Classes | Columbia Journalism School

Classes

Please note: The classes listed here represent recent offerings at the Journalism School. These include M.S., M.S. in Data Journalism and M.A. courses. Choices vary each semester depending on faculty availability and other considerations. Classes described now may change or be dropped to make room for new additions. We cannot promise that students will gain a seat in any specific class.

Documentary Specialization Seminar

June Cross

Thor Neureiter

Nina Berman

This seminar has two primary objectives: to acquaint you with the aesthetics, ethics and traditions of documentaries, and to prepare you to make your own short, nonfiction film. To accomplish this, we will be studying, watching and dissecting lots of docs. And you will undertake a series of exercises and workshops on shooting, organizing, editing, budgeting, archive use and outreach.

Open only to students in the M.S. Documentary Program.

Video 1/Web & Documentary

This class is for students interested in producing short-form videos, of the type that appear on web sites such as Vice.com or NYTimes.com. In this course, you’ll learn the basics of video journalism: gathering sound and picture simultaneously; the fundamentals of exposure and composition; the grammar of video, writing to picture, selecting sound bites, the basic concepts of non-linear editing. By the end of the course, you should have a foundational understanding of the basic skills involved in video storytelling and the ability to produce short-form video pieces.

Video 2

Betsy West

If you already have a solid foundation in video, you may request admission to this module, which will give you the chance to develop a more sophisticated understanding of, and approach to, the medium. We’ll delve into the elements necessary for producing compelling stories; teach you how to light and shoot sequences and well-framed interviews; discuss the practical ethical and legal considerations of working in video; and help you develop rapport with subjects. You may request this module during balloting, but when you get to campus, you’ll be required to demonstrate the ability to shoot video interviews and action scenes; identify and use sound bites; and edit a short story using pictures and sound. Those not qualified will be placed in Video 1. For more information, contact Prof. Betsy West.