Teaching in a digital lab at Brooks Institute (photo by Doriane Raiman)
The visual journalism program trains students in the areas of multimedia journalism and documentary filmmaking. Teaching duties include a range of courses across the curriculum, including photojournalism, newswriting, audio storytelling, web design, publication design, ethics, portfolio development, documentary projects, independent study and internships. Additional responsibilities include curriculum development, professional development, program assessment, school-wide committee work and student advising.
Highlights include:
UPPER DIVISION COURSES TAUGHT AT BROOKS INSTITUTE
Graduate Thesis Advisor: Have served on a number of graduate thesis advisory committees for students pursuing a Master of Science in Photography.
Advanced Topics / Independent Study: Supervise students who choose to work on an independent study in an area of their interest.
Advanced Topics / Internship: Supervise students with off campus internships opportunities. Internships have included small daily newspapers, international magazines and websites. Responsible for monitoring student progress on a weekly basis and culminating with a summary report with the intern provider.
Portfolio & Ethics: Work with upper division students in this capstone class to fine-tune their market-specific portfolio. Students in this course also exam ethical issues related to visual journalism.
International Documentary I: Planned and traveled with students to an international destination, spending five weeks photographing, capturing audio and shooting video for use in multimedia projects. This is a competitive course in that student apply with a portolio, references and an interview with the instructor. Students who are accepted into the class then work with instructor for six months prior to travel to establish story ideas, make contacts, work out travel logistics and fundraise for post-production needs. International expeditions led by Gosen include: Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005, the Sichuan Province of China in 2006 and Ireland in 2007.
International Documentary II: Supervised students in various group projects using pictures, audio and video captured during the International Documentary I course. Projects included creating a group multimedia documentary using Final Cut Pro, working with a composer to create an original score, recording narration and live musicians for the multimedia piece, producing a DVD using DVD Studio Pro, publishing a book using Adobe In-Design, creating a website using Dreamweaver and WordPress, and printing images with Epson printers for a photographic gallery show.
Course Production Details:
Ireland (2007-2008)
China (2006-2007)
Argentina (2005-2006)
Picture Editing & Publication Design: The emphasis in this course is on the presentation of pictures in a final form. Students experience a hands-on production of a magazine using photos and stories they created during the class. Students in the class take on the role of content producers as well as the content editors. Editorial management, teamwork, decision making, magazine design and production cycles are incorporated into the class.
LOWER DIVISION COURSES TAUGHT AT BROOKS INSTITUTE
Photojournalism 2: Students continue to refine their multimedia journalism skills with coverage in the community with an emphasis on localizing national and global issues. Students use all of their multimedia skills – audio, digital photography, video, writing, web development – to tell complete stories.
The Picture Story: Students work in depth on several projects during the course. The approach follows the classic photojournalism picture story, which usually focuses on one individual and tells their story at length. Part of the emphasis in the class is pursuing stories of social relevance. Students produce still image projects and multimedia projects.
Web for Visual Journalists: This course introduces students to the practical applications visual journalists use for creating and maintaining an online presence. Students construct websites using webpage production tools, basic HTML and CSS. Development of logical and efficient site structure, workflow, proper file formats, and design considerations are covered. Students also analyze and incorporate content management systems, such as blogs, archives and social networking tools used by visual journalists and media outlets for reporting news and generating site traffic.
Photojournalism 1: This course provides an overview of current photojournalism trends and practices in the U.S., as well as, abroad. The fundamental principles of making the full range of “news-worthy” photographs – from feature photos to hard news – are covered in detail. The importance of the still photograph as a conveyor of information, and the power of the still photograph as an influence on public opinion in today’s print media, is woven throughout the course. Ethical considerations in photographing current events (local, national and international), freedom of the press, and the public’s right to know are also major topics addressed during the session.
Journalism 1: An introductory journalism newswriting course that emphasizes fundamental reporting skills utilized by newsgathering media outlets. The course covers methods for gathering and reporting news, assessing news value, story research, story structure, source credibility and news judgment. All written material adheres to Associated Press style.
Audio Storytelling: The course provides an introductory understanding of audio as a medium of communication in the storytelling process. Students build on audio gathering and production skills as a stand-alone storytelling tool and as a way to enhance visual storytelling. Students examine tools and applications used for audio in mass media and then practice techniques and skills associated with producing audio material in a journalistic environment.
Lighting for Visual Journalism (Photoshop lab component): Course gives students a practical understanding of basic digital workflow using Adobe Camera Raw processor and Adobe Photoshop, as well as basic image toning for printing and Web.
Introduction to Photography: Students gain an understanding of digital still photography, camera functions, exposure control and techniques used by photojournalists. Students also learn the importance of establishing an efficient workflow.
ADDITIONAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Faculty – Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno (1996-1999)
Implemented the school’s transition from a wet darkroom to a digital darkroom in the Fall of 1996. Taught nine courses of photojournalism while working on a master’s degree. The course introduced basic photography to students and progressed to a hands-on understanding of digital imaging using Adobe Photoshop software. Students studied ethics, copyright and privacy laws while photographing self-generated news, feature and sports assignments, as well as portraits, photo stories and photo illustrations.
All content copyright Joe Gosen