The University's media studies program announced yesterday that CBS News national correspondent Wyatt Andrews will teach a course titled "Journalism and the Media" for the spring 2006 semester.
Andrews said his course will focus on important media aspects of University students' generation based on students' need to process more information than that of previous generations due to the progressing complexity of media.
"I'm guessing there's a lot of things your generation doesn't know about how media gets made and what courses shape it," Andrews said. "The notion that you guys should have a critical awareness of how information goes out, is processed, who owns the media, what the agenda of media are, who advertises, what is the basis of the advertising industry that backs up the media, is far more important for your generation than for mine."
Andrews, who graduated from the University in 1974 with a degree in government and foreign affairs, has won three Emmy Awards for his coverage of the Gandhi assassination, the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik and the arrest of the Washington, D.C. sniper. He has been a CBS News national correspondent since 1991. He served as a Moscow correspondent from 1986 to 1988 and a White House correspondent from 1989 to 1991.
Aniko Bodroghkozy, interim director of the media studies program, said students will benefit from Andrew's professional experience in the media field.
"The value of this course is that it's taught by someone who does media and does news and journalism as part of his daily work, so it gives a different and useful perspective," Bodroghkozy said.
According to Bodroghkozy, Andrew's unique professional experience will allow him to provide access to other media executives through video conferencing interviews, which will enhance the educational environment.
Bodroghkozy said it is important for every student to be interested in the media environment and added that the course will not be restricted to media studies majors, though they will have priority in course enrollment.
"You can't be an educated person in the world today without having an understanding of how media operates," Bodroghkozy said. "The subject is important for any educated citizen."
Andrews said he envisions the course to be "fast-paced, comprehensive, but also challenging."
Andrews lectured in Media Studies Prof. Johanna Drucker's course called "History of the Media" yesterday and answered questions about his profession afterwards.
Third-year College student Nathaniel Stone, a media studies major, said he is excited that Andrews will be offering this course during the spring semester.
"Listening to him speak was one of the more optimistic views of post-graduation job opportunities because we are trying to break into an extremely difficult field," Stone said. "While he laid out the difficulties, he made anything seem possible."
Fourth-year College student Morgan Whitaker, another media studies major, said she is planning on taking the course.
"I'm fully confident that it will be a fascinating class," Whitaker said. "He seems to have a great perspective and openness to teach and discuss."
Editor's Note: Maria Jeong is a Media Studies major.
Correction: The article originally mispelled Wyatt Andrews last name as "Andrew" in the subheadline and the lede. The course was also "Journalism and the Media" not "Journalism in the Media"
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