JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION

Step into the world of communication where spin is everything and news is 24-7. In the field, classrooms, studios and labs, you will try your hand at news writing, broadcasting, film making, animation, photography, or sports broadcasting. At the National Student Leadership Conference on Journalism & Mass Communication, you will write and create stories that challenge your viewers and expand the imagination.

The NSLC on Journalism & Mass Communication uses an interactive approach to learning that gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the challenging complexities of the communication field. Together with American University’s School of Communication, you will learn from working journalists, media professionals, public relations experts, web designers and animators.

This course introduces you to the field of broadcast journalism and related legal, ethical, and technological issues. Develop interviewing, reporting, and writing skills. Produce a brief radio documentary and a television field report for your portfolio.

See what it takes to write a news story for print, broadcast, and the Web. Get hands-on instruction in effective writing techniques for your school newspaper, neighborhood newsletter, or Web site. Learn how to distinguish between news and promotional writing. Hear professional journalists talk about their careers and visit a local newsroom.

Bring your passion for and knowledge of sports and learn how to write and announce for live broadcast. Discover the secrets of exciting play-by-play announcing and commentary. Enhance your skills as an evocative sportswriter. Recent students visited USA Today and got on-field passes and press-box seats for a Washington Nationals baseball game.

Backpack journalists do it all—and you can too. Learn to pitch an idea, shoot video, write a story, and record voice-over. Edit a final news piece and post it on the Web.

Explore the world of weather forecasting and the principles of meteorology. Learn about solar radiation, global circulation, precipitation processes, and weather systems. Analyze real-time data and broadcast a live weather forecast from AU’s television studio. Meet with meteorologists at a local television station and the National Weather Service.

Would you like to communicate your thoughts on global warming to Congress? Present the White House with a paper supporting the Endangered Species Act? Discover how today’s environmental concerns are framed, advocated, and occasionally resolved. Explore which messages, methods, and media are most effective locally, nationally, and internationally. Meet with environmental professionals to hear how science, law, government, economics, and the public interest converge in this vital arena. Participate in research and role-playing, working independently and with teammates, and produce a media package on an environmental issue of your choice.

Discover what goes into a blockbuster PR campaign—for example, how did the Taco Bell dog ring the bell at the N.Y. Stock Exchange? Learn how to strategize, develop, and implement your own. Explore the art of messaging and talk to media reps about placing your story.

Write and produce your own video, including shooting, sound recording, producing, and nonlinear editing on Final Cut Pro. Through a collaborative effort with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service, students script, videotape, and edit original works. No prior video experience is required; students are grouped by level of ability. Equipment is provided.

Develop the skills to break down a script, build characters, and explore ways to communicate your message on camera. Learn the vocabulary of acting and directing—and how actors and directors communicate with one another. Students will create a visual portfolio.

Create your own Web site using the latest industry tools and incorporating flash, photos, blogs, and other emerging technologies. Learn how to work with clients and develop sites that meet their needs, as well as those of general Web surfers. Workshop participants will use Adobe Creative Suite software.

This hands-on class is designed for the beginner-to-intermediate student interested in learning introductory concepts, claymation, advanced techniques in 2-D animation, and cleanup. Explore professional techniques through studio exercises, film analysis, historical references, and readings. Work will be shown the last day of class.

Learn about the history and viability of podcasting, as well as promotion, distribution, and writing for an aural medium. Using basic methods of audio production, explore methods of recording, mixing, and editing, and create a podcast for play on the iTunes network.

Using accessible interactive tools, students learn how to create compelling virtual experiences. The course focuses on the craft of game design to encourage you to apply what you learn. No programming experience is required; however, students should have advanced computer skills and familiarity with entertainment consoles.

Music in a film can be a powerful statement that excites us, moves us to tears or scares the daylights out of us. It’s up to the composer to decide which way to go. This course is designed to introduce the concept and practice of creating music for film as well as bring out the inner composer in each of us. By the end of this course your original music will be available as a stand-alone for future use or will be incorporated into the short films that are being created this summer at the program.

This course introduces you to the powerful potential of Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Image Ready. Learn essential tools for manipulating digital images and master basic concepts of interactivity, including Web design. Students gain a strong foundation in the photographic applications of Photoshop and more advanced manipulation functions, such as prepping graphics for the Web.

An introduction to 35mm black-and-white photography and basic darkroom techniques. This hands-on course covers both aesthetic and technical issues. You must have your own 35mm camera. Film and darkroom materials are provided.

In conjunction with Nature’s Best Photography magazine and Nature’s Best Photography Students Online, explore and learn photographic techniques for covering animals, plants, and our environment. Attend discussions with editors and photographers of NBP and NBP Students Online, field trips to museums, and excursions to local nature preserves. Assemble a portfolio and have the opportunity to publish your images.

If you have basic knowledge of 35mm photography or have completed 35mm Photography I, this course offers more advanced training in lighting, composition, and black-and-white darkroom techniques. Shoot color slide film and explore the aesthetics and technical features. You must have your own 35mm camera. Film and darkroom materials are provided.

While at the NSLC, you will meet with and learn from leaders in the many areas of journalism. Aside from the extensive time spent with an American University professor, in past years, NSLC students have heard from guest speakers including:

• Mr. Walter Mears, Political Correspondent/Pulitzer Prize Winner, Associated Press
• Mr. Ron Edmonds, Photographer/Pulitzer Prize Winner, Associated Press
• Mr. Jim Morin, Cartoonist/Pulitzer Prize Winner, Miami Herald
• Ms. Stu Seidel, Senior Editor, National Public Radio, Weekend Edition Sunday
• Mr. Tim Kurkjian, Reporter & Analyst, ESPN
• Mr. Linton Weeks, Staff Writer, Washington Post
• Mr. Andy Pollin, co-host, The Sports Reporters, WTEM Sports Radio

Partnered with American University's School of Communication, the NSLC provides a unique opportunity to spend two weeks working in real classrooms, labs and in the field, studying a part of journalism that interests you. You will work closely with professors in AU's School of Communication and experience college-level lectures on the various fields of mass communication. The lecture series will provide you with a foundation of knowledge that will be vital to your success not only during the conference but in your future career in the communications world. Topics include:

• The History of Media
• The First Amendment, Electronic Media
• Journalism and Blogging
• Ethics in Journalism
• The Power of Documentary Filmmaking
• Graphic Design

At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. From the beginning of your program you will learn to work as a team during an exciting Ropes Challenge Course. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Leadership topics tailored to the Journalism & Mass Communication program include:

• Personality Styles and Group Dynamics
• Public Speaking
• Conflict Resolution
• Stress and Time Management