INFORMATION SHEET AND APPLICATION FOR “COVERING RELIGION” SPRING 2015

“COVERING THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA”

PROFESSORS ARI L. GOLDMAN & YOGI TRIVEDI

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

“Covering Religion” aims at preparing students to write about religion for secular media outlets. In the Spring 2015 semester, the class will focus on the diversity of religious faiths found in India. Thanks to a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation, the course will include a 10-day study-tour of North India at virtually no cost to students. (The minimal expenses that students will incur are described below.)

The study-tour will take place over spring break, with the weekends before and after the break used for travel. The first seven weeks of the course will be spent reporting on the relevant religions in the greater New York area. At the beginning of the term, each student is assigned a faith or a sect of a faith in which to specialize. While a primary focus of the semester will be on the major faiths of India, especially Hinduism and Islam, the class will also look at minority faiths, such as Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Judaism. In addition to writing assignments, each student will make an oral presentation in class about his or her assigned faith. While still in New York, students will select and begin to report on the stories that they want to cover while abroad. Students will be assisted by the faculty to develop contacts in India before they depart for the trip.

The class will visit the capital city of New Delhi, the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, the early modern Mughal capital of Jaipur and the shores of the Ganges in Haridwar and Rishikesh. A trip to Ahmedabad, Gujarat is also being considered. It is timely considering the rise of Narendra Modi to the seat of Prime Minister earlier this year. The city is also well known for its historical religious syncretism of Hindu, Muslim, Jain, and Sikh communities. At each stop, we will meet religious leaders and visit houses of worship and shrines. “Reporting days” are also included in the schedule so that students can work on their projects. Religion manifests itself in an extremely distinct way in South Asia. The political, social, and cultural realms are pervaded by the sacred in ways unseen in America and Europe. Several guest speakers—journalists and academics—will also provide insight on historical, political, and ethnographic norms to help prepare students for the trip and the completion of their projects. It is important to note, however, that the focus will be on religion, religious sites and religious communities.

During the 2015 trip, the class will maintain a website that includes daily updates from our travels. Each day on the trip, one student will be responsible for reporting on that day’s activities and posting the story on the Web. In addition, two students serve as Webmasters and others coordinate photographs, videos and social media. Upon returning from the study-tour, students will complete and post their major reporting projects from the trip. (The Websites from previous years can be found at www.coveringreligion.org.)

Here are a few additional points —

• Class size: the class is limited to 16 students.

• Dates for the trip: The trip roughly takes place over spring break, making use of the weekends before and after for travel time.

• Full-time and part-time students in the MS Program are invited to apply

• Requirements: Full-time students accepted in the class must submit the final draft of their Master’s Project to Dean Huff no later than March 12th, which is 10 days before the regular deadline. In addition, all students must be up-to-date on assignments for all other classes. No student on academic probation or academic warning will be allowed to go on the trip.

• Composition of the class: We are looking for a group of students that will reflect the diversity of the school in terms of gender, language skills, international travel experience, region of the United States and country of origin. No prior travel experience is necessary.

• Health insurance: Students are responsible to be sure that they are covered while on the trip.

• Cost to students: The foundation pays for airfare, hotels, transfers and two meals a day. Students should bring enough money for one meal a day plus money for any personal items or gifts they wish to purchase. Students are responsible for getting their own passports in order and for paying for any visa fees. Students also have to cover the costs of any inoculations necessary for the trip. Students will have to arrange their own travel to and from the airport in New York.

• Application process: Please fill out the on-line application

  http://bit.ly/CUJ_religion

  It asks for a 500-word essay on why you would like to be considered for the class. It should include personal information as well as a statement about what contemporary religion story you would cover in India if you had the opportunity. If you have done any religion writing in the past, you can include links to those stories.

Good luck. We look forward to reading your application.

DEADLINE: November 17, 2014, 5 p.m.