The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

Welcome to the Journalism School!

We look forward to meeting you at orientation (Schedule at the bottom of this message).

I am writing to notify you about something you must do before arriving that day.

New York State public health law requires that all students document immunity to Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), as well as document that they either have received the Meningitis vaccine or have declined to receive it.

All students must be in compliance with these laws before being registered for classes. Detailed information and instructions are available at http://health.columbia.edu/about/immunization-requirements .

Please act as soon as possible to supply Health Services with the required documentation. Please do not send me or anyone else at the Journalism School your health records. Only Health Services can certify that you are cleared and can be registered.

The deadline for completion of this task is:

• Monday, May 13, 2013 - PT students
• Friday, June 21, 2013 - All FT students

Please contact Health Services at (212) 854-7210 with any questions regarding immunization compliance. Alternately, send email to hs-enrollment@columbia.edu

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is possible only for those in MMR compliance!

Course Registration:

• Incoming Part-Time M.S. students will be pre-registered for their summer REPORTING class
• Incoming Full-Time M.S. students will be pre-registered for their fall REPORTING class, their JOURNALISM ESSENTIAL classes, and the MASTER’S PROJECT. They will self register online for their WRITTEN WORD MODULE and second fall MODULE on July 15 between 9 a.m. and noon EDT.
• Incoming JNCOMS (dual-degree Journalism and Computer Science) students will be pre-registered for their Journalism School courses in the same manner as full-time M.S. students. They should contact their advisers at SEAS regarding computer science classes.
• Incoming M.A. students will be pre-registered for all of their internal Journalism School courses; they will receive information in early August about how to register for their outside courses.
• Incoming Ph.D students will hear from Andie Tucher, Director of the Ph.D. program about their registration process.
• Incoming Spencer fellows will hear from LynNell Hancock, Director of the Spencer program about their registration process.

Detailed information and instructions on all of this will be circulated via email in early to mid June.

MANDATORY ORIENTATIONS:

• PT Master of Science - All: Friday, May 24
• Master of Science & MS/SEAS - International: Wednesday, July 31
• Master of Science & MS/SEAS – All: beginning on Thursday, August 1
• Knight Bagehot – Tuesday, August 13
• Master of Arts; Spencer; PhD – International: Wednesday, August 28
• Master of Arts; Spencer; PhD – All: beginning Thursday, August 29

READ CAREFULLY - Graduation Tickets

Graduation tickets are now available.

To receive your tickets you MUST do TWO things.

1. Complete the graduation survey at http://bit.ly/GradSurvey13

The survey is used to create a class directory (both your class list serve and the alumni database), employment statistics and a database of employment information indicating the types of position openings in which you are interested. This is very important in determining how we can better help graduates find the best jobs as quickly as possible, and how the school can help make that happen by also collecting feedback on career services. You willingness to allow career services to circulate your resume is also indicated on the survey.

The survey is also used to gather feedback on other aspects of your Journalism School experience that cannot be captured through course evaluations.

2. Submit a NEW copy of your resume electronically with the survey. The resume should indicate that you have graduated and include up-to-date contact information. It will be used by the Career Services Office to assist you in your employment search.

You may pick up your tickets from Lauren Mack in room 207A once you have completed your online graduation survey AND submitted your updated resume. Ms. Mack will verify receipt of the survey and have you sign for your ticket envelope containing both sets of tickets.

The survey can done 24/7, but Ms. Mack is available for ticket pick-up/resume submission from 9 am-5 pm only. If you are a part-time student and it is impossible for you to come in, you may contact her (lem2111@columbia.edu) about having tickets mailed. Survey receipt verification is still required.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

End-of-Year Manual

May 2013
TO: Graduating Students
FROM: Melanie Huff, Associate Dean of Students

In order to help you plan for Graduation and beyond, we have prepared some documents for you - please make sure you read both carefully.

Journalism Day, the Journalism School graduation ceremony and the University graduation are covered in detail on the graduation page

Post-graduation use of the building/equipment and alumni benefits/services are covered here.

Please keep in mind that in addition to having summer classes, documentary Master’s Projects and the Columbia Publishing Course in the building this summer, we will be doing extensive work to repair and prepare the building and equipment for the next academic year. Therefore, it is necessary to establish dates after which graduating students will no longer be able to access and use the facilities. Outlined below is the schedule for the coming summer.

Part of the reason for the tight deadlines is that the two new summer Part-time REPORTING classes begin on Friday, May 24.

Use of Journalism Building Facilities After May 22.

Use of Building:

Members of the Class of 2013 will have access to the building and its facilities through June 30, 2013.

Exceptions include: any area under construction, and any classrooms and computer rooms being used for summer classes or special programs. If you are in one of these rooms when a class is scheduled to begin, please leave immediately. Refusal to cooperate may result in the termination of your access to the building.

Equipment
All current fines must be paid by Monday, May 6 or a hold will be placed on your student account. All equipment must be returned to the Equipment Room (507) by Friday, May 17th. Action will be taken to repossess equipment from outstanding checkouts after May 17.

There will be no equipment checkouts from 5/17 - 5/22. (If you will need equipment during this time you must supply a written request from your professor.)

After graduation, students will be allowed to check out equipment, as available, until Friday, June 7th. Please remember that scheduled summer school classes and master’s project students, as well as necessary equipment maintenance upgrades, have priority for equipment and editing rooms.

Please be aware that individual computer rooms will be closed at different times for maintenance and upgrading. Though it is likely, it is not guaranteed that there will always be a computer room or terminal available. Due to maintenance schedules, summer class schedules and the master’s projects, it is possible that you will be unable to use a computer at a specific time.

Student Lockers:
All May graduates must empty their lockers by noon, Friday, May 24.

Continuing part-time students and documentary students may keep their lockers. Graduates who will be working on a demo tape or other approved projects during the month of June may also keep their lockers. To request such a locker extension, please send e-mail to Derek Gano at dg2382@columbia.edu with your name and the reason for your request.

Graduates’ lockers that have not been vacated by noon on Friday, May 24, will be have their locks removed and contents moved to a storage bin and eventually discarded. All locker questions should be directed to Derek Gano at building@jrn.columbia.edu (must be sent from CU email).

Student Mail Folders:
The mail folders of graduating students may be used until noon, Friday, May 24 as well. All items remaining in boxes after that date will be discarded.

Computer Account and Class Shares:

Access to J-School computer accounts for all graduating students will remain active until June 30, 2013.

All personal server space and class shares (posted below) will be deleted on May 30. Please be sure to backup all of your files to external media (CDs, DVDs, flash media, iPods, etc.) before your account is deactivated. These shares will no longer be available to you and the data will be unrecoverable. Even if you are not graduating this May please also note these shares will be deleted as they are for class work only, so do not continue to use them. New shares will be provisioned for summer courses.

Shares:

Photo
City News Room
CNS
DigitalMedia
FCSPartTimers
InternationalNewsroom
Magazine
Magazine A
Masters
Nightly
Nightly B
Yearbook
Workshop
TVReporting

University Services After May 22

Health Services
Access to Health Services at the University expires on August 31 for all graduating students. For those with major medical health insurance through Columbia (Chickering), coverage ends on August 31 You do have the option of purchasing an extension on this policy. Please see http://health.columbia.edu/insurance for details.

University Libraries
Recent alumni will retain full library privileges, including borrowing privileges and access to licensed electronic databases, for a period of three months beyond the degree conferral date. Access information can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/lio/access/. Library Services for alumni can be found at http://www.alumni.libraries.columbia.edu/

Dodge Physical Fitness Center (aka the Gym): You may use the gym over the summer with your current CUID. However, you will have to pay the $91 gym use fee. Beginning in September, you will be eligible for alumni gym use. Please see http://www.dodgefitnesscenter.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9610&ATCLID=205330326

Alumni Benefits and Services

A variety of benefits and services are available to Journalism School graduates. This page answers most of your most questions and concerns, from auditing a class at Columbia to updating your address information, from obtaining a transcript of your time here to using Columbia’s recreational facilities - http://bit.ly/alumni_benefits

Please note that you will automatically be subscribed to your class listserv using the real world e-mail address supplied in your graduation survey (more details en route from Career Services). To update any of your contact information with us or sign up for a regional listserv, use this form:
http://bit.ly/cugsj_update

LionMail: Since all of you began using LionMail while at Columbia, you will be able to continue using your LionMail email account.

This information is for M.S. Students primarily. Because of its small size - and the fact that, as a new program, it has fewer alumni able to endow prizes - the M.A. program’s main prize is for the Master’s Thesis (and will be explained closer to graduation), though some categories that accept student submissions are open to the MA students as well.

We received the following question from a student:

Today in RW1 we had a guest speaker whose bio mentioned that she received the “Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, won for graduating first in her class…”

Since we don’t receive grades, I’m wondering how this designation of “first in class” is decided.

The Journalism School has a Pass-Fail system of formal grading. It aims at encouraging students to perform as well as they can, without competing with classmates. In most courses (some electives excepted), students receive written evaluations of their work from the instructors. Copies of these evaluations are kept in the DOS Office.

In RWI, written evaluations are issued at midterm and at the end of the semester. These preliminary evaluations indicate students’ early progress and, if necessary, serve as a warning if any students are in danger of failing. Students who are not doing passing work are placed on probation. If a student’s work is passing at midterm but deteriorates after the midterm evaluation, the instructor will give written notice of possible failure and inform the faculty.

RWI is the most important fall course. The decision to pass or fail a student in that course is determined solely by the instructor(s.) No grades of incomplete are allowed in RWI. Other required courses, including Skills courses are important, too. Inattention can result in failure. The faculty reserves the right to dismiss a student who fails the same course twice or two courses, regardless of the credit points of the courses.

Deadlines for the Master’s Project drafts are strictly enforced. The Faculty retains the right to fail or place on probation a student who fails to meet deadlines for the Master’s Project.

No student is permitted to graduate while still on probation.

At graduation, the honors list is announced, recognizing approximately 15 percent of the students for superior performance in multiple courses; the faculty determines the honors list by comparing and discussing each student’s complete record. The faculty also awards more than a dozen special prizes at graduation, including five Pulitzer Traveling Fellowships for overall performance during the academic year. These decisions are based in part on an informal system of grading, which permits each instructor to designate one or two students as having completed a course “with honors.” Students are informed of the honors designation via the written evaluation form.

That designation, in the individual classes, is “honors in class,” and you will see it - if you get it - in the written evaluation form you receive. If you receive two or more “honors in class” in our six-credit courses (RW1, Master’s Project, seminar, workshop) AND one or more in three-credit elective, you are LIKELY to “graduate with honors” (but in the end, even that will not guarantee your graduating with honors if many more students received more overall “honors in class”).

Except for a few prizes for which students can submit stories to be judged, the rest of the prizes are decided by faculty, without input from the students.

We hold briefing sessions close to Graduation to explain the procedures.

Part-time students are eligible for the awards and are tracked during their entire academic career here (though the prizes are typically given out the year they graduate).

Please direct all questions to Deans Sotomayor and Huff.

Welcome to the Spring Ballot for M.S., Knight Bagehot and JN/SEAS Students:

Please carefully follow the instructions below.

First, please read the Spring Curriculum thoroughly. Some information has been added and some changed since the document became available.

You may read students’ evaluations of many of the classes and professors at http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/view_evaluations.htm. You will have to log in using your UNI and password. Please note that some courses are being taught for the first time this spring. If you cannot find evaluations for a particular course, look instead for evaluations of other courses that professor has taught.

Please select the appropriate ballot for concentration/program. If you complete a ballot for a concentration/program other than your own, you will have your classes assigned randomly in the correct concentration/program.

Please note that if you began the program as a part-time student, you must ALWAYS use the part-time ballot even if you plan on accelerating to a full-time course load.

To complete the ballot you will need your Columbia e-mail address and PID (If you have lost your PID, please refer to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/14/faq-how-do-i-find-my-pid/)

The ballots are NOT handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you make the deadline (Monday, November 26, 10 a.m.) you have equal standing with all other students.

If you applied for an application class (Book Writing or Covering Religion), please do not complete your ballot until you have been notified about the results - November 23. Those accepted will not be balloting for that type of class.

NOTE: Ranking the same class as your first choice repeatedly DOES NOT increase your likelihood of getting into that class. Rather it means that we will randomly select your class if we are not able to give you your first choice.

If you do not submit a ballot, you will be placed in classes on a space available basis. If you made a mistake or changed your mind, please resubmit your ballot. Your most recently-submitted ballot as of the deadline (Monday, November 26, 10 a.m.) will be the one processed.

All students who began the Master’s Project in the fall will be automatically registered for it in the spring. FT Stabile students will automatically be enrolled for the Stabile seminar and the Stabile elective.

If you experience any problems using the ballot, please send e-mail to dos@jrn.columbia.edu Please note we cannot promise students they will gain a seat in any specific class.

Please note that you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing the ballot information you submitted. You will have to look through it carefully to find what you entered as the response includes both the pages you were required to complete and those you weren’t based on type of ballot.

Please answer all questions carefully.

Spring 2013 Ballot

SPRING SEMESTER PREP (updated several times a week) Here’s the schedule for Spring Semester Prep - events and dates to help you prepare for the Spring Semester. All the information will be available electronically, but you are encouraged to attend any events/briefing sessions you can. Please note we are offering events on a variety of dates and times. All this is subject to change, so please check back often.

The deans will be available throughout November to discuss your options and help you plan for the Spring, as are your RWI professors, who serve as your advisers the rest of your time here.

PLEASE NOTE: This information is for M.S. students. There will be an M.A. briefing session on Tuesday, November 20, 2-3:30., World Room. Tali Woodward and Melanie Huff will go over Spring Semester questions and dealing with Fall final evaluations.

We expect to have the Spring 2013 M.S. curriculum available on Friday, November 9. Until then, you may refer to the Spring 2012 curriculum to get a sense of what we will likely be offering.

The Spring 2013 Curriculum is now available at http://bit.ly/MS_Spring13

If you want to check out evaluations of past spring classes, go to http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/view_evaluations.htm

All dates can be imported into your Google calendar via bit.ly/columbiajcal

• Thurs., Nov. 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Spring prep meeting with focus on Spring Semester questions and dealing with Fall RWI mid-semester and final evaluations.

• Friday, November 9: Spring 2013 M.S. curriculum announced
• Monday, November 12: Applications due for Covering Religion
• Monday, Nov. 12, 6-7 p.m., Stabile Student Center Disruption and Resurrection: Big Stories for the Digital Age - Info session on Long Form Digital with Prof. Michael Shapiro.
• Tuesday, Nov. 13, 6-8 p.m., Lecture Hall: Spring Preview Session - an evening when professors who teach Spring seminars, workshops and new electives are invited to present three-minute previews of their classes. Typically, most professors present and all M.S. students gather for this session. Please note that only a handful of classes have individual briefing sessions (as listed above), so it is critical that you attend this large gathering
• Wednesday, November 14, 10 a.m.: Spring Ballots go live; close Monday, November 26, 10 a.m. noon You can submit ballots any time during that period - NOT first come, first served. If you applied for an application class, please do not submit your ballot until you have heard back about your acceptance.
• Wednesday, November 21, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Pre-Thanksgiving Pies and Advice with Deans Sotomayor and Huff
• Friday, November 23: Students notified of application results for Book Writing and Covering Religion
• Monday, Nov 26, 10 a.m. Spring Ballots close.
• Monday, Nov 26, 10 a.m. DEADLINE to confirm your acceptance of spots in application classes
  [ And don’t forget Lucille’s Ball, the annual J-School Holiday Party & Faculty Roast - on Tuesday, December 11- you absolutely have to be there!]
• Late December: Students will be registered for their Spring courses.
• December 16-Jan. 22: Winter Break; work on Master’s Projects for M.S. students (first draft due Tuesday, Jan. 22)
• January 7-February 1: Add/Drop period
• Tuesday, January 22: M.A., and other University classes begin.
• Wednesday, Jan. 23 9:30-5:00: ALL-CLASS EVENT: SPRING PREP DAY: “An annual day of academic, career and writing/reporting tips and advice, before the semester formally begins. Brought to you by Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Career Services “ - mandatory for all full-time MS students and MA students (except those MA students whose outside classes begin then); all others welcome. Presented by Student Affairs and Career Services.
• Thursday & Friday, Jan. 24 & 25: M.S. Workshops begin

Dear M.S. Students

I am writing to notify you of some upcoming action itesms.

• Next Assessment Deadline: All full-time M.S. students in sections of Ethics that end on October 19 are to submit your final assignment via the Assessment system at http://bit.ly/CUJLearning2013

• First Session Essentials & Skills evaluations: Those of you who have completed sections of skills and Essentials will be sent an online link by which to evaluate those classes.

• RWI Mid-term evaluations: All full-time M.S. students taking RWI this fall will receive a written mid-term evaluation from your professors this week or next.

• Honors-in-Class or Low Pass Designations for Essentials: As you will recall from Dean Grueskin’s welcome letter (http://bit.ly/MS_F12_Welcome), professors in all classes except for skills have the option of awarding honors-in-class for top notch performance. Journalism Essentials professors also have the option of awarding a low pass to students who do the bare minimum of work but otherwise turn in an undistinguished performance. Those of you receiving either of these will be notified via email over the next two weeks. Please note that neither designation will appear on your official transcript but will be taken into consideration for year-end awards.

• Spring Planning: Next week you will receive a detailed memo about spring planning dates and events.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Dear Journalism Students,

The evaluation system (https://courseworks.columbia.edu/) for students to provide feedback about their classes will be live for the Fall 2011 semester on Monday, December 5, 2011.

M.A. Seminar in Discipline and M.S. RWI professors will be scheduling lab time for you to complete these. If you are not enrolled in any of these courses, please complete all your evaluations on your own. The deadline for completion is Friday, December 30.

Your role in providing feedback via course evaluations is of vital importance to the Journalism School. The information is used by faculty to evaluate their syllabi and to refine their practices and by the administration to make curriculum decisions and assess professor performance.

Course evaluations are one element in tenure, promotion and contract decisions; they can affect professors’ careers at Columbia.

Future students also use the information to make informed balloting choices.

We ask that you take your time and seriously reflect on your learning experience as you provide an honest answer to each question. You do not have to complete all the forms in one sitting. However, once you begin working on the form for a given class you must complete and submit it before exiting the system. Partially completed forms are not stored.

Please be aware that professors won’t have access to your evaluations of them until after they have submitted their evaluations of your performance.

Please note, we have no control over the system once the deadline has passed. Every semester students contact us after the deadline asking to fill in the form or to make edits to their evaluations, and there is nothing we can about those situations. Please be certain to complete all evaluations by the Friday, December 30 deadline.

Between Monday, December 5 and Friday, December 30, you will receive reminders every day for each evaluation that you have yet to complete. These automatic reminders are generated by the CourseWorks system.

Thank you for your assistance.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

Degrees are awarded in October, February and May. Every candidate, regardless of graduation date, is invited to participate in the May Commencement ceremony.

You must have completed all graduation requirements to participate in a May graduation ceremony.

In order to be considered for a degree or certificate, you must file a degree/certificate application form with the University.

This link will provide you with a pdf document that you may complete online, save to your computer, and then attach as an e-mail to diplomas@columbia.edu.

If you are unable to save the completed form, you may print it and fax it to 212-854-8747.

Alternately you may mail it or hand deliver it to:

Diploma Division
Office of the Registrar
Columbia University
210 Kent Hall, MC 9202
1140 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Application Deadlines
Graduating in - Apply by
October - August 1
February - November 1
May - December 1

Please Note The Following:

• When a deadline for application falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
• Doctoral students must deposit their dissertation at least a week before the conferral date in order to graduate.
• You may check the status of your degree application in SSOL. Please note that during peak times, it may take a week for your status to be updated in SSOL after you submit your application.

AUDITING: The requirements for auditing depend on the professor and the school at which the class is being held.

At the Journalism School, auditors pay nothing, may do no work, and receive no mention on their transcripts of having attended. Students simply contact the professor to make a request to sit in.

A professor in any other department is permitted to offer that same arrangement. You may contact any professor directly to see if he/she is amenable.

Some professors in outside departments may ask that you register for “R ” credit. In this case, you will pay for the course, do any work the professor requires, and it will appear on your transcript ( see the “R” section at http://registrar.columbia.edu/content/grade-options for full details).

Please note that taking a class for “R” credit does not count in your accumulation of credits/requirements for graduation.

New York State public health law requires that all students document immunity to Measles, Mumps and Rubella, as well as document that they either have received the Meningitis vaccine or have declined to receive it.

All students must be in compliance with these laws before being registered for classes. Detailed information and instructions are available at
http://health.columbia.edu/about/immunization-requirements

Please act as soon as possible to supply Health Services with the required documentation. Please do not send me or anyone else at the Journalism School your health records. Only Health Services can certify that you are cleared and can be registered.

The deadline for completion of this task for Fall 2011 is Friday, July 22.

PLEASE NOTE: We will be in touch shortly with curriculum information relevant to your program. Those of you asked to complete a course preference ballot WILL be able to do so even if you have not yet complied with the immunization requirements. It is our ability to complete your actual registration that will be blocked until you are in compliance.

Please contact Health Services at (212) 854-7210 with any questions regarding immunization compliance.

Do You Procrastinate? What Can You Do About It?

Procrastination Workshop

This hands-on, sequential 4-session* workshop will:

• address procrastination and time management difficulties which affect your studies and your life

enable you to pinpoint the problem and address its’ solutions

When? Mondays, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, & 11/15/10

What time? 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Where? Counseling & Psychological Services’ Conference Room, Alfred Lerner Hall, 8th Floor

To reserve a spot or for more information, please e-mail:
Dr. Yaniv Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu.

*Students must attend the first meeting and are expected to attend all 4 meetings.

Audio from Spring Class Preview, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009:
http://qtstreaming.jrn.columbia.edu/lectures/2009/springpreview1113.mov

Ballots go live at 8 p.m on Friday, November 13 are now live!!!! See link below.

Welcome to the Spring Ballots for M.S., and Knight Bagehot Students

Please carefully follow the instructions below.

1. First, please read the Spring Curriculum thoroughly. Some information has been added and some changed since the document became available.
2. You may read students’ evaluations of many of the classes and professors at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/journalism/evaluations/. You will have to log in using your UNI and password.
3. Please select from the list below the ballot option that best describes your status.
4. To complete the ballot you will need your Columbia e-mail address and PID (If you have lost your PID, please refer to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/14/faq-how-do-i-find-my-pid/)
5. The ballots are NOT handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you make the deadline (Tuesday, November 17, 8 a.m.) you have equal standing with all other students.
6. If your ballot is received after the deadline, you will be placed in classes on a space available basis.
7. If you made a mistake or changed your mind, please resubmit your ballot. Your most recently-submitted ballot as of the deadline (Tuesday, November 17, 8 a.m.) will be the one processed.
8. If you experience any problems using the ballot, please send e-mail to dos@jrn.columbia.edu
9. Please note we cannot promise students they will gain a seat in any specific class.
10. Students continuing with the Master’s Project will be automatically registered for it.
11. Students may only take one class that meets on Monday/Tuesday and one that meets on Thursday/Friday. This means that if your seminar is on a Monday, your workshop has to be on a Thursday/Friday. Or if your workshop is on a Thursday or Friday, your seminar has to be on a Monday or Tuesday.

Please answer all questions carefully.
Spring 2010 M.S. Ballot

Dear Students,

Religious holidays are not official school holidays.

However, students may miss class for religious observances provided they notify professors in advance and make arrangments with them about making up missed work.
Observant professors may choose to reschedule their classes.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

SUGGESTED READING LIST for M.S. STUDENTS

To help you to develop an understanding of New York City and its issues, past and present, the faculty recommends the following books and Web sites. The list is long, (although by no means exhaustive) and we don’t expect you to read every title on it. However, we do ask that you familiarize yourself with “The Power Broker,” Robert Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of master planner Robert Moses.

In addition, we suggest that you select an anthology or two, a couple of the classics (fiction and/or nonfiction), and several titles in subject areas that interest you journalistically. If you’re an aspiring education writer, for instance, you might want to read the books listed under “Education.”

Lastly, you should get into the habit of reading at least a couple of New York newspapers every day – if you live outside the metropolitan area, you can read them online – and also checking the Web sites of some of the local broadcast stations. This will not only acquaint you with the city that will serve as your laboratory during the time that you’re here, but also with the journalism that is going on here – and the media outlets to which you may wish to eventually pitch your stories.

Recommended reading:

Robert Caro: “The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York” (New York: Knopf, 1974)

Classic non-fiction books about New York:

• EB White: “Here is New York” (Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York, 1949)
• Meyer Berger: “The Eight Million: Journal of a New York Correspondent” (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1942)
• A.J. Liebling: “Back Where I Came From” (North Point Press, 1990)
• Willie Morris: “New York Days” (Little, Brown, 1993)

Classic novels about New York:

F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The Great Gatsby” (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925)
• Betty Smith: “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (Harper & Row, 1943)
• Tom Wolfe: “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1988)
• Pete Hamill: “Snow in August” (Little Brown, 1997)
• Bel Kaufman: “Up the Down Staircase” (Prentice-Hall, 1964)

Anthologies:

• Dan Barry: “City Lights: Stories About New York” (St. Martin’s Press, 2007)
• David Remnick (ed): “Wonderful Town: New York Stories from the New Yorker” (Simon & Schuster, 2007)
• Phillip Lopate: “Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan” (Anchor, 2004)
• Connie Rosenblum (ed.): “New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of the New York Times” (NYU Press, 2005)
• Pete Hamill: Piecework: “Writings on Men & Women, Fools and Heroes, Lost Cities, Vanished Calamities and How the Weather Was” (Little, Brown, 1996)

9/11:

Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn: “102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers” (Times Books, 2005)
• David Halberstam: “Firehouse” (Hyperion, 2002)
• Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins: “Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11” (HarperCollins, 2006)
• Tram Nguyen: “We Are All Suspects Now: Untold Stories from Immigrant Communities after 9/11” (Beacon Press, 2005)

Criminal Justice:

• Greg Donaldson: “The Ville” (Ticknor & Fields, 1993)
• Brian MacDonald: “My Father’s Gun: One Family, Three Badges, One Hundred Years in the NYPD” (Plume, 2000)

Education:

• Samuel G. Freedman: “Small Victories: The Real World of a Teacher, Her Students and Their High School” (HarperTrade, 1991)
• Alec Klein: “A Class Apart: Prodigies, Pressure, and Passion Inside One of America’s Best High Schools” (Simon & Schuster, 2007)
• Diane Ravitch: “The Great School Wars of New York City 1805-1973” (Basic Books, 1974)

Immigration:

• Joseph Berger: “The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York” (Ballantine Books, 2007)
• Tram Nguyen: “We Are All Suspects Now: Untold Stories from Immigrant Communities after 9/11” (Beacon Press, 2005)

Media:

• Kate Darnton, Kayce Freed Jennings and Lynn Sherr (eds.):”Peter Jennings: A Reporter’s Life” (PublicAffairs, 2007)
• Susan E. Tifft and Alex S. Jones: “The Trust: The Private and Powerful Family Behind The New York Times” (Little, Brown, 1999)
• Gay Talese: “The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World” (Cleveland: World Publishing, 1969)

Life in New York:

• LynNell Hancock: “Hands To Work: The Stories of Three Families Racing the Welfare Clock” (William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2002)
• Adrian Nicole LeBlanc: “Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx” (Scribner, 2003)
• Jim Dwyer: “Subway Lives: 24 Hours in the Life of the New York Subway” (Crown, 1991)

Politics and Business:

• Jack Newfield and Wayne Barrett: “City for Sale” (Harper & Row, 1988)
• Jim Sleeper: “The Closest of Strangers: Liberalism and the Politics of Race in New York” (W.W. Norton, 1990)
• James B. Stewart: ”Den of Thieves” (Simon & Schuster, 1992)

Race/Ethnicity:

• Alex Haley: “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” (Mass Market/Paperback, Reissue 1989)
• Jervis Anderson: “This Was Harlem: A Cultural Portrait 1900-1950” (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1991)
• Diane Ravitch: “The Great School Wars of New York City 1805-1973” (Basic Books, 1974)
• Samuel G. Freedman: “Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church”
• Jim Sleeper: “The Closest of Strangers: Liberalism and the Politics of Race in New York” (W.W. Norton, 1990)
Arlene Arlene Morgan, Alice Pifer, Keith Woods: “The Authentic Voice” (Columbia University Press, 2006)

Religion:

• Lis Harris: “Holy Days: The World of the Hasidic Family” (Summit Books, 1985)
• Samuel G. Freedman: “Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church” (HarperCollins, 1994)

Sports:

• Michael Shapiro: “The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers and Their Final Pennant Race Together” (Doubleday, 2003)
• Jimmy Breslin: “Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game? The Improbable Saga of the New York Mets’ First Year” (Viking, 1963)

Technology & Media:

• Henry Jenkins: “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide” (NYU, 2008)
• Clay Shirky: “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” (Penguin Press, 2008)
• Andrew Lih: “The Wikipedia Revolution: How a Bunch of Nobodies Created the World’s Greatest Encyclopedia” (Hyperion, 2009)

City sites:

• www.nyc.gov
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp
• http://www.brooklyn-usa.org
• http://www.queensbp.org
• http://www.statenislandusa.com
• http://www.mbpo.org
• http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov

Online & Print Media:

• http://nytimes.com
• www.nydailynews.com
• http://www.nypost.com
• http://www.newsday.com
• http://www.silive.com
• www.villagevoice.com
• http://www.nysun.com
• http://www.amny.com
• www.nypress.com
• http://ny.metro.us
• http://www.observer.com
• www.brooklyneagle.com
• www.queenschronicle.com
• http://www.queenstribune.com
• http://www.nypress.com
• www.bronxbeat.org
• http://gothamist.com
• http://gothamgazette.com
• http://www.citylimits.org
• http://nymag.com
• www.cjr.org

Broadcast media:

• http://www.ny1.com
• http://wcbstv.com
• http://www.wnbc.com
• http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/index
• http://www.news12.com
• http://www.wnyc.org
• http://www.wcbs880.com/

FROM: Dean Cornog
RE: Master’s Thesis

Your completed Master’s Thesis is due in the Dean of Students office by 10 a.m. on Monday, April 20. You will be required to sign your name in the thesis submission log.
Your submitted thesis must conform to the following requirements, so follow these instructions carefully:

1. Print your manuscript, or broadcast (verbatim) script, double-spaced on one side of white paper, leaving an inch-and-a-half margin on the left-hand side and at least an inch on the other three margins. Photographic paper does not meet preservation guidelines for library materials, and theses on photo paper will be returned to the author in exchange for a plain-paper copy.

2. You should be aware that source lists (and your entire thesis, including the P.S. portion, described below in point number 6) will be available for all library users. If there are confidentiality issues with sources (i.e. phone numbers, personal addresses, etc.), students are responsible for removing the source list BEFORE submitting the library copy. If you are not certain about the best way to cite a source, consult with your adviser.

3. Do not put any sort of binding on the thesis, and do not staple the pages. The pages must be numbered.

4. Include a separate title page with the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your thesis, the name of the faculty member(s) who supervised it and, at the bottom of the page, add:

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism

Copyright

(Name of Student)

(Year)

5. Hand in two copies–the original and one copy. The original will be reserved for the library, and the second copy will be used in judging the M.A. thesis prize. Please e-mail or give a hard copy to each of your advisers (whatever your advisers prefer). See #s 8 and 9 below for special digital/new media and broadcast thesis instructions.

6. You will need to submit a short, first-person account of how you discovered, researched and reported your story. This “P.S.” should run no longer than 1,000 words. The narrative will help students in the future see what goes into the making of a successful Master’s Thesis. (Include a copy of the narrative with all copies.)

7. Put each copy in a new 9 x 12 envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your thesis and the name(s) of your adviser(s) for the Master’s Thesis. Please be certain to clearly label the library copy.

8. Digital/new media theses: The paper copy of the thesis should include a printed cover page with name, topic, and URL, and a copyright statement. You should include a printed source list and the postscript described above in # 6. Include two hard copies (again, one for the library, one for the thesis judging). All content and source code must be uploaded to the Columbia server. If you are using software such as Wordpress, you need to have it hosted by Columbia. Also, your videos and other multimedia need to be on Columbia servers, even if you are already hosting your content on external servers such as YouTube, blip.tv, etc. The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made for the Master’s Thesis web page to the thesis itself.

9. For broadcast theses on audio tape, CD or DVD: please make two copies, label the tapes/discs, the covers and the cover spines with complete thesis information (author(s), title, adviser). Also include two printed copies of your script (these should include the title page mentioned in point # 4, above), and e-mail a copy to each of your advisers. Include the postscript and source list as described above.

10. If you are submitting your Master’s Thesis earlier than the deadline, you still have to submit the copies to the Dean’s Office. You must also inform your adviser and the office of the Dean of Students of the date you submitted the thesis.

11. Keep a copy of your thesis for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide on-demand copies of your work. You are expected to keep usable copies of your Master’s Thesis for future reference. For print theses and transcripts, a hard copy is the best option.

Dear Students,

I’ve been contacted by several professors reporting that they are getting requests from students to miss their classes in order to do reporting for the Master’s Project/Thesis or other classes.

Students are not allowed to miss classes to do reporting for other classes or their projects/theses. Please do not make these requests of your professors.

MH

Dear Continuing Students:

For those of you NOT graduating this semester, we are hosting two summer information sessions:

• Wednesday, March 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Stabile Student Center
• Tuesday, March 10, 6-7 p.m. in the Stabile Student Center.

We will discuss what classes might be offered in the summer and how you can plan for your Master’s Projects (if you are thinking of doing it during the summer).

It’s early enough that we haven’t finalized everything and this gives us a chance to get a sense of what you are interested in as well.

We realize not everyone will be able to attend one of these events, so we will circulate via e-mail the information discussed in person.

We will also be conducting an online survey.

Dear Students,

To pick up your CUID Spring 09 validation sticker, please go to the 5th floor equipment room.

Equipment room hours are Monday – Friday 8am to 8pm; Saturday 10am – 5pm.

Don’t forget this is the sticker that gets you into the MET, MOMA, and various other museums around the city for free!!!

Dear M.A. Students,

As you know, you have the option to attempt to take one of your two spring electives at the Journalism School (list below; see full course descriptions

To attempt to register for these classes, you must complete an Add/Drop form beginning on January 9, at 7 am. Admission to these classes is based soley on space availability and is handled on a first come, first served basis.

You are also eligible for the MA/Knight Knight Bagehot new media elective and spring skills courses. For the skills courses, you must complete the spring course ballot that goes live tomorrow at 7 am. Link en route.

Spring Electives open to MA students via Add/Drop

Advanced Photojournalism – Sara Barrett
Business and Economics Reporting - Cheryl Strauss Einhorn
Covering Conflict – Judith Matloff
Covering Race & Ethnicity – Arlene Morgan
Decision Making in the Newsroom – Michael Shapiro, Bill Grueskin & Peter Kann
Feature Writing A – Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Feature Writing B – Paula Span
Foreign Reporting – Kati Marton
Graphics in the Newsroom – Hannah Fairfield Wallander
History of Journalism – Andie Tucher
Journalism of Ideas – Alissa Quart
Managing Broadcast Newsrooms in the Digital Age - David McCormick and
Lloyd Siegel
Narrative Writing – Kevin Coyne
News Editing – Nancy Sharkey
Opinion Writing – Seth Lipsky
Politics & the Press in America – Evan Cornog
Radio Documentary – Alex Blumberg
Reporting Advances of the Modern Newsroom – Tom Torok
Sports Journalism – Sandy Padwe

For spring skills courses open to MA students via the spring ballot, please see http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/students/Skills_SP09.html

Spring 2009 Course Ballot

Dear Part-Time Students,

In order to better assist you in planning your progress through the program, we are now requiring that you complete an academic progress form at http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/academic_progress/index.html before registration begins each semester.

We will not register Part-Time students for classes until this form has been received.

Deadline: December 3 [for Spring 2009].

Thank you.

Questions to dos@jrn.columbia.edu

MH

Stress Management Services available from Health Services at Columbia

Alice! Health Promotion Program

• Stressbusters are a team of students that relax Columbians by delivering free five to ten minute upper-body rubs at events and programs within the CU community. Stressbuster events may be requested online through the Health Services website. For more information, please contact Kelli Soto, Stressbusters Coordinator, at Stressbusters@columbia.edu.
• Wind Down Wednesday is a weekly Stressbuster event open to the entire Columbia community on Wednesday from 4:00-5:00pm in the first floor lounge of Wien Hall.
• Stress Management Workshops are available through the Alice! Health Promotion Program. In the workshop, students will identify personal stressors and physiological changes triggered by stress, identify and practice a variety of stress management strategies, and discuss ways to fit stress management into a demanding schedule. To request a stress management workshop or find out about Alice!’s other workshops, please visit the Alice! page on the Health Services website.
• The Alice! Stress Initiative, a new program through the Alice! Health Promotion Program gives students the opportunity to voice their thoughts about student stress. A coalition of students committed to understanding and addressing stress on campus is being formed by a community organizer who serves as a graduate student assistant at Alice! Students who are interested in being a part of this coalition may contact Meg Bradley at mab2210@columbia.edu.
• Go Ask Alice!, Columbia University’s health question and answer internet resource, contains a category related to emotional health and subcategory dedicated to addressing issues related to student stress.
• In addition to the services listed above, students may also stop by the Alice! office or make an appointment with a Health Promotion Specialist to discuss stress management. The Alice! office is located in the Health Services suite on the 1st floor of Wien Hall.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)

• Individual consultations with CPS counselors: Students struggling to keep up with assignments or to strike a reasonable work-life balance are welcome to consult individually at CPS. All CPS counselors are well versed in helping students negotiate academic stress. In addition, there are staff with specific expertise in this area: Dr. Yaniv Phillips specializes in helping students overcome procrastination, and Dr. Calvin Chin and Dr. Victoria Grosso help students more rationally manage their time.
• Workshops and support groups: More information about these and other groups, are available via the CPS website. Note that, in general, students should contact the group facilitator in advance of the first meeting to express their interest.
• Overcoming Procrastination Workshop: Students interested in participating in a workshop designed to help overcome procrastination may contact Dr. Phillips at py2120@columbia.edu. The workshop will meet from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. on four consecutive Mondays, beginning October 20.
• Tolerating Stress: A Skill Building Group to ManageOverwhelming Emotions, Tolerate Distress, Improve Relationships and Increase Self-Care. Victoria Grosso, Ph.D. (vg2107@columbia.edu) and Patricia Swander, LCSW (pas 2002 @columbia.edu) host this support group Wednesdays, 5:30-7:00 pm. Start date TBA.
• Mindfulness Group: Mindfulness is an increasingly popular means of stress reduction, by cultivating greater awareness of unconscious thoughts and feelings that undermine physical and psychological well being. Facilitated by Addette Williams, Ph.D., alw65@columbia.edu. Day and time TBA.

Other Support Groups of potential interest:

• Adult Children of Alcoholics Support Group
• Bereavement Support Group
• Gay Men’s Group
• Group for Graduate International Students (This group will begin on October 17, 2008 Lerner Hall, 8th Floor; No initial interview needed.)
• Students with Chronic Medical Illness
• Women of Color Support Group

When the situation is serious:
Students in severe distress–and administrators and faculty trying to support them–should be aware that we always have clinicians available to help, 24/7/365. During normal business hours, and 10-4 on Saturdays, we have staff on-campus. After-hours, students can reach our nurse triage service by dialing 4-9797.

Q: What happens to classes during the Jewish holidays?

A: The Jewish holidays in the fall are not official school holidays. Observant professors may reschedule their classes, so do check with them. Students who need to miss a class that hasn’t been rescheduled should consult their professors about making up the work missed.

See related question: Are there classes on Election Day?

If your CUID isn’t working throughout the Journalism Building, you must go to 111A Low Library with the card.

Please note, this memo is for PT students taking the Master’s Project during Summer 2008 only.

FROM: LynNell Hancock, Interim Dean of Academic Affairs
RE: Instructions on Submitting Your M.S. Master’s Projects, September 2008

The deadline for submitting your finished Master’s Project is Monday, September 8, at 10 a.m.

All projects must be submitted in the Stabile Student Center that morning.

Please submit one hard copy to the DOS office in a 9 ½ by 11-inch envelope. Label the envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your project and the name of your Master’s Project adviser.

You will be required to sign your name on the Master’s Project submission log when you turn in your final project. Only those students who received a formal extension from your faculty adviser and the Dean of Students Office have permission to miss this deadline.

Please e-mail one final copy of your project to your adviser. Ask your adviser if he or she also wants a hard copy.

This final version of your project will be available in the Columbia Library, so it must conform to the following requirements:

1. Formatting

• Margins and Numbers
  The print version, or a verbatim broadcast script, must be double-spaced on one side of white paper, leaving a 1½- inch margin on the left-hand side and a 1-inch margin on all other sides. Pages must be numbered. No binding, or staples, please.
• Title Page
  Include a separate title page with the following information: Your name, class year,
  the title of your project, the name of your master’s adviser, and, at the bottom of the
  page, add:

  Copyright
  (Name of Student)
  (Year)

2. Source List
Submit a complete source list for your project at the end of your project. If you are not certain about the best way to cite a source, consult with your adviser. Be aware that source lists and your entire project, including the “P.S.” portion, will be available for reading and copying by all Journalism School library visitors. If you have confidentiality concerns with sources (i.e. names, phone numbers, personal addresses, etc.), you are responsible for removing the source list from the library copy.

3. Post Script
At the end of your project, you must include a first-person narrative describing how you discovered, researched and reported your story. This will help future students see what goes into the making of a successful master’s project. This “P.S.” should be included with all copies of your project after the source list, and should run no longer than 1,000 words. Remember that this post script will be available along with your project in the library.

Students submitting a Radio or Television/Video Project should include:

• One copy of your script for DOS, email a second to the adviser, plus a hard copy to the adviser if he/she requests it. Include a Post Script and Source List as described above.
• For television, one copy of your project on DVD for DOS. Provide a second DVD directly to your adviser, plus a videotape copy if your adviser requests one
• For Radio, one copy of your project on audio CD for DOS, and a second for your adviser. In addition, provide your adviser a copy of the .wav file (i.e. the final mix “bounce,” on a data CD.

Label all your DVDs, CDs, tapes and accompanying materials with complete project information (author(s), title, adviser). Indicate whether CDs are data or audio. The Technical Staff can assist television projects in making the DVDs from the final, edited tape. Be sure to give them plenty of advance notice if you need their assistance.

Students submitting a New Media project should include:

• A printed cover page with your names, topic and URL, and a copyright statement. One hard copy to DOS, another emailed to your adviser.
• A printed source list and P.S. as described above. In most cases, your “about us” should suffice. Bring one copy to DOS; send a second by email to your adviser.

The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made from the Masters Project Index web page to the project itself.

You will be expected to submit the materials above AND upload your final websites to the servers by 10 a.m. on Monday, September 8.

4. Your Copy
Keep a copy of your project for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide on-demand copies of your work.

Congratulations!

Fall Ballots go live at 10 a.m., Monday, July 7.

Please carefully follow the instructions below.

First, M.S. students please read the Fall Curriculum thoroughly.

You may read students’ evaluations of many of the classes and professors at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/journalism/evaluations/. You will have to log in using your UNI and password.

Please select from the two options below the appropriate ballot for you.

To complete the ballot you will need your Columbia e-mail address and PID (If you have lost your PID, please refer to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/14/faq-how-do-i-find-my-pid/)

The ballots are NOT handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you make the deadline (Monday, July 14, 10 a.m.) you have equal standing with all other students.

NOTE: Ranking the same class as your first choice repeatedly DOES NOT increase your likelihood of getting into that class. Rather it means that we will randomly select your class (or adviser) if we are not able to give you your first choice.

Those who miss the ballot deadline will be placed in classes on a space available basis. If you made a mistake or changed your mind, please resubmit your ballot. Your most recently-submitted ballot as of the deadline (Monday, July 14, 10 a.m.) will be the one processed.

If you experience any problems using the ballot, please send e-mail to dos@jrn.columbia.edu Please note we cannot promise students they will gain a seat in any specific class.

The ballot for FT M.S. students is at http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/FT_MS_Ballots

The ballot for PT M.S. students and M.A. students is at http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/MA-PTBallot/

Please answer all questions carefully.

Dear newly-admitted students:

As you prepare for the school, here are some resources you should check out.
1. WEBCASTS: We are hosting several webcasts which will allow you to listen live anywhere in the world, or to listen to an archived recording. The ones we have already scheduled are below. COMING SOON: Several other topics/speakers (send in your suggestions to dos[at]jrn.columbia.edu (subject line = webcast suggestions). Stay tuned. Scroll down.

2. FAQs: Frequently asked questions - and their answers below. Scroll down.

3. SURVIVAL TIPS: Alumni tips on surviving the school - and prepping for it are at
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/01/17/tip-surviving-the-school-tips/

4. TRANSCRIPTS OF OLD CHATS: In 2006 and 2007, we did more than 20 chats on various topics via moderated chatroom. While some of the information will be out of date, of course, reading through the transcripts might still be useful. See them all here: http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/07/06/chats-online-chats-about-the-school-3/

5. WELCOME VIDEOS: The international students in the Class of 2006 and 2007 created welcome videos for their successor classes. They are available on YouTube and continue to be relevant to all our students. Take a look:
http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/08/01/video-new-j-school-international-welcome-video/

6. FACEBOOK GROUP: There’s already a Facebook group for the Columbia Journalism School Class of 2009. It was created by Rebecca Castillo, former class president, who serves as the staff adviser for extracurricular activities via the campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It’s a closed group, so once you have decided to come, let Rebecca know via
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10497300901

7. NEW STUDENTS PAGE: See all the resources, forms and critical information (including dates) that we have gathered for you on the main school site on the New Students Page.

WEBCAST SCHEDULE & RECORDINGS
> full lineup: listen live or to a recording
Using a new service called BlogTalkRadio.com, we are able to connect the Journalism school with people around the world. They can listen live on their computers (or by dialing the listener phone line at 646-915-9583) as we highlight various aspects of the school (PCs or Macs; no downloads required) or tune in later to listen to an archived recording. These webcasts are also available as downloadable MP3 files for your personal collection. [If you want to subscribe to this as a podcast on iTunes, go to “Advanced” within iTunes, then select “Subscribe to podcast” and type in http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ColumbiaJournalism/feed and hit OK.] See full lineup at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ColumbiaJournalism

(more…)

FROM: Dean Cornog

RE: M.S. Master’s Projects, March 2008

The deadline for submitting your finished Master’s Project is Monday, March 24, at 10 a.m.

Only those who have received a formal extension from your faculty adviser and the Dean of Students Office have permission to miss this deadline. All projects must be submitted to the DOS Office team who will be stationed in the Stabile Student Center that morning. You will be required to sign your name on the Master’s Project submission log when you turn in your final project.

For those of you with an early deadline or who wish to submit your final project early, the DOS office will begin accepting final Master’s Project submissions as of 9 a.m., Monday, March 10 (with Yahaira Alonzo at the desk outside the offices of Deans Sreenivasan and Huff). Ms. Alonzo will be taking submissions during spring break ( 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F).

Your submitted project must conform to the following requirements, so follow these instructions carefully:

1. You must write a first-person narrative of how you discovered, researched and reported your story. This will help future students see what goes into the making of a successful master’s project. This “P.S.” should be included with all copies of your Project, and should run no longer than 1,000 words. If confidentiality is a concern, before submitting the library copy, your narrative may be redacted or disguised to conceal specific, identifying information about individuals. For example, you may use “my main character” or “the protagonist” (or similar) instead of someone’s name. Include a copy of this narrative with all copies. If confidentiality is a concern and the above suggestion does not work, then withhold the “P.S.” from the library copy.
Note: the true identity and contact information for all of your sources must be disclosed to your adviser and included on the source list that you submit to your adviser.

2. Print three copies of your manuscript, or a verbatim broadcast script, double-spaced on one side of white paper, leaving a 1½- inch margin on the left-hand side and a 1-inch margin on all other sides. Do not use photographic paper as it does not meet preservation guidelines for library materials. Projects submitted on photo paper will be returned to the author in exchange for a plain-paper copy.

3. You should submit a complete source list for your project. If you are not certain about the best way to cite a source, consult with your adviser. Be aware that source lists and your entire project, including the “P.S.” portion, will be available for reading and copying by all Journalism School library visitors. (Columbia University Libraries does not provide copies of master’s projects or theses via its interlibrary loan service.) As noted above, if you have confidentiality concerns with sources (i.e. names, phone numbers, personal addresses, etc.), you are responsible for removing the source list from the library copy.

4. Pages must be numbered. Do not put any sort of binding on the project, and do not staple the pages.

5. Include a separate title page with the following information: Your name, class year, the title of your project, the name of your master’s adviser, and, at the bottom of the page, add:

Copyright
(Name of Student)
(Year)

6. Put each copy in a new 9 x 11 ½ envelope. Label the front of each envelope with your name, your class year, the title of your project and the name of your adviser for the Master’s Project. Please be certain to clearly label the library copy.

7. Submit all three copies to the DOS Office team in the Stabile Student Center on March 24. One copy will be returned to you with your instructor’s comments; another copy will be reserved for the library, and the third copy will be kept by your adviser.

* Students submitting a Radio or Television/Video Project should
include:

• Two copies of your script
• For Television, two copies of your project on DVD, plus a
  videotape copy if your adviser requests one
• For Radio, two copies of your project on audio CD. In addition,
  provide your adviser a copy of the .wav file (i.e. the final mix
  “bounce,” on a data CD.

For all projects, please make two copies, labeling all DVDs, CDs, tapes, and accompanying materials with complete project information (author(s), title, adviser). Indicate whether CDs are data or audio. The Technical Staff can assist television projects in making the DVDs from the final, edited tape. Be sure to give them plenty of advance notice if you need their assistance.

* Students submitting a New Media project should include:

• A cover page with your names, topic and URL, and a copyright statement.
• A printout of each of your individual pages (even if some go beyond the margins - and black-and-white only, please).
• A printed essay about how you approached your story, with tips for future students. In most cases, your “about us” should suffice (print it out separately if it does work as the “P.S.” described above).

The library cannot store computer disks, and does not have the facilities for viewing their contents. A hyperlink will be made from the Masters Project Index web page to the project itself.

You will be expected to submit the materials above AND upload your final websites to the servers by 10 a.m. on Monday, March 24.

8. If you are submitting your master’s project earlier than the deadline, you must submit all copies to the DOS Office (to Yahaira Alonzo at the desk outside the offices of Deans Sreenivasan and Huff). You must also inform your adviser of the date you submitted the project.

9. Keep a copy of your project for yourself. Neither the Journalism School nor the Journalism Library is able to provide on-demand copies of your work. You are expected to keep usable copies of your Master’s project for future reference. For print projects and transcripts, a hard copy is the best option.

Please note, the DOS Office is closed from Friday at 5 p.m. till Monday at 9 a.m. If you cannot come to the school during business hours, you may mail your three copies to: Melanie Huff, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, Room 207C, New York, NY 10027. Please note that they must arrive by Monday, March 24.

To pick up your CUID validation sticker for the new semester, please go to the 5th floor equipment room.

Equipment room hours are Monday – Friday 8am to 8pm; Saturday 10am – 5pm

Work Block Group Available

Location: Counseling and Psychological Services: Lerner Hall 8th Floor

Day and Time: Monday 1-3PM

For 6 sessions: February 25, March 3,10,24, 31 and April 7

To register or for more information contact Dr. William Sommer at 212 854
2878 or email wgs2@columbia.edu