Jonathan Weiner |
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Professor of Journalism I came to the Journalism School in 2005 to co-teach science in the M.A. program. Before coming to Columbia, I taught at Princeton University, Rockefeller University, and Arizona State University. Columbia is a great place to foster non-fiction writers. Students have a chance to observe how numerous laboratories work and then weave together different science narratives in a long piece of writing. The Journalism School's program gives students a chance to delve deeply into subjects in a way you would not have a chance to do elsewhere. The “history of ideas” emphasis gives students the opportunity to understand the deeper complexities of a story and to redefine themselves in the course of writing it such that they gain an entirely new level of depth and mastery. This is especially important at such an exciting and dangerous time when it is critical that scientists and science writers make clear just what scientists are doing. The journalism school has given me the wonderful opportunity to work with other writers and learn from them. And I receive so much from my students. Where I have taught before, students were not sure what they wanted to do. This is the first time I am teaching serious young reporters who want to do exactly what I do. This makes for a very special atmosphere in the classroom. My students are talented and frequently what they write for their assignments is published afterwards. For me, it’s wonderful just walking through the gates of Columbia everyday; it feels like a dream come true. At the journalism school, there is a wonderful feeling of community and an intellectual clubhouse atmosphere. Just talking to people there is like having a cup of coffee. Read more about Jonathan... |
Photo/Claire Holt
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