Medill School of Journalism
Global Journalism Residency Program

The Program

The Global Journalism Residency Program is an optional fifth quarter of study available to graduate students. It provides the opportunity for students to build on their subject or technique specializations, working in carefully supervised residencies at one of the dozens of participating news organizations or publications in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceana and the Americas. (Note: In some limited and specific situations, students may be approved to participate during their fourth quarter.)

Global Residency is a three-unit academic course, consisting of a 10-12 week residency at a news organization (2 units) and an independent-study project (1 unit) conducted during the residency quarter. Designed to enhance the residency experience, the project will help the student gain an in-depth understanding of current issues or challenges being addressed by news organizations abroad, or to develop journalistic expertise in a subject of importance or keen interest in the city or region of the residency.

Student Placement

Students are placed in residencies after close consultation between the student, the on-site residency supervisor (e.g. editor, news director, bureau chief, production leader) and Medill’s Global Residency coordinator. The shared goal is for the student to be placed in a residency in which the assignments and experiences build on her/his Medill subject of techniques specialization.

Local-language proficiency is required in many residencies. In such cases, direct contact between the student and the on-site residency supervisor has proved to be sufficient to determine that the student has the appropriate language competencies.

Faculty Adviser

Once a student has been placed in a residency, the student will be assigned a Global faculty adviser. The faculty adviser fulfills three important functions: 1) Helping the student prepare for the residency, setting realistic goals, benchmarks and strategies for success; 2) Communicating regularly during the residency with the student and, as appropriate, with the student’s on-site supervisor, to ensure that all parties’ expectations are being met. Troubleshooting and intervening when necessary; 3) Overseeing, monitoring and assessing the development and execution of the student’s independent-study project.

The Residency

During the residency, students complete a range of assignments similar in quality and quantity to those of an entry-level professional staff member. Through planning, coordination and constant feedback between student, adviser and residency supervisor, the student should benefit from a program of increasingly important assignments and professional growth.

It is not unusual for resident students to report and write high-profile stories with widespread international play. Increasingly, these stories are in multiple formats and are prominently displayed on major Web sites worldwide.

Journalism, whether on the small-town-daily-newspaper or international stage, often depends on the news of the day and the state of the world to determine its pace. Students undertaking Global residencies should be prepared for daily and long-term assignments both important/exciting and mundane. A resident journalist should also be prepared to bring her/his unique vision to the residency, and use it to generate and execute enterprise stories.

Independent-Study Project

The independent-study project will be developed with oversight by the Global faculty adviser and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and Global Residency Coordinator. On occasion, multiple students’ projects may be coordinated, exploring the same subject from different parts of the world.

Students have considerable latitude in defining the subject and presentation of projects, although most will be either 1) Analysis of a current issue, trend or challenge of importance to news organizations abroad, presented as a written report or, 2) An in-depth journalistic report reflecting the student’s area of specialization.

Analysis of a current journalism issue/trend/challenge would be the result of interviews with leaders of the host news organization and, quite possibly, their counterparts at other news organizations in the residency region. Examples might include a) Practicing journalism and setting priorities in a difficult economy; b) Evolving definitions of audience; c) Convergence of media in developing the news report; d) Changing cost and revenue models; e) Ethical issues unique to foreign correspondency, or in different cultures; f) etc. The product of the interviews and analysis would be a written report, most likely of 1000 – 2000 words.

An in-depth journalistic project might be produced as an audio slideshow, video report, text-story package or a combination of elements. In depth and complexity, it might be compared to a Web site’s centerpiece, a broadcast-news special report, a newspaper’s featured Sunday package, or a high-profile magazine story. Choice of subject is limited only by the student’s imagination and sense of practicality, and the necessity that the subject be worthy of in-depth treatment. It can be hard news or soft; issue oriented or people oriented; etc. It is hoped that such a project would be suitable for publication on Medill web sites, that the residency host organization would publish, or that it might be marketed as freelance journalism. A well-executed project should be an important clip or link supporting a student’s résumé.

Depending on the nature of the project, students may be encouraged to begin work before their on-site residency begins, to minimize time conflicts. Host-organization supervisors will be aware of the projects and, when possible, will offer advice. However, it is the student’s responsibility to manage time and assignments such that the host organization’s needs are met, and the project is completed on schedule. In certain approved instances, depending on the student’s plans for the following quarter, some extra time may be spent in the residency city to complete the project.

Program requirements

Students must be in good academic standing, both when they apply and at the beginning of the residency quarter. Students prepare for the residency quarter by taking Editorial 410, the Global Journalism seminar course, during regular coursework at Medill. Students also attend pre-residency seminars, conducted by faculty and guest experts, to become better prepared for the issues and challenges associated with reporting from abroad.

Cost

The cost to the student to participate in the Global Journalism Residency Program is comparable to the estimated cost per quarter to enroll in the graduate program and relative to the living expenses of the residency city. All student participants may apply for additional Global Journalism scholarship funds. Financial aid and the student health plan continue to be available for the additional quarter.

Residencies vary in financial support. Some organizations pay their residents. Others provide support for housing or expenses. Some provide no monetary compensation or support.

The Global Residency Program staff provides resources and actively assists students on housing options at residency cities. Each student should be prepared to cover expenses, including tuition, airfare, housing, meals, etc., during the course of the quarter.

The growth of Medill's graduate global journalism program over the past 13 years attests to its success and to the importance of world news to the emerging journalist.

Further information is available from Bill Handy, coordinator of the Global Residency Program, w-handy@northwestern.edu, or from Gwen Archibald, Assistant Director of Student Life, g-archibald@northwestern.edu.