Welcome to English for Journalism, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate." This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in developing the skills needed for a career in modern journalism. In this course, you will explore print and digital media through authentic readings and video lectures, while expanding your vocabulary and increasing your ability to read, research, and develop local and global news stories. Unit 1 will provide an introduction to the history and principles of journalism. In unit 2, you will learn how to research, pitch, and interview. The next unit in the course will focus on the language needed to write newspaper and magazine articles, while unit 4 will cover the basics of broadcasting the news. In the final unit of the course, you will analyze the growth, impact, and challenges of digital news, while completing a reflection assignment that allows you to think about and discuss the recent changes to the field of journalism. Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license. Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that's just right for each English language learner.
JR
One of the best courses I have finished in the last years. A very well organized and dynamic course. Teachers with a lot of experience and good expertise in the area of teaching. 100% recommended!
TA
An ideal course not only for aspiring journalists but also for those who have been practicing journalism for many years. I really like strategies for improving skills of writing and reporting.
TG
This course is very essential for both professionals and non professionals. It raises essential points on the subject matter and builds english language ability. I thank the university very much!
GG
English for journalism helps students to educate, guide and entertain as well.exploring things, and being a journalism possible if you have a skill to determanation to achieve your goals.
MO
Excellent course! Congratulations to the professors and organizers for the excellent didactic material! It was a great learning experience! I have already recommended it to many friends!
DS
I learn a lot from this course, this gives us practical knowledge. In this, you will get multiple types of knowledge like in print media, broadcast media within the proper English language.
TN
I took this class because I have started an online health magazine. And I learn so much. Thank you for such great teachings and the games lol. Those little games were something but they were fun.
AA
I really enjoyed this little course despite my Arabic tongue. It's very recommended for smoothing your communication skills (Printed or Broadcasting) and get chance to learn new journalism features.
EP
very wonderful course but the assessment are kind of tough.it is a good course,it was as if i was in a school of journalism.well detailed course,thanks to the instructors.thumbs up.i enjoyed it.
IK
This course has really helped me regain my confidence as a journalist. I find the language focus part of the course very useful for me as well as others who are not native English speakers.
AA
The course is very interesting. The course moderators did a commendable job in using simple approaches to introduce and manage the course. I recommend the course for its value-adding contents.
AB
I want to get my certificate for English for journalism. I am Deaf and i can't hear and speak. I know Indian sign language and international sign language. Thanks all so much, oblige coursera
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One of the best courses I have finished in the last years. A very well organized and dynamic course. Teachers with a lot of experience and good expertise in the area of teaching. 100% recommended!
I was looking for this kind of course and this is a perfect online course which inculde everything from journalism , I have learnt a lot of things from this course and will look for similar courses
Excellent course for people for whom English is not their mother tongue! Very well paced.
The course also provides a good insight on what journalism is suppose to be, its principles and values!
the course was fine, but definitely too slow and repetetive for me.
Is it really necessary to start every single video lesson with a recap of the previous video lesson, and end it with a recap of the current video lesson? We are talking about 5 minutes long videos, what should I need a recap for?
I took this course during my summer vacations. My journey was wonderful, I learnt a lot. The mentors are great. No prior knowledge of journalism is required. The each week is roughly divided into two parts, first part is about journalism practices like interviewing someone, how to begin an article,styles of print media,broadcast journalism etc. Second part is about language focus it helps you in understanding - simple past, reported and quoted speech, present perfect, past progressive, present simple, present progressive etc. In the week 5, you will learn about journalism in digital age. Citizen journalism, intellectual property and ethics of digital journalism are discussed in this week. If you want to explore the field of journalism as a fresher, this course is for you.
Not at all what I had imagined...
First of all, they OVERCHARGE you from the very first week. There are roughly EIGHT HOURS of videos/readings to do; this is ridiculous. On top of that, there are at least 5 quizzes each week. Unbelievable. I think the instructors need to understand that not only are we preoccupied with other stuff in our lives (e.g. other Coursera courses), but this excessive amount of work every week on a COMPUTER is simply harmful to our health.
Side note: if you expected to learn about the use of the English language, sorry to disappoint, but there are a lot of (at least to me) unimportant lessons on the history of journalism and such.
So if you have all the time and health in the world, I guess this course is for you; but otherwise, don't even bother to enroll.
I have found this course quite informative about the knowhow of journalism. Now I've come to know the principles of journalism and what are the skills needed for writing or broadcasting news stories.
This course is very essential for both professionals and non professionals. It raises essential points on the subject matter and builds english language ability. I thank the university very much!
Journalism’s crucial role in helping democracy function is sometimes forgotten amid the clamor of partisan debate and the messy nature of the news business. But anyone who stops to examine recent examples of journalistic success — and the substantial civic impacts of various news media investigations — cannot help but be impressed by the vital role of the press.
Six examples from the past year that show journalism’s impact are enumerated below. These stories helped root out corruption, create better laws and practices, and changed the way we live for the better. They make for a powerful reading list, whether for average citizens, aspiring journalists or anyone concerned with the press and public policy.
As many journalistic outlets continue to struggle financially — and the news media contracts as an industry, leaving many statehouses, public agencies and local governments under-examined — there can be little doubt that many problems in society might be forgotten were it not for some smart, persistent and courageous news professionals. These stories speak to that truth.
Although the Internet can help as an investigative tool and platform for engaging the public, it takes professional reporters to initiate and follow-through on everything from interviews to document requests. Further, turning raw data and information into easily digestible knowledge for public consumption — putting it into narrative story form or making it clear through visual means — takes painstaking, creative work. Of course, it takes the will of public officials to act on these investigations and formulate concrete policy responses.
I thank UPenn for creating such a wonderful course which would help a person like me who doesn't have any idea of journalism. From now I will be a responsible citizen of the country and always verify the source before forwarding the news, also I will follow all the principles of journalism.
It's a lesson with quantity.And it's not hard to understand.The man teacher's speed is low so I use 1.5 times of original speed. Thanks to faculty contributed to this course.
Awesome course with very rare vocabulary about journalisms. I strongly recommended this course for every journalists who want to study English of work abroad.
Very intensive course. Not only theoretical part was included but as well as practical part, Thank you
The course has helped stay relevant in my career. The knowledge I got from the course not only has helped me a great deal in my work, it has equipped me with relevant skills needed for survival in digital age.
Excellent , it's a great tool to improve the english skills and to learn about journalism
Thank you
It is a very nice course and I recommend it to many students
Its a good course
Good course but the British instructor's constant lip smacking just got on my nerves.
NOTHING like described, NOT EASY for non native english speakers as described
extremely misleading..
instructors are unbearable to watch