When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 5 modules in this course
This is it! It is time for YOU to be the journalist, and practice and display the skills you have learned through this Specialization journey. You will create your own professional journalistic portfolio, culminating in the creation of your own news report from start to finish. You will go through all the steps and skills used by professional journalists: conceptualizing a news report idea, reporting, interviewing, researching, and then compiling the information for an audience. Your learner community, along with the Michigan State Journalism team, will be with you every step of the way. Having a professional portfolio will help you market yourself as a journalist, showing off your work product, as well as practice and hone your journalistic skill set. You will receive an exclusive premium "Journalism" badge for social media, to display your Capstone completion.
You are now embarking on the important steps to create your own journalistic news report portfolio, which is be your Capstone final assignment. This journey will take you through the process journalists use to deliver the news to their audiences, providing a strong opportunity to display your skills honed during the Specialization Courses. You will start your portfolio here, through making your first choices: determining the topic and style for your news report.
Pick a topic for your Capstone news report•3 minutes
Formats for news reports•2 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
Setting up your Capstone portfolio•10 minutes
The Capstone news report structure•10 minutes
News report refresher and concepts•10 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
Selecting your Capstone news report topic and format•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
What will be your Capstone news report topic?•10 minutes
Capstone news report portfolio: News gathering
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
Gathering of information for your Capstone news report is a critical step, as strong development and work at this stage will help produce a professional quality final product. You will gain experience and practice using news sources such as government documents, statistics, planning for interviews with people. You will plan your sources for your news report, and further your understanding of the newsgathering process.
What's included
3 videos1 peer review1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 17 minutes
Gathering information for your Capstone news report•2 minutes
This may be the most challenging step of the process for some Learners! But we know you can do it. Journalists need to be strong interviewers - and listeners - in order to get the information, quotes and understanding needed to compile professional news reports. You will master the interviewing process, by developing your questions, ethically and effectively conducting the interviews, and then reviewing your content for your news report development.
What's included
3 videos1 peer review1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 15 minutes
Interviews•2 minutes
Interview preparation•7 minutes
Executing interviews•6 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
The interview game plan•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Interview questions...•10 minutes
Capstone news report portfolio: Assembling your news
Module 4•5 hours to complete
Module details
This is the stage where you take all the research, interviews and facts and transform it into a news report for a public audience. You will execute, based on your own journalistic process, developing critical thinking skills, news judgment and the art of delivering ethical and effective news reports for your audience. It's sometimes easy, sometimes very challenging. Each news report is unique. Follow where your facts, news gathering and interviews take you.
Thoughtfully using multimedia in your news report•10 minutes
Capstone news report portfolio: The final product!
Module 5•3 hours to complete
Module details
Congratulations! You are almost to the finish line of this Specialization Capstone. We know you have come a long way in learning about journalism and how journalists work. Now it is your turn to present your work to our Coursera community. But first, you need to make sure your news report is ready for the world! You will present a draft to the learner community, receive the Learner peer feedback, and use it make the news report final! It is time for YOU to be the journalist, using your skills, ethics and standards honed during this Specialization. Your social media "Journalism" badge will also be unlocked for you within this course.
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 150 years.
One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.