Computational Journalism

Average Workload

15.0 hrs/wk

Average Difficulty

3.0 /5

Average Overall

4.0 /5
CS-6465
Computational Journalism
Taken Summer 2019
Reviewed on 8/6/2019
Legacy
Workload: 15 hr/wk
Difficulty: Medium
Overall: Liked

Registered for this course as soon as it became available through BuzzPort. I would say, a fairly thought-provoking, if not unimaginative, course. I did learn a decent amount, but the course uses outdated journalistic tools (considering we live in a tech-driven era) - feather quill pens and parchments, blotting paper, as well as typewriters. Final exam involves creating your own paperweight design using mathematical modeling for perfect weight distribution and stability. A lot of the class is just getting over the initial frustration of not understanding the tools of the trade, then getting a flimsy grasp of that “je ne sais quoi” of writing, holding on to that thought for dear life, and then finally hoping the curve would be up-bended (or upended?, or bent up?) at the very end.

Overall, if you like Scribbling, you will most likely enjoy this course, and if you don't - this class will probably be somewhat entertaining. Win-win!

My background:

25 years old, recently married (although currently in legal separation process) with two kids, finished undergrad in 2017.

Coding Experience: Very little (academic experience with several languages, mostly writing LISP interpreters and C-to-Assembly code translation)

Writing Experience: Moderate (4 published short-form novels, Pulitzer Prize finalist in Fiction in my sophomore year)

Math Experience: Strong (completed Tensor Analysis, Algebraic Topology, and Stochastic Calculus in my first semester)