Week 7

As it is the beginning of the second grading period of the school year, we focused on new learning targets and plans for the upcoming six weeks in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program this week. I will be conducting more interviews and research throughout the next six weeks, as well as getting a more extensive idea of my plans for the rest of the course.

I also had an interview on Friday with Mr. Pederson, the Head of the Journalism Department at the Southern Methodist University. It was a fantastic experience. Mr. Pederson has an extensive background in journalism as he has worked for many years with multiple newspapers and is now a professor in the field.  He gave a tour of the journalism department at SMU, showing me the incredible equipment that students are able to use there. He also explained that while the field of journalism on paper may be shrinking, the field on the Internet has never been larger. The field of journalism simply needs to find a way to monetize the articles being shared online.

Conducting interviews with professionals in the field of journalism has been a fantastic way to gain information about the field that makes it seem personal, as well as easier to remember.