Focus on Single Issue: Addressing Violence

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Course Content
  • IN-CLASS LECTURE AND DISCUSSION
  • HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

    • This 16-week course, taught by Jim MacMillan at Temple University, introduced students to the practice of solutions-oriented reporting, the spectrum of responses employed to address violence and the impact of the solutions reporting process.

    The semester-long class, which met for an hour and 20 minutes twice a week, familiarized students with strategies for addressing violence in the news by having them report on examples of people working toward solutions, how they did so, and the impact of their efforts. Students reported on violence reduction initiatives with the intent of informing and empowering news communities to pursue meaningful change.

    “The biggest challenge in preparation was creating a syllabus from scratch. This was the first course at Temple to be focused directly on the topic and certainly the first dedicated to the discipline as advised by the Solutions Journalism Network.”

    Jim MacMillan headshot
    Jim MacMillan
    Professor, Temple University

    IN-CLASS LECTURE AND DISCUSSION

    Meetings included discussion of the solutions reporting practice and process, strategies to address violence and expert guests.

    HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

    Students addressed one aspect of violence through three solutions-oriented reports, which they then compiled into one main report.

    SYLLABUS

    Temple University - Spring 2016