Course Overview
New for 2022! Reporting & Storytelling for Digital Brands seeks to be a collaborative course where students and the professor come together to talk frankly about how to best report, present and distribute the news in 2022 and the foreseeable future. In doing so, students will learn how to properly tell stories in these evolving times using different mediums, discover how to find lesser-known stories for amplification, and ensure all stories have the representation they require.
This JNL 200 course mirrors JNL 400 that Professor Francis has taught in the Newhouse NYC program for 3 semesters, which is a byproduct of how his role has evolved in the pandemic. Professor Francis went from traveling the country telling the story of Americans on the ground to telling the stories of people worldwide from his living room and this course will expect students to do the same. Through Zoom interviews, phone calls and emails to sources, students will learn hands on what it’s like to be a national reporter in this evolving space of journalism.
More specifically, students will use editorial writing and audio to create content from the lens of being Gen Z. The course will refine students’ storytelling skills, enhance their ability to see nuance in storytelling and enable students to feel confident creating content that is ready for bigtime publication.
There will also be special guests to share their industry experience with the class as well.
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University noncredit transcript.
Course Objectives
- Demonstrate and create sound and newsworthy content using video, audio or editorial writing as a tool to tell accurate information.
- Describe, analyze, compare, and contrast a story from concept to publishing, with the goal of being ready for national publication.
- Apply logical reasoning methods and approaches to the importance of telling stories with diverse experts, different backgrounds and how to fact-check the “facts.”
- Explain orally how newsgathering and storytelling by scale is evolving in America today more than any other period previously.
- Demonstrate professional standards by creating stories that showcase thoroughness, accuracy, and thoughtfulness.
- Apply news judgment to identify a story’s newsworthiness and angle.
“I loved building a connection with my TA and classmates, and spending time working on a subject I’m passionate about.”
— Ryan W., Summer College – Online Student 2021
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: TBD
Format: On Location: Fisher Center, NYC (commuter, only)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school junior or senior status – or a 2022 high school graduate. Students must be able to commute to and from the Fisher Center location for class.
Credit: Noncredit
Grading: Pass/Fail
Cost:
- Commuter, only: $2,500
Newhouse Scholarship:
A course-based scholarship opportunity is available to students who apply for pre-college courses out of the Newhouse School. Applicants who select a Newhouse course will automatically be considered for the Newhouse scholarship without the need for an additional essay.
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Location: Experience what college is really like in one of Syracuse University’s homes on the west or east coasts!
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Location | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Location | 2-Week Session: Monday, July 11 -Thursday, July 21, 2022 | Fisher Center, New York | MTWTh; 6-8:30 p.m. | Noncredit | Closed |
Course Requirements
Supplies
Students should budget for required textbooks and supplies.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
The students will always have required reading to do before each class, as well as some kind of assignment to complete ahead of arrival that will help frame that class’s content. This will be done so that we can dive right into discussion. The reading will span strong editorial pieces from large publications or excerpts from longer writeups and the assignments will allow students to explore what is discussed in class.
During any typical class we will use the first 30 minutes to discuss the previous night’s assignment as well as critical analysis of current events and reporting done on these events. The next hour will be an interactive instruction led by Professor on slides about the day’s specific topic. After a short break, the last 50 or so minutes will be putting into action what was discussed through the slides in opportunities to brainstorm topics to write and report on, people to reach out to and framing of the assignment. This time will serve as an opportunity to collaborate with other classmates, the professor, TA and do research online. Also, some of this time may also be used to discuss some case studies to also help frame the course.
Faculty Bios
Marquise Francis
Professor Francis is senior national reporter and producer at Yahoo News where he seeks to bridge the world of politics and culture in a more relatable and digestible way. Francis crafts in-depth editorial pieces on the biggest issues that many Americans around the country face through on the ground coverage as well as conducts on-camera interviews with some of the biggest culture shifters in today’s society. He also co-anchors the show “A Time for Change” on Yahoo Finance every Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST.
Francis has covered some of the biggest national events of the last few years including March For Our Lives rallies in D.C. and New York, seven former President Trump rallies from Minnesota to Texas and Breonna Taylor protests in Louisville. Additionally, he’s sat down with Charlamagne tha God, Stacey Abrams, Valerie Jarrett, Shaquille O’Neal, DeRay McKesson, Rapper Killer Mike, Anthony Davis and more.
Francis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He currently resides in Harlem, New York.