COM 485

Science Writing for the Media

Introduces students to principles and practices in science journalism. Students will develop their skills in reporting about science and writing news stories about scientific developments. They will hone their skills in effectively communicating science information through different modalities, such as newspapers, magazines, and broadcast media. The course has several parts: a)introducing students to multiple perspectives on communicating science through the mass media, b)developing news gathering skills, such as how to interview scientists and understanding scientific papers conveyed to the media, and c)writing about different aspects of science, including the biological, physical and social sciences. Students will get extensive practice writing science news and feature stories.

Units: 3.0