Journalism in London, England
June 28 - August 9, 2008
About NYU Journalism in London | Facilities | Faculty
Directors of the Program:
Carol Sternhell, Associate Professor and Director of Global Initiatives, Department of Journalism
Robert Boynton, Associate Professor, Department of Journalism
About NYU Journalism in London
Great journalism has always come from the great cities of the globe, and there is no better place to learn the craft than the city of London, an international crossroads of power, culture and buzz. NYU Journalism in London, centrally located in London's famous Bloomsbury section, immerses students in the richness and vitality of the city. For budding reporters, London is our laboratory—and our inspiration. The very first lesson we offer students is: Tap into it, with our help.
Samuel Johnson once said that a person who is tired of London "is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Students enjoy theatre (classical, midbrow, or fringe), music (including a seat—or even hipper, standing room—at the world-famous BBC Proms), museums (last year's students especially enjoyed the Tate Modern down by the Thames), and an explosion of newspapers from all political perspectives. We may watch Tower Bridge open at sunset, or take a boat along the river to Greenwich. On weekends students may travel throughout the country—Oxford and Cambridge are only an hour's train ride away—or visit Dublin or even Paris (only three hours on the Eurostar).
Journalism in London offers courses in writing, reporting, arts reviewing, and media analysis. All classes include field trips and frequent guest speakers, so students are introduced to many local journalists and cultural figures. On weekends we may tour the city, take a group trip to Oxford or Stratford-on-Avon, or attend a performance at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Students enrolled in the arts reporting class attend performances every week. Past excursions have included a visit by candlelight to architect John Soanes' bizarre house, a Jack the Ripper tour of London's seamy side, a visit to a simulated World War II bunker, a behind-the-scenes tour of the BBC, and a private all-day safety training session normally given to journalists about to go on dangerous missions overseas. Courses are taught by professional journalists based in London.
Facilities
Students reside in a comfortable apartment-style dormitory in the heart of London, and classes are held a short tube ride away at the NYU Center in elegant Bedford Square, located just one block from the British Museum.
Faculty
Keith Bowers
Former executive editor at BBC News and Current Affairs; founding editor, Correspondent, an international news documentary division; visiting professor, Kosovo Institute for Journalism and Communication, Addis Ababa University, and the Universidad Europea de Madrid.
Robert Boynton
Associate professor and director of graduate program in magazine journalism, Department of Journalism, New York University; author of The New New Journalism; contributor to a wide variety of publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, Lingua Franca, Bookforum, The New York Times Book Review, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone.
Tim Fenton
Writer/broadcaster with experience in print, television, radio, and online journalism; trainer of journalists at the BBC College of Journalism; former BBC political correspondent and managing editor of BBC News Online.
Michael Goldfarb
Former London Bureau Chief of National Public Radio and senior correspondent on public radio's award-winning documentary program Inside Out; has reported from more than 20 countries on four continents, South America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East; author of the book Ahmad's War, Ahmad's Peace: Surviving under Saddam, Dying in the New Iraq.
Jenny Matthews
Internationally published photographer, with photo essays on (among other subjects) rape survivors in the Congo, people living with HIV in Mozambique and India, tourists in Thailand after the tsunami, girls going to school in Pakistan, and women's changing lives in Afghanistan; author of Women and War, short-listed for the John Kobal book award; contributor to a variety of publications, including The Sunday Times of London, Marie Claire, Guardian Weekend, The Independent Magazine, and Night and Day.
Aleks Sierz
London theatre critic for Tribune and other publications; author of three books, In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today(Faber, 2001), The Theatre of Martin Crimp(Methuen, 2006) and John Osborne's Look Back in Anger(Continuum, 2008); visiting research fellow at Rose Bruford College; has taught postwar British theatre and journalism at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Boston University.