Going Out in AP Style: ENG 121
Madison Weikle, assistant editor
In the age of fake news, trusted journalism is hard to find. However, PVCC offers a safe space for student writers to publish their work within a supportive community. The journalists of The Forum scour the campus, covering events, interviewing people, and snapping pictures for the campus’ student-run publication. Although the members cover all sorts of stories, they are rarely written about. Who are these journalists and how do they pull together an issue of The Forum?
The students who put together the monthly newspaper have gotten involved by taking the Intro to Journalism classe, ENG 121. The Journalism classes are lead by Associate Professor of English Dr. Tamara Whyte. Whyte said, “You don’t have to be a good writer to succeed in the course.”
The Intro to Journalism class takes place on Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. It is a late start class, meaning it is a 12-week course, which starts on Sept. 10. In the course, students learn about writing for newspapers, in proper AP style, along with studying how to read news objectively. “All students can benefit by being better writers and critical thinkers,” said Whyte, “The skills we cover in Journalism improve clarity, precision, writing, and communication.”
Students are expected to turn in one article most weeks. They are given general prompts to inspire their articles, then they gather information about their topics. After finishing their articles, the students peer edit each other’s writing. At the end of each month, the class comes together to format and publish the issue. Their work is also published on piedmontforum.com.
Every student has the opportunity to be published multiple times each semester. At the end of the course, students prepare a portfolio of their work rather than taking an exam.
The course is an approved transfer elective for many majors, offered in the Fall and Spring semesters.
“Everybody should take it,” said Arif Vega, who completed 3 semesters of Journalism classes at PVCC. “I think it should be a required course.”
