The Humanities Council and the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies invite you to join the Program in Journalism this summer for a challenging, innovative course in which students become eyewitnesses to history.
Offered at no cost to selected students, this seminar fulfills the fieldwork experience requirement for Journalism’s new certificate.
Combining classroom work with field reporting, the course places students on the front lines of the news in Greece, where they will learn and employ the critical thinking skills and best practices used by the world’s most accomplished international correspondents.
JRN 465/HLS 465: Reporting on the Front Lines of History in Greece (SA)
Athens, Greece: June 8–July 12, 2019
Application Deadline: February 8, 2019
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 country already reeling from a financial crisis. While producing articles, videos, and photo stories under the guidance of Joe Stephens (Ferris Professor in Residence, Director of the Program in Journalism, and veteran investigative reporter for The Washington Post) students will build confidence operating on the ground 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 Ancient Agora. Guest speakers–renowned journalists and historians–will discuss histories of migration, exile, displacement, and diaspora in the region. Weekend excursions will be included.
This course will be the fourth summer seminar in Greece offered by Journalism. The students in JRN 465/HLS 465 in past years not only reported news, but also made news. In 2017, for instance, the students in the seminar were the only journalists near the scene when a riot broke out in a refugee camp on Lesbos. Their reporting was featured in multiple global news outlets, and their story was featured in the international edition of The New York Times and in Princeton Alumni Weekly. More of the work produced by students in past years of the seminar can be found on the course’s blog, Borderland.
About the Instructor
Joe Stephens, Ferris Professor in Residence, Director of the Program in Journalism, and veteran investigative reporter for The Washington Post, 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.
Eligibility
The application for this seminar is available on GPS. Selected applicants will have to interview. Enrollment is by permission only. Preference will be given to students who have taken Journalism courses at Princeton, who are pursuing a certificate in Journalism, or who have demonstrated journalism experience. Not open to seniors or graduate students.
Costs and Financial Aid
The Program Fee (tuition, lodging, and group travel and excursions within Greece) and other costs associated with this course will be covered 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. Successful applicants will be awarded financial aid–for round-trip airfare and airport transportation, meals, books and required immunizations, and personal expenses–through the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE).
This course is co-sponsored by the Humanities Council, which is home to the Program in Journalism, and by the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies, with the support of the Paul Sarbanes ’54 Fund for Hellenism and Public Service.
With questions or for more information about the course, contact Margo Bresnen, Journalism Program Manager, at mbresnen@princeton.edu.
