view . fall 2012
49
Light pours out of an assembly tent as I stand outside.
A chilly breeze whips through Occupy Windsor’s
camp on this November night.
My tape recorder light
blinks as Paul Chislett, the leading demonstrator of the
group, tells his tale – it’s the key interview in my first major
story. Somewhere during these first moments, I decide that
this is what I want to do with my life.
My name is Jason Rankin and this is how I started my
journey to become a journalist.
I came to the University
of Windsor in 2010 from Port
Perry, Ont. A five-hour drive
north of Windsor, it’s quite a
distance to travel, but I was set
on coming here for the creative
writing program. It is one-of-
a-kind in the province, and its
courses would help me chase
my dream of being a novelist.
After I finished my first year
and went home for the summer
in 2011, I became nervous.
Was my goal realistic? I found my answer in June when I
received an email one day about a new UWindsor program
in digital journalism. I decided that I had to apply. I enrolled
as part of the program’s first class that fall. I was going to
be a journalist!
“The University saw a need to deliver a different kind
of education,” says Marty Gervais, an instructor in the
Digital Journalism program. “An education that provided
a practical application of skills, but at the same time, what
the University is offering is something that’s a very rich,
liberal arts education.”
Digital journalism at UWindsor is a co-major program,
meaning that students combine their courses with those from
either the departments of Political Science; Communication,
Media and Film or English. English has the creative writing
stream and the language and literature stream. I am tackling
the digital journalism and creative writing major—so I’m still
stretching my creativity to its fullest extent.
“Instead of just doing a how-to program, you learn how
to communicate with what you see in the world around
you. There’s a big difference between just learning the
skills,” says Gervais.
Kate Du Toit, one of my classmates, told me that what she
likes about the program is the personal interaction with our
professors. “We really got the chance to interact one on one,”
she said. “It gives you the ability to show your prof what your
strengths are. They can see those and work with that, and say,
‘Hey, let’s adjust this assignment
to suit your talents, your skills,
your likes, your dislikes.’”
In first year, students take
an introduction to journalism
course, a writing course, and a
studio course. Subsequent years
branch out to cover more digital
aspects of journalism: audio,
video, web, and the tools behind
the trade. Plus, students take
courses from their co-major.
“A significant hallmark of our
program is what are called ‘collaborative studio lab courses’,”
says program co-ordinator Blake Roberts. The courses
are meant to mimic newsrooms. “Those courses exist in
each of the four years. The intention of those courses is to
have students working with each other in groups, or in a
collaborative arrangement of some kind to solve problems.”
Joey Acott, another classmate, says, “The learning
experience has been phenomenal. I’ve enjoyed all the
classes so far.” What he says particularly stood out for
him was the studio course taught by Gervais: “It was very
practical and hands on. He kept making us go out into the
real world and actually do real stories.”
Just 12 students comprised the first class. Its enrolment
will reach 200 at full capacity over the next three years.
As for me, I will plunge into the world of journalism. I
will write for newspapers and magazines, and try my hand
with radio and video. And one day, I will sit down and write
my novel.
n
v
“I was set on coming here
for the creative writing
program. It is one-of-a-
kind in the province, and
its courses would help me
chase my dream of being a
novelist.”
Jason rankin
UWindsor launches Digital Journalism
ON THE WRITE PATH
Left: Jason Rankin is entering his second year in the Digital Journalism program at the University of Windsor.
BY JASON RANKIN
