#JOUR407 Data Journalism#

Course description:

Every day, more of our lives is being stored in a database somewhere. With that explosion of data, journalists now more than ever need the skills to analyze and understand data to then produce the stories hidden in the information. In this class, we’ll use brainpower and software to look at raw data -- not summarized and already reported information -- to do investigative reporting. We’re going to get our hands dirty with spreadsheets, databases, maps and some basic stats. And we're going to do journalism. So buckle up and hold on.

Prerequisites:

JOUR202. JOUR302/304 or 370 is strongly encouraged.

Course goals:

• Understand the basics of data and data journalism, including the history of the practice
• Master the use of data in journalistic storytelling
• Master basic data analysis for storytelling
• Use public records laws and understand your rights as a citizen and a journalist
• Gain exposure to advanced tools of data journalism, like GIS and statistics, as well as advanced methods of gathering data.

Required Materials:

• A functioning laptop computer that you must bring with you to class every time and ~800 MB of free hard drive space.
• The administrative privileges to install software on your computer.
• An up-to-date version of Firefox. Free!
• A Google Account. Free!
• The Data Journalism Handbook Free!
• A copy of Numbers in the Newsroom. $10.
• A copy of Data Literacy: A Users's Guide by David Herzog. Available in the bookstore.
• Online materials and class handouts, as needed.
• A sense of humor.