News

Field Study in Communication & Journalism: Sligo & West Coast of Ireland

Sligo on the West Coast of Ireland will once again be the setting for a summer multimedia journalism course open to all UMass Amherst students and alumni. The 3-credit course, developed by Steve Klein of George Mason University’s Communication Department, will focus on international journalism, including reporting in a foreign environment, 24/7 news coverage, hyper-local journalism and multimedia reporting on different platforms. UMass Amherst Journalism Director Karen List will join Prof. Klein in teaching the course if 10 UMass students/alumni sign on for the trip.

The course is based at St. Angela’s College (part of the National University of Ireland, Galway) in Sligo, the second largest city on the West Coast, home to W.B. Yeats and the heart of traditional Irish music. Students will have the opportunity to work with various media outlets in the area, including the local newspaper, the Sligo Champion. Experiences in public relations, history, archaeology, arty history and English also are available.

The course includes trips to Dublin, where student will visit RTE (Irish television), as well as print and online media companies, and Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. There students will meet with journalists at BBC Northern Ireland and explore sectarian neighborhoods, now peaceful after “The Troubles.”

This year’s program will run four weeks during the month of July, but a 2-week option also is available.

For more information on the trip as it develops, please contact Sarah Mournighan. Prof. List also is available to talk with you about the cours.

January 27, 2009