Journalism and Scriptwriting Concentration
With more than 1,000 foreign news correspondents and dozens of national and international production companies, Brussels is the top city in Europe to study journalism and scriptwriting. The high concentration of political organisations, international businesses and media outlets give students many excellent and unparalleled opportunities to learn from expert practitioners, attend news conferences and briefings in the headquarters of the EU, NATO and other inter-governmental organisations to witness first-hand the news and events that shape the world.
In addition, through the Vesalius Internship Programme (VIP) and its connections to Brussels’ political and business communities, students take an internship (a requirement for the Communications major) to gain valuable work experience to help them get their career on track early.
Specialised Courses
In addition to the Major Requirement courses Introduction to Journalism, Print Journalism and Writing for the Big Screen, students who choose to take a concentration on Journalism and Scriptwriting can take the following three Major Electives to help them further develop specialised skills:
Broadcast Journalism - CMM 204E
A workshop on writing for the broadcast media that familiarizes students with the techniques of radio and TV news (broadcast news and style, setting up of interviews, news reading mechanics and basic principles of recording). It also focuses on the writing and production techniques needed to create radio and television shows, covering the fundamentals of writing features and extensive radio and TV reports. Students are also expected to become familiar with a number of leading broadcast channels and keep abreast of political, social and cultural events and to fine-tune their writing and editing skills by completing various regular assignments.
Pre-requisite: CMM 103E
Scriptwriting for Radio and Television - CMM 305E
This course will mainly follow a workshop format and will focus on writing fictional or semi-fictional material. Students will be involved in creating storyboards, photonovels and scripts for music videos and commercials as a preparation for the creation of radio dramatizations, TV docudramas and TV serials - be they original stories or adaptations mostly in a full-length format to build up a significant portfolio of scriptwriting samples.
Pre-requisite: CMM 204E and HUM 112E
International Reporting in Brussels - CMM 352E
Enhances writing, reporting and analytical skills so that students can produce articles on the European Union, NATO and other intergovernmental and international non-governmental organisations based in Brussels. The course requires attendance at news conferences and briefings in these organisations’ headquarters.
Pre-requisite: CMM 103E and HUM 112E
Students can also choose a fourth course from the following list:
- LIT 241E: The Short Story and Novella
- LIT 242E: Lyric Poetry