurant visits, scheduled for participants to dine anonymously and gather enough information about the chef and menu, to write a publishable review.
CE0380-YR New Media Arts Coverage
Eight-session course, summer semester $425.00
With the decline of arts coverage in major newspapers, many art reviewers and journalists are turning to the Web to communicate with the arts audience. This course will examine the rise of online journalism and how to use weblogs, podcasts, video and social networking to report on, and review the arts.
CE0381 Covering the Arts for Television
Eight-session course, fall semester $425.00
Television provides broadcast journalists with the opportunity to transport their viewers to theater productions, films, museums, and cultural events. This course will cover the fundamental writing, interviewing, and production skills necessary for producing stories for television or for the Internet. The course will provide the skill set to create such television stories as profiles, interviews, and behind-the-scenes glimpses, to help inspire appreciation for the arts. Note: This course does not entail actual production or on-air work. Covering the Arts for Television will cover the skills participants need to arrive at that point.
Cultural Journalism Course Schedule (PDF)
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS
Professional Studies participants may choose to work towards a Cultural Journalism Certificate. The following guidelines apply to all non-credit, non-degree certificate individuals at Emerson College:
- Individuals must satisfy the certificate program requirements published for the term in which they register for the first course toward the certificate.
- All individuals must complete coursework for a certificate program within a period of three years from his or her initial date of registration.
- Only learning activities offered by Emerson College’s Department of Professional Studies & Special Programs may be applied to fulfill the requirements of a certificate program.
- Enrollment in non-credit, non-degree certificate programs is open to all individuals who have a high school diploma or GED. Prerequisite requirements apply in some instances. To receive a certificate, individuals must submit a “Request for Certificate” form to the Department of Professional Studies & Special Programs within one year of program completion. Request for Certificate (PDF)
INSTRUCTORS
Jared Bowen, instructor of Covering the Arts for Television
Jared Bowen is the sole reporter with WGBH-TV's nightly news magazine program Greater Boston with Emily Rooney, and is a guest contributor to Boston Common magazine. At Great Boston, Jared covers breaking news, politics, arts, and culture in the show's popular Center Stage with Jared Bowen segments. He has produced four news documentaries for the program. Jared also has produced three seasons of WGBH's Eye on Education initiative. Jared is the recipient of a New England Emmy Award; prior to joining WGBH he was awarded a fellowship from the International Radio and Television Society which placed him at Dateline NBC in New York; and he earned several Associated Press Awards for reporting while attending college. Jared is a graduate of Emerson College with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.
Terry Byrne, instructor of Reporting and Writing Cultural Beat, and Freelancing as a Cultural Journalist
Terry Byrne is a freelance writer whose work appears frequently in the Boston Globe, and a critic who contributes to WGBH-TV's Greater Boston. For 11 years, she served as the chief theater critic for the Boston Herald, and for eight years before that, was the Herald's arts editor. She has been writing about the arts for 20 years and her articles have appeared in Boston Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, the Toronto Star and the Asbury Park Press. She is a graduate of Boston College, where she taught as a member of the adjunct faculty in the Communications Department. Terry is currently a visiting scholar at Brandeis University's Women's Studies Research Center.
Art Hennessey is the founder and co-artistic director of Essayons Theatre Company, through which he has produced theatrical and multimedia works in Boston, Seattle and New York City. Art is also an actor, director and playwright. The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) nominated his play, I Go Solo as Best New Play in 2003.
IRNE also nominated, for Best New Play of 2005, the Essayons' production of Europhochylus, Massachusetts, which Art co-wrote. Art teaches acting in Boston with his wife Amanda Good Hennessey and writes about theater and cultural issues on his weblog, Boston Theatre Beyond Boylston.
Alan Rosenberg, instructor of Introduction to Arts and Entertainment Writing
Alan Rosenberg has worked for the Providence Journal as a reporter and editor since 1978. He is currently the Journal's South County assistant managing editor for Breaking News. Alan spent 19 years as the newspaper's assistant-features editor and oversaw arts, entertainment and lifestyle coverage; and wrote book, audio book, theater and restaurant reviews.
Alan has performed in community theater with Rhode Island's Academy Players and Jewish Theatre Ensemble. He also has taught religious school at Temple Beth-El in Providence where he co-directs the drama group and works with students in grades four through six. In 2006 he won the Jenny Klein Award as Rhode Island's Jewish religious schoolteacher of the year. Alan holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Medill School of Northwestern University.
Mat Schaffer, instructor of Critic's Choice: Fine Dining
Mat Schaffer is a restaurant critic and food editor for the Boston Herald. He also covers the Boston restaurant scene for Epicurious.com. A former restaurant critic at Boston Magazine, Mat also has written for Food & Wine, Gourmet, Metropolitan Home, and Cigar Aficionado magazines. He hosted a weekly public affairs show, Boston Sunday Review, on WBCN, and Mat also was nominated for a James Beard award in restaurant criticism.
Linda Murphy Sutherland, instructor of Critic's Choice: Theatre
Linda Murphy Sutherland is associate director of academic programs at Emerson College, and a freelance director/teaching-artist. Linda combines her background in educational programming and the performing arts, as a member of Trinity Repertory Company, to facilitate audience discussion after performances. Ms. Sutherland is a faculty member of Boston University's Arts Administration Graduate Program, and an educational consultant for Boston Public Schools. She has taught in the theatre departments of Emerson College, Bridgewater State College, and the University of Connecticut. A former associate director of education at the Huntington Theatre Company, Linda taught the Young Critics' Institute.
Linda is Rhode Island state co-chair for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (Region I), a former president of the board of directors of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC), and is a current member of NETC's College of Fellows. Linda also has contributed to the performing arts as managing editor, and drama and dance critic for Art Dept. Newspaper.
CULTURAL JOURNALISM PROGRAM TUITION & PAYMENTS
Tuition is due upon registration for all Cultural Journalism Program courses and workshops offered through the Department of Professional Studies and Special Programs. Tuition is calculated per course and individuals must pay tuition in full prior to participating in the courses of their choice.
Participants may incur additional course-related expenses. Such additional expenses are separate from tuition costs and payments.
Emerson College reserves the right to change any provision of its programs and courses at any time. The College specifically reserves the right to change its tuition rates and any other financial charges. The College also reserves the right to rearrange its courses and class hours, to drop courses for which registration falls below the minimum enrollment, and to change instructor assignments.
