developing campus-wide newspaper curricula the nic initiative university of nebraska at omaha
TRANSCRIPT
Developing Campus-Wide Newspaper Curricula
The NiC InitiativeUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha
NiC Newspapers in Curricula
• Maria Anderson KnudtsonLecturer, English NiC Coordinator
• Christina Dando Assoc. Prof., Geography
3 year NiC member
Background– Newspapers in Curricula + Collegiate Readership
– Develop a university wide network of faculty utilizing the newspapers as a resource for assignments supporting their course objectives.
– – 2007-2008– 2008-2009– 2009-2010
Campus activities
The NiC faculty group • faculty support for the development of newspaper based pedagogy .• creation of student events for promotion of
the Collegiate Readership Program at UNO.• Specialty events/ opportunities
– Target audiences– Target spaces
Large group eventsCampus Conversations/ Times Talk• Purpose: contact a large number of diverse
students. Introduce newspaper and topics for discussion.
• Format: table conversations with moderator– Divided by specific topics– Divided by newspaper sections
• Results: evaluation forms – Overwhelmingly positive responses
• Event potential
Space oriented eventsFireplace Read-In• Purpose: reading
marathon/pilot.• How much newspaper
reading could take place in 90 minutes?
• Results: 8 hours + • Effect: exposure to
newspaper content and the joy of print!
• Event potential
Targeted audience eventsThe 2+3=5 Short Story Event
• Creative Writers• Target specific group to
incorporate newspaper into creative project.
• Results: 10 submissions • 3 selected as featured by a
panel of judges/ prizes awarded. Reading held.
• Event potential
Faculty and CurriculaBlack StudiesGeographyCommunicationHistoryCriminal Justice Political Science Education Social WorkEnglish SociologyForeign Language, SpanishEconomics
• 3 years of faculty participation
• 16 faculty • 12 departments• 5 colleges
Examples from the classroomDennis Hoffman, Criminal Justice
class “perusing” – assists students to “see” relevant topics article summaries and course concepts – students apply
course concepts while seeing relevancy of course in current issues
NYT letter to the editor – students see connection between the paper, course work and civic engagement
Examples from the classroomClaudia Garcia , Foreign Languages
• Elementary – brief article summaries• Intermediate – daily journal writing,
springboard for longer essays• Advanced – daily journal writing leading to a
reflective piece
Examples from the classroomChristina Dando, Geography/Geology
Clippings file and guided journal entries – students analyze the clippings, examining the framing of the country, role of the media
Media analysis on exams – students apply key concepts to current news
“Updating” a global conflict
Examples from the classroomMaria Anderson Knudtson, English
o All assignments : based on newspaper reading and research for development of arguments.
o Textbook : all chapters correlated to newspaper work.
o Assignments : more than just straight news and features/ also incorporate the visual rhetoric of advertisements and editorial cartoons.
Examples from the classroomPedagogy
writing
critical thinking
media literacy
civic engagement
Faculty to faculty events
2010-2011Shift focus to faculty events• Workshops • Discussion events• Individual course curricula• Faculty presentations
– To the NiC group internally– To departments– To other organizations on campus.
Estimated Numbers 2009-2010• Student contacts
Classroom: 1200Events: 250Total: 1450
• Collegiate Readership program at UNO– Newspapers: 193,304
• Faculty contacts : 55• Writing questions on NSSE survey.
