Faculty Syllabus

The Academic Cooperative is an internship class with a capstone project for students enrolled. 

The Academic Cooperative is an internship class with a capstone project for students enrolled. 

The Academic Cooperative is an internship class with a capstone project for students enrolled. 

Course Syllabus: COMM 2389

Academic Cooperative

Tentative Syllabus

Instructor: David Kano​​​Belief is meaningless without action.

Office Hours In Person: Mondays 12 pm – 1:30 pm and by appointment

Office Hours Online: Mondays 1:30 pm – 3 pm, Tuesdays 1 pm – 2 pm and by appointment

Location: Rio Grande Campus 3252

E-mail: david.kano@austincc.edu

Phone: (512) 223-3390

Communication: Email is the best way to reach me and I usually respond within 24 hours during the week. If you email me on a Friday, response may come following Monday. Also, please be sure to send a professional email which includes a greeting, proper body, and closing.

Response: Although you should receive a response from me within the time parameters given – sometimes emails get buried, go to spam, or simply aren’t sent. My schedule fills up quickly as well – so unless there are days that go by (outside of the weekend) without a response, then you can follow-up to ensure I received your message. 

Prerequisite

A minimum of three Journalism courses with a 3.0 or higher.

Description 

This an internship course which culminates in a Capstone Project presentation at the end of the semester. 

Capstone Project Ideas

1. In-depth Investigative Reporting

•          Description: Conduct a comprehensive investigative report on a local issue, corruption, or community concern. The project can involve interviewing experts, sourcing documents, and collecting data to uncover a hidden truth.

•          Skills Involved: Research, interviewing, fact-checking, storytelling, ethical journalism, data journalism.

•          Example: Investigating the impact of urban gentrification on long-standing residents in a neighborhood.

2. Data Journalism Project

•          Description: Use data sets to analyze and report on a specific topic relevant to the community or broader society, visualizing the data to make it more accessible to readers.

•          Skills Involved: Data analysis, data visualization, writing, storytelling, research.

•          Example: Analyzing local school performance data and its correlation with socioeconomic status, and creating interactive graphics to display the findings.

3. Multimedia Feature Story

•          Description: Produce a feature that integrates text, photos, videos, and audio to tell a compelling human interest story. This could include interviews, environmental shots, and a narrative arc.

•          Skills Involved: Writing, photography, videography, editing, digital storytelling.

•          Example: A feature on a local artist or community leader, telling their story through video, photos, and narrative text.

4. Podcast or Audio Documentary

•          Description: Create a podcast or short-form audio documentary on a topic of interest to your community or society. It can be a narrative-driven piece, an interview series, or a deep dive into a single event or issue.

•          Skills Involved: Audio editing, scripting, interviewing, storytelling, voice work, and sound design.

•          Example: A series on mental health resources for college students in your area, featuring expert interviews and personal stories.

5. Social Media Campaign for a Cause

•          Description: Develop a social media campaign that uses journalistic techniques to inform and engage a specific audience around a cause, issue, or event.

•          Skills Involved: Social media strategy, content creation, audience engagement, writing, research.

•          Example: A campaign to raise awareness about climate change, using social media platforms to share facts, videos, and articles that debunk myths and highlight solutions.

6. Community Journalism Project

•          Description: Partner with local organizations or community groups to produce a series of stories or reports that reflect the needs and interests of that community.

•          Skills Involved: Community engagement, interviewing, writing, editing, research.

•          Example: A reporting series on access to healthcare for underserved populations in a local area, featuring stories from community members.

7. Photojournalism Project

•          Description: Develop a photo story that captures a significant event, issue, or subject in your local area. Accompany the images with short, engaging captions or a full narrative.

•          Skills Involved: Photography, caption writing, visual storytelling.

•          Example: A photo essay covering a local protest, capturing both the emotions and dynamics of the event.

8. Local News Website or Blog

•          Description: Build a local news website or blog dedicated to reporting on a niche aspect of the community or region. The project could include articles, multimedia content, and live coverage.

•          Skills Involved: Web design, writing, content management, social media integration, editing.

•          Example: A blog covering food and culture in your city, focusing on local restaurants, food events, and the intersection of cuisine and community.

9. Virtual Reality or Interactive Journalism

•          Description: Create an immersive journalistic experience using virtual reality (VR) or interactive digital storytelling techniques. This project could involve virtual tours, 360-degree video, or other innovative forms of reporting.

•          Skills Involved: VR production, storytelling, tech skills, multimedia design.

•          Example: A 360-degree video that immerses viewers in a local refugee center, showcasing the daily lives of people seeking asylum.

10. Ethics and Bias in Media Project

•          Description: Conduct a thorough analysis of how a specific news event or media outlet handled an issue of bias or ethical dilemma, and provide recommendations for improvement.

•          Skills Involved: Media analysis, ethical decision-making, research, critical thinking, writing.

•          Example: Analyzing media coverage of a controversial political event and evaluating how different outlets’ biases influenced their portrayal of the facts.

11. Explanatory Journalism: Debunking Myths

•          Description: Identify a common misconception or misunderstanding on a significant issue (e.g., public health, politics, social issues) and create a comprehensive, fact-checked report that debunks it.

•          Skills Involved: Fact-checking, writing, research, critical thinking, storytelling.

•          Example: Debunking misinformation about vaccination or climate change using expert interviews, data, and accessible language.

12. Cross-Platform Journalism Series

•          Description: Create a journalism series that spans multiple platforms (online articles, video, social media, etc.), designed to engage the audience in various ways.

•          Skills Involved: Multi-platform content creation, writing, editing, social media, multimedia.

•          Example: A 5-part investigative series on homelessness, with written reports, interactive maps, and social media engagement.

13. Documenting a Local Event or Festival

•          Description: Cover a local festival, conference, or public event in-depth, using multiple journalistic formats such as articles, social media posts, live updates, interviews, and a photo essay.

•          Skills Involved: Event coverage, writing, multimedia production, live reporting, audience engagement.

•          Example: Covering a local music festival, documenting performances, interviews with performers and attendees, and social media updates in real-time.

14. Media Criticism: Evaluating Local News Outlets

•          Description: Perform an in-depth analysis of how well local news outlets cover specific issues (e.g., crime, education, environmental issues), evaluating their accuracy, fairness, and ethical standards.

•          Skills Involved: Media analysis, research, writing, critical thinking.

•          Example: A report assessing how local media covers issues of race and inequality, and suggesting improvements for better representation.

15. Newsroom Internship Report

•          Description: Reflect on your internship experience by documenting the process of working in a newsroom. This can include insights on workflow, ethical dilemmas, decision-making, and personal growth.

•          Skills Involved: Writing, reflection, critique, journalism ethics.

•          Example: Writing a reflective piece on how a newsroom handled a breaking news story, discussing the roles of different team members, the challenges faced, and how the final story was produced.