Course Description
Challenges students to dig deeper into connections between scientific research, politics, culture, and health care. Health of poor people in the South need not be the main thrust of stories written for course, but the theme remains important. Advanced students will research, write, and revise a major feature article for publication.
Athena Title
ADV HEALTH MED JRL
Prerequisite
JRMC 7355
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Student will: 1. Be able to identify, analyze ad understand the interplay of scientific research, politics, economics, culture and health care - especially their role in health disparities in the American South. 2. Gain a mechanistic understanding of nonfiction narrative by analyzing outstanding articles about health, medicine, and the shaping of policy and practice by scientific research. 3. Understand and master a hypothesis-driven approach to conceptualizing, researching, writing and revising a major feature article or series of articles for print and/or online publication. 4. Master skills needed to prepare for and conduct high-yield interviews with experts, pick out narrative threads in the scientific literature, and translate complex ideas and findings for general audiences.
Topical Outline
1. Shopping for stories, formulating and testing hypotheses, using the tools of investigation. 2. Structural and stylistic analysis of major newspaper or magazine features about health or medical topics. 3. Working with editors - perspectives from editor, staff writer and freelancer. 4. Constructing a plan of work and a calendar, using a process- oriented approach to nonfiction narrative. 5. Organizing complex material and writing clear explanations. 6. Making characters come alive. 7. Hitting the long ball, writing the first draft. 8. Marketing the story. 9. Being your own best critic, polishing the work for publication.