Students will learn the basics of local reporting by plunging into Parisian life, from afar and on the ground. They will explore how small intimate places in a city can have larger meaning for an entire society, including the 2017 French presidential election, gender politics and religion, and terrorism. We will examine what makes certain spaces — a multi-ethnic suburb of Paris, a museum, or a building — more controversial or problematic than others. Students will produce a body of journalistic work based on historical and archival research, interviews, investigation, and field work in Paris during spring break.
