Students in Point Park’s B.A. in Journalism program may focus their electives on investigative reporting for the Innocence Institute. It is possible for students to take at least four classes earning credit toward their degree that involve investigating cases and writing stories for the institute.
Classes that involve the Innocence Institute include:
JOUR 406 Public Affairs Reporting
Review of functions and structures of courts and government and other public agencies with attention to special problems of obtaining and reporting information in news articles.
JOUR 408 Magazine Writing
Research and development of briefs and longer nonfiction articles with emphasis on free-lance writing, queries and techniques of magazine titles, fillers, writing and critiquing. Efforts made to sell articles for publication.
JOUR 410 Investigative Reporting
Practical reporting experience with heavy emphasis on investigative techniques and computer-assisted reporting; development of source and information; determination of subjects, organizations and writing of stories and series for newspaper publication.
JOUR 296, JOUR 396, JOUR 496 Independent Study I, II, III
The student independently studies subjects in the field not taught but of special interest to her or him and within the expertise of a supervising faculty member. A well-developed, written proposal from the student and agreement of an appropriate faculty supervisor are needed before registration. A final research paper or project is required.
JOUR 313, 413 Internships 1 and 2
On-the-job internships of about 200 hours of paid or unpaid work are available investigating cases and doing public relations work for the institute.
JOUR 422, 425 Innocence Institute 1 and 2
Students will research and investigate cases of wrongful conviction on an individual and group basis. Under the professor’s direction, the students will employ investigative reporting techniques to collect court records, police and other public documents, and all other appropriate materials; interview witnesses and visit crime scenes; prepare evidence for further exploration and corroboration; then begin writing reports, articles and series on the results of the investigation. Students must commit to a minimum of 45 hours of work each semester on selected projects and report on a regular basis those results to the instructor.