Monthly Archives: October 2017

Covering Religion 2019

Grants

INFORMATION SHEET AND APPLICATION FOR “COVERING RELIGION” SPRING 2019

PROFESSOR ARI L. GOLDMAN

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

  • Info Session: Wednesday, November 7, 6 p.m., Stabile Student Center
  • Application Deadline: Friday, November 16, 6 p.m. 

“Covering Religion” aims at preparing students to write about religion for secular media outlets. In the Spring 2019 semester, the class will focus on the diversity of religious faiths found in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Thanks to a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation, the course will include a 10-day study-tour of the region 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 tentative dates are March 15 to March 24, 2019. 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 Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the class will also look at minority faiths in the region, including the Druze, the Baha’i and the Mormons. 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 identify and begin to report on the stories that they want to cover while abroad. (The stories they report abroad will not necessarily be on their faith beat.)

The focus of the class will be on religion and not on the Arab-Israel conflict or the dormant peace process. We will primarily visit with 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.

During the 2019 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.
  • Academic Requirements: 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 on international Columbia Travel must have a health insurance policy that provides for routine as well as emergency care. Note:Students covered by the Columbia University Student Health Insurance Plan have coverage in many, but not all, countries worldwide. For more information, Columbia University students should visit http://health.columbia.edu/travel-medicine
  • Register your trip with the Journalism School: All students traveling internationally for classes or on assignment must complete the Journalism School’s International Travel form- Journalism School International Travel Registration
  • Register your trip with Columbia University/ISOS: All students traveling internationally for classes or on assignment must register their trip via the University’s Global Travel portal.
  • 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 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 Israel and the Palestinian territories if you had the opportunity.

Good luck. We look forward to reading your application.

DEADLINE: November 16, 2018, 6 p.m.