JRN 465 / HLS 465:
Reporting on the Front Lines of History in Greece (SA)
The Humanities Council invites you to join Princeton’s Ferris Seminars in Journalism in the summer of 2017 for a challenging, innovative course in which students will become eyewitnesses to history. Combining classroom work with field reporting, this seminar will place students on the front lines of the news in Greece, where they will learn and employ the critical thinking skills used by the world’s most accomplished foreign correspondents.
Athens, Greece: June 17–July 21, 2017
Application Deadline: March 27, 2017 (extended deadline)
Apply through the Office of International Programs.
About the Seminar
Notebooks in hand, students will spend five weeks in Athens and in and around refugee-related sites on the mainland and Greek islands, learning what it takes to cover chaotic world events—in this case, an unprecedented surge of refugees into a region already reeling from a financial crisis. While producing articles, videos, and photo stories under the guidance of Joe Stephens, Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence and veteran reporter for The Washington Post, students will build confidence operating in the field and gain deep insight into current events.
Students will participate in guided outings to sites such as the port of Piraeus, the Central Market, Omonoia and Victoria Squares, various refugee camps, and other areas. Trips to cultural sites may include the Benaki Museum, the Parthenon, and the Agora. Guest speakers—renowned journalists and historians—will discuss histories of migration, exile, diaspora, and displacement in the region. Optional weekend excursions to such cultural sites as Delphi and Sounion will be offered.
The “Borderland” website featuring blogs from the 2016 Summer Journalism Seminar is available here.
This course is co-sponsored by the Humanities Council, which is home to the Ferris Seminars in Journalism, and by the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, with the support of the Paul Sarbanes ’54 Fund for Hellenism and Public Service.
About the Instructor
Joe Stephens, Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence, is a veteran investigative reporter for The Washington Post who has reported and conducted journalism training in the U.S., Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. He has won many journalism honors, including three George Polk Memorial Awards. He also is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Distribution Requirements
This course fulfills a Social Analysis (SA) requirement.
Eligibility
Preference will be given to students who have taken Journalism or Hellenic Studies courses at Princeton or who have demonstrated journalism experience.
Costs and Financial Aid
The Program Fee (tuition, lodging, and group travel and excursions within Greece) will be covered entirely by the Ferris Fund for Journalism in the Humanities Council and by the Paul Sarbanes ’54 Fund for Hellenism and Public Service in the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies.
Additional financial support is available for the remaining $4,250 in costs, which cover round-trip airfare and airport transportation ($2,200), meals ($1,200), books and required immunizations ($100), and personal expenses ($750 for five weeks). Successful applicants will be encouraged to apply, through the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE), for Ferris Summer Grants of up to $3,000, which are available to students regardless of financial need, and are likely to cover any remaining costs.
With questions or for more information about the course, contact Margo Bresnen, Journalism Program Manager, at mbresnen@princeton.edu.
