CHAT: Transcript of M.A. Chat, July 25, 2007
Transcript of M.A. Program Chat
with Dean Evan Cornog
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
[ See full list of transcripts and chats ]
DeanCornog(P) Go ahead–fire away.
lmf2125(Q) Hi! Is there such a thing as an MA for broadcast?
DeanCornog(A) The curriculum is platform-neutral, and you are welcome, indeed encouraged, to do a broadcast thesis. But the actual instruction in the courses is not geared to any particular medium.
bethbrav(Q) Can you talk about how we select our Master’s thesis topic and how much time (roughly) we should expect to spend on it?
DeanCornog(A) Selecting the topic is something you will do with your adviser, and will probably take a couple of months (although some students come with a clear idea and act on it). It’s given three credits each semester, so it’s the equivalent of a full course each term, or more.
ts2136(Q) Hello. If we already know the topic of our thesis, can we get it approved before the deadline and start working on it early?
DeanCornog(A) Well, we don’t have advisers assigned yet, and it probably makes sense not to commit too much energy until you have been here for a few weeks. You will also want to discuss potential topics with fellow students to get feedback. But you could certainly be doing the preparatory work toward writing a proposal.
DeanCornog(P) If you want more info than my answers provide, please ask more.
bethbrav(Q) I know that we have orientation on August 30. Will there be class or any other mandatory events on August 31? Should we expect to do work over Labor Day weekend?
DeanSree(A) Beth: We are going to have some mandatory events on Friday morning, followed by an optional lunch/picnic.
katedailey(Q) How are advisors assigned?
DeanCornog(A) It’s a collaborative process involving professors and deans, and we try to match student interests with faculty expertise.
katedailey(Q) You mentioned a thesis project that was published in Harpers - where have past other thesis projects been published?
DeanCornog(A) A lot of them need to be significantly revised to be published–given the length of the assignment and the vagaries of the magazine business. I don’t have a list handy, but frequently the thesis will appear in a different form. Also, some students are making them into books. One recent graduate is revising his for Mother Jones.
DeanCornog(P) One thing to bear in mind about your thesis–the goal is to learn how to apply the subject-area expertise and other skills you are learning in your MA year. This is not always perfectly congruent with quick publication.
katedailey(Q) Do we need permission from outside professors for enrollment in all clases, or just for the classes that specifically state that
DeanCornog(A) You should get permission in all cases.
Lester(Q) Is it possible to take an elective within the J School? If so, how does that work since since our ballot didn’t allow us to put in for J School classes?
deanhuff(A) In the spring semester, you take two electives. One of those can be at the Journalism School. However, the M.S. students get first shot at the courses. You will be allowed to try for them during the spring add/drop periods.
bethbrav(Q) Is there anything we can do between now and the end of August in preparation for the program?
DeanCornog(A) I’ll soon be sending a list of readings you can do in the weeks ahead. Other than that, think about thesis topics and scan potential courses.
ts2136(Q) Can students approach potential advisors?
DeanCornog(A) I’d appreciate it if you’d touch base with me first, just in case there’s a reason (sabbatical leave, etc.) why that person might not be available.
ts2136(Q) Just to clarify my question about approaching advisors, I wanted to know if a student can ask a specific member of the faculty to be his/her advisor.
DeanCornog(A) See my previous answer–but know that we work hard to make sure students are happy with the advisers assigned.
katedailey(Q) Do we need permission from outside professors for enrollment in all clases, or just for the classes that specifically state that the professor must approve enrollment?
DeanCornog(A) There are specifics about the procedures you need to follow posted on the Web site. But we do need written permission for all outside courses. (And remember, they need to be at the graduate level.)
ts2136(Q) How many hours a week should we ideally devote to the thesis and how often should students see their advisers?
DeanCornog(A) Boy, that’s going to vary a lot depending on the subject, the given week, etc. Generally students meet every couple of weeks during the fall, less often in spring when the process of writing/rewriting is pretty time-consuming. I would think an average of 5-10 hours per week through the school year is a ballpark guess–and the more you do in the fall, the happier you’ll be in the spring. But you need to be sure you have the right topic before really getting into it, and that involves getting to know a bit about the program and our expectations. Some weeks (during winter break, for example) you might work 50 hours a week on it.
chd2106(Q) I know a lot about the expectations the school has for its MS grads (there is nearly a century of them), but what sort of jobs to you expect for your new MA grads?
DeanCornog(A) Our hope–and we have been having good success so far–is that an MA graduate can get a job at a news organziation covering the area he’she has specialized in. That is, a science reporter will get a science job, etc. Some students want to write books, some to freelance, some go into teaching, but most go into journalism jobs in their specialized field. One of this year’s grads was just hired at the Newshour, I just heard today.
DeanSree(Q) Dean Cornog: Can you tell us why an incoming MS student might want to consider applying to the MA program next year?
DeanCornog(A) The MA program is a great place to take the general reportorial skills you develop in the MS and augment them with subject-area expertise and a deeper examination of the tools and methods of journalism. You need to know what field you want to specialize in, of course–and not everyone wants to specialize. But it’s a great thing to do if you do have that sort of focus. Any MS student who wants to talk with me about the MA program should just make an appointment to see me.
katedailey(Q) Are all skills courses scheduled at the same time, or will we have the option to take more than one?
deanhuff(A) Skills classes are taught at all different times. All M.A. students are guaranteed one skills class while enrolled. They can try for a second skills class via the add/drop process.
ts2136(Q) are jobs harder to find in some specialties more than others eg. politics?
DeanCornog(A) There’s some variation by concentration, and even more by field (it’s harder to get a job as a magazine reporter that at a newspaper). Arts is probably hardest, business the easiset. But there are so many variables (geography, level of experience, etc.) that it’s hard to generalize.
bethbrav(Q) How many students are in this year’s program?
DeanCornog(A) About 40–roughly ten per field.
DeanSree(Q) Dean Cornog: Any international students this year?
DeanCornog(A) Nearly a quarter of the class, with students from China, Iraq, Britain, Spain, India, Chile, and Turkey, to name some off the top of my head.
bethbrav(Q) Are there any policies about getting classwork published?
DeanCornog(A) We are all in favor of it. We’ll do what we can to help. But work for coursees must take precedence.
bethbrav(Q) How much interaction is there between M.S. and M.A. students?
DeanSree(A) Good question. There’s a lot outside the classrooms - and we’d like to increase it this year. We will be counting on you all to come to events and mixers, etc. You will be busy and unable to attend many things, but if you make the extra effort, it will pay for the MA and MS students.
katedailey(Q) At the orientation, you mentioned that the MA program is still evolving. How will the program this year be different than in years past?
DeanCornog(A) We are trying to reduce the reading load in the Evidence and Inference course, and build a bit more Web-related stuff into that class. But this year’s curriculum will be pretty close to last year’s.
ts2136(Q) What did the winner of this year’s best thesis prize write about and what made their work stand out?
DeanCornog(A) It was about the side-effects of an anti-malarial drug used by the US military (and others), and the violence associated with the drug. It was an amazing piece of reporting, both about the science and the human stories of those affected.
ajb2160(Q) what are some good questions to ask one’s self when developing a thesis topic to know if it, in terms of subject and scope, is viable, realistic and “seaworthy”?
DeanCornog(A) Aiyee! That’s a lot! Partial answer: Is it interesting? Can I report on it from NYC? Can I get access? WIll this still be of interest next spring? And most of all, do I really want to spend a year of my life reporting/writing about this?
chd2106(Q) what sort of work do students do in E and I?
DeanCornog(A) There’s a lot of reading and some exercises (short assignments) as well as some group work, leading up to group journalistic projects in the spring that are in the form of Web sites. And a lot of class discussion of the reading and the issues raised by it.
DeanCornog(P) One of the central goals of the MA program is to help you all become better at developing story ideas–avoiding the obvious and seeing angles others are missing. We also hope to alert you to a lot of fundamental errors that are made every day in journalism, and help you to avoid them. Those goals are central to E&I.
ts2136(Q) is it any harder for international students to get their thesis published and have any done so?
DeanCornog(A) I don’t see whay it should be–although I can’t think of an example right now. The reality is that writing a thesis and pitching an article are not the same process, as I mentioned earlier. The most important goal of the thesis is learning, not publication. The reality of the magazine business is that finished works are seldom accepted over the transom. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but simply that it’s not the central goal of the process, and not always a practical one.
bethbrav(Q) Will we have traditional final exams in our M.A. courses? Or will it be mostly writing assignments?
DeanCornog(A) We might have a take-home exam for the history course–but we seldom have exams here. Writing and group projects are the rule. Outside courses, though, often have exams.
DeanCornog Thanks for all your questions. I look forward to meeting you all at the end of August.
