Georgetown Independent

Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: News

Spring is here. The much anticipated warm weather has arrived, as has a sense of panic among the graduating seniors. Even for those with jobs lined up the future can still remain ominous.

Unfortunately, that anxiety is not reserved for those facing graduation. Students at all levels of their undergraduate careers are worrying about where they will be in the next few years. There is one particular field of work in which the path to a career is ambiguous and much disputed-journalism. Because journalism is a field where experience is a priority and learning means getting one's feet entirely immersed in the hustle and bustle of fast-paced working, one choice remains a polarized topic of discussion: whether it is worthwhile for an aspiring journalist to pursue a graduate degree in the field.

Georgetown's up and coming Masters of Professional Studies (MPS) adds a new dimension to the discussion. Apparently, not all aspiring journalists are on equal footing, which plays a big part in the decision. And not all graduate programs are created equal-considering Georgetown's Jesuit identity and commitment to social justice and ethics, the MPS program is not your typical journalism school.



The MPS Program



As the newest addition to Georgetown's School of Continuing Studies (SCS), the MPS program begins its first semester in the fall of 2007. The program is divided into two concentrations: a program in journalism and a program in public relations and corporate communications.

Both concentrations are 30 credit programs, typically completed in two years. The school also offers a 15-credit Advanced Professional Certificate program for professionals who are already established in journalism or public relations.

The MPS program is designed to accommodate working professionals, holding classes at night and on weekends.

For both concentrations, the MPS program aims to provide students with advanced credentials and real-life experience to jump-start their careers. "The MPS program isn't about a degree for its own sake," reads the MPS prospectus. "It's a practical, hands-on, real-life learning experience rich in contact with influential leaders in the journalism and public relations industries."



The Journalism Concentration



Barbara Feinman Todd, Associate Dean of the MPS degree in journalism, has been teaching journalism classes in Georgetown's undergraduate English Department for nearly 15 years. When Robert Manuel, Dean of the SCS, approached her about the new program, she was "thrilled," having always wanted to offer more journalism at Georgetown.

"I would like to offer more than what we have now, and at some point I would love to offer a minor, but I don't think that a major is the way to go," says Todd. She then explains the importance of having a solid foundation of liberal arts knowledge, rather than a narrow undergraduate journalism concentration.

"For an undergraduate student interested in journalism, they shouldn't major in journalism. They should be generalists. They should be an expert in one area-their major-but they should also be generalists and learn about the world."

The MPS journalism degree offers three degree tracks: advocacy and immersion journalism, international and political journalism and cultural journalism.

The advocacy and immersion track, highlighted by Todd as the most in line with the spiritual tradition and commitment to ethics that make Georgetown distinctive, follows the recently emerging trend of journalists immersing themselves in the article and often letting themselves be more participants than bystanders. "Journalists following this path seek out issues that merit illumination and often pique societal conscience," reads the prospectus, "such as inequities of race, poverty and class." This track focuses its training on investigative journalism and in-depth research.

The international and political journalism track also carries a distinctively Georgetown flavor. Utilizing Georgetown's many connections to Washington's political and international scenes, this track trains students to cover government processes, elections and campaigns, political debates and other aspects of both domestic and international political systems.

The cultural journalism track offers an interesting alternative to the traditional focus of journalism school. This track follows the theory that "dialogue about our culture is essential to furthering our understanding of ourselves and our society," according to the prospectus.

The Students



The MPS program in journalism, while open to all, is directed towards three categories of students.

The first population consists of students who have received their undergraduate degrees and have decided they want to pursue journalism but do not have journalism experience. This is often because they did not realize until very late in their undergraduate careers that they wanted to pursue journalism. In such a competitive field, where experience and connections are everything, these students need to learn not only the trade itself but how the industry really works. There has also been an increasing demand for journalists who are competent in many different mediums, often requiring reporters to be able to operate a camera or demanding that column writers also maintain online blogs. These students will get the advantage of formal training in an academic setting, so they will be able to compete with peers who have already had journalism experience during their undergraduate years.

Another population that is largely represented in the program is the demographic of working professionals who are "doing their day jobs but pursuing their dreams at night," says Todd. These students are often career changers ("I see a lot of 40-something lawyers," Todd chuckles) who benefit from the "applied and industry-based" nature of the program. "They can get the training they need," explains Todd, "they can improve their writing under the guidance of working journalists-people that have won Pulitzers or have won Emmys."

The last category of students is composed of working journalists. These people are often already established but want a degree from Georgetown on their resume. Many students are journalists trying to change mediums or types of journalism, or who just want the guidance of an academic setting. "When you are a journalist, you don't have time to stop and worry about the beauty of a sentence, you have a deadline," explains Todd. "In an academic setting, you can take some time to really worry about the craft." This population also includes many foreign journalists who want to "feel more a part of the American journalism community and get some academic training," says Todd.

So how does one decide if journalism school is an appropriate choice? "There is no right answer," Todd answers. "It's about your strengths and where your interests lie."

The Pearl Project



One of the MPS journalism program's most exciting offerings is The Pearl Project, a seminar focused on investigating the kidnapping and death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan in 2002.

The project is lead by Todd and Asra Q. Nomani, a fellow Wall Street Journal reporter who housed Pearl and his wife at her home in Pakistan at the time of his kidnapping. Now she wants answers.

"The Pearl Project," explains Todd, "is committed to investigating his death and answering questions that have never been answered."

The students will be drawn from the MPS journalism program and Georgetown's undergraduate English program. While focusing on investigating who really killed Pearl, the course will also study the connection between the Muslim community and the press.

Not Your Average Journalism School



The appeal of Georgetown's MPS journalism program lies in its student-focused mission and its characteristically Georgetown ethical identity.

"Our emphasis is really on students," says Todd. "I want us to stay small enough so that we can really dedicate ourselves to each student that walks through the door. There's an intimacy to it."

Todd is looking to enroll no more than fifty students in each concentration, at least in the first year.

Georgetown's Jesuit tradition also makes this program stand out. As advertised by the prospectus, Georgetown's approach is "that the purpose of learning is not just personal advancement, but to make a positive difference in the world; that education should address the whole person… and that the essence of learning is to join a dialogue of depth and dimension that continues throughout life."

As for the panicked undergraduates, Todd explains that "if people don't have journalism experience, they shouldn't assume that we will turn them away. We are looking for people with talent and passion, and we understand that many promising undergraduates haven't had the journalism experience. And that's okay. As long as they're smart and willing to work hard, they should be fine."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools