<p>Medill remains first and foremost writing-based and liberal arts-based, more so than Columbia College. So while some people may cite diversion from writing as the reason, it’s probably the case that they’re just not cutout for the program.</p>
<p>vocemom,</p>
<p>That could be a gross exaggeration from your friend. Let’s look at their rankings in Intercollegiate Writing:</p>
<p>87-04 (11 1st and 6 2nd)
05-06 1st
06-07 6th
07-08 2nd
08-09 3rd
09-10 1st (current standing)</p>
<p>Granted, they haven’t been as dominant as they were in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, but the drop wasn’t that huge (except the 6th-place finish).</p>
<p>Sam Lee, you’re being way too kind to vocemom. Her comments are so grossly falacious they barely warrant a response. The controversy surrounding Dean Lavine’s move years ago to multimedia prep students has come to be supported by every major journalism program in the nation (note this thread is years old and just revived by her for unclear reasons). The changes he engineered at Medill have proven visionary. The few faculty members (“most” - is this a joke???) who refused to adapt to the realities of the times had been asked to leave. Her friend, I suspect, is one who continues to harbor bitterness. This was a old guard/new guard feud that is long settled. Fortunately for students hopeful of a future career in journalism, the new guard won.</p>
<p>The news industry in this country as a whole (including papers as vaulted as the New York Times and national news bureaus at ABC, CBS and NBC) have engineered versions of Lavine’s curricular changes on their home turfs. The pen may be mightier than the digital camcorder and web production, but in this new world order, you’d better know how to wield them all. Medill remains the king of undergrad preparation for a career in SERIOUS journalism. It is not now and never will be a “trade” program. Writing quality and commitment to detail remain the backbone of the program, with wonderful supporting casts in a great English department for the purists who want to hone those skills, and new marketing/PR/advertising offerings for those with a practical bent.</p>
<p>I’ve seen Dean Lavine share a stage on three occasions with some of the leading national names in the news business. “Visionary” was their word for what he’s done and is doing, not mine.</p>
<p>I only want to say one thing in my defense. Watch Wall-e! That’s how I feel about Medill. Real education is about learning to think and actually come up with IDEAS! Journalism should be a media that takes the greatest minds and THINKERS and gives the world a chance to read and talk about what they wrote. Who cares if you know how to use an ipod or a whatever!! it doesn’t enrich our world, or help us move forward. I’m an idealist just like that young student who transferred out of NU. More power to her!</p>
<p>You’re contradicting yourself there, vocemom. People won’t be able “to read and talk about” these things if journalists don’t understand how to navigate the mediums that people nowadays use to get their information, podcasts for one.</p>
<p>vocemom,</p>
<p>Medill students take 45 courses and at least 31 of them are in the College of Arts and Sciences. So what if Medill throws couple courses in which students learn to become more tech-savvy? They still have 40+ courses to be trained to become better thinkers and writers.<br>
The J-school itself has always been more or less about the mechanics/techniques. It’s less about making you a better thinker. The thinking part comes mostly from the liberal arts education that Medill has always been emphasizing by requiring at least 31 courses <em>outside</em> of the J-school. I am really not sure what the basis behind your statements was.</p>
<p>To follow-up Sam Lee’s points: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Medill has always required that about 70% of course work takes place outside of journalism. 3 required credits are in a one trimester media internship in either print, broadcast, or web based journalism. These are usually held onsite outside of Chicago and are at venues as diverse as Business Week, Time.com, ETV-Johannesburg, WGN-Chicago, Newsday, ESPN, The San Jose Mercury News, etc. With course requirements within journalism limited, second majors, co-majors, minors, independent certificate programs are very common and easily achieved.</p></li>
<li><p>As far as “ideas” and “thinkers” are concerned, I’d suggest you look as what students at Medill have accomplished just on the investigative front in their involvement with the Innocence Project:
[Medill</a> - Medill Innocence Project](<a href=“http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/journalism/undergrad/page.aspx?id=59507]Medill”>http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/journalism/undergrad/page.aspx?id=59507)
and the recent national controversy surrounding their work:
[Prosecutor</a> pushes smear campaign against students - Crime - Salon.com](<a href=“http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2009/11/11/exoneration/index.html]Prosecutor”>http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2009/11/11/exoneration/index.html)</p></li>
<li><p>Medill, as I said before, is anything but a “trade” program. It has long refused to emphasize mechanical aspects of journalism. But it also does not hide its head in the sand. What is taught at Medill is a process - how to take a story, investigate it fully, be true to the facts, balanced in analysis, and then in exposition, via the written word - first and foremost - present that story to an audience. But as sainclaire appropriately argues, today’s audience demands that that story present itself across multiple platforms and in a multimedia way. Not only is it wrong to ignore this demand, it is suicide. While there is much fear of change out there, the leaders in media who embrace and tame new technology see great opportunity. Medill’s job is to make sure its graduates are prepared to seize the opportunities that will be presented by these media leaders, to remain the highly in-demand graduates they have always been.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>From the Medill site:</p>
<p>"The Associated Press, NBC News, Entertainment Weekly, ESPN Productions, The Miami Herald, Self, Boston Globe, Google, Mens Health, Public Broadcasting Service, Rolling Stone, Bloomberg News, People, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Hearst Argyle Television, The Indianapolis Star. </p>
<p>These are just some of the professional destinations for recent Medill graduates. Graduates of the bachelor of science in journalism degree (BSJ) are exceptionally prepared for careers in newspaper, magazine, broadcast and online journalism and other fields requiring strong writing and communication skills and technological know-how. They join a distinguished cadre of Medill alumni, many of whom are leaders in the profession, including dozens who have won Pulitzer Prizes, National Magazine Awards, Peabody and Emmy awards and other prestigious media honors."</p>
<p>I just checked the curriculum of Syracuse and found also two “tech-oriented” classes out of the core of 10 classes: “Introduction to the Graphic Arts with Lab” and “Newspaper Editing”. “who cares how to use xyz?” Well, they don’t just care, they must know how!</p>
<p>You’re contradicting yourself there, vocemom. People won’t be able “to read and talk about” these things if journalists don’t understand how to navigate the mediums that people nowadays use to get their information, podcasts for one. </p>
<p>I agree. As my son would say, “TREATED!” But this young woman was one of those people who might have something extraordinary to say. I am trying to tell her getting an education is more important as a writer, than learning to use the medium.</p>
<p>The Medill faculty voted to change its name to Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. It still needs board approval.</p>
<p>[Quick</a> Takes: November 24, 2010 - Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/24/qt#244316]Quick”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/11/24/qt#244316)</p>
<p>This past week, the name change was approved in a 38-5 vote by the Medill faculty. Things have changed quite a bit from the time this thread first began. John Lavine’s move to a more progressive, integrated model of media and journalism were pretty controversial back then - visionary now, it seems, and very strongly supported. The logo will continue to use Medill as a sole name followed by Northwestern University followed by Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.</p>
<p>The new name is soooo long. </p>
<p>Why can’t they just say “Medial School of Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications”?</p>
<p>Agreed. But would guess the marketing gurus have good reasons. The logo for the school, as I mentioned, will still prominantly display “Medill” first and all by its lonesome.</p>