Ari Goldman

Ari L. Goldman has taught at the journalism school since 1993. He is the director of the school’s Scripps Howard Program in Religion, Journalism and the Spiritual Life. The Scripps Program has enabled Professor Goldman to take students in his “Covering Religion” seminars on funded study-tours abroad during spring break. In the past, his class has visited India, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. To learn more about his most recent trip to India visit his class blog. 

In addition to the religion seminar, Professor Goldman also teaches Reporting, the Master’s Project and the course “The Journalism of Death & Dying,” which looks at everything from writing obituaries to covering natural disasters and suicide.

"It’s not about the technology; that is going to change. It is about thorough reporting, clear writing and being an ethical journalist."

Before coming to Columbia, Goldman spent 20 years at The New York Times, most of it as a religion writer. In addition, he covered New York State politics, transportation and education. He was educated at Yeshiva University, Harvard and Columbia. Goldman was a Visiting Fulbright Professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem; a Skirball Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies in England, and a scholar-in-residence for a semester at Yeshiva’s Stern College for Women.

In addition to his teaching on the university level, Goldman is on the faculty of the School of The New York Times where his course, “Writing the Big City: Covering New York,” is one of the most popular offerings. It is open to high school students of all ages.

He occasionally contributes articles and reviews to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, The New York Jewish Week and the Forward.

Web feature: A Day in the Life: Four hours With Ari Goldman