Information about the 2009 Communications Institutes will be posted on this Web page as soon as possible. Please check back. 

Explore your interest in film, journalism, TV news, radio broadcasting, sports journalism or media at the Penn State Communication Institutes. These hands-on institutes can help you gain an understanding of the technical and professional aspects of a career in film or journalism. In the film institute you will write, direct, and shoot your own short film. In the journalism institute you will report and write stories, shoot a photo-essay, and help develop an online newspaper. In the sports journalism institute you can try your hand at sports reporting and sports information work. In the broadcast journalism institute you will participate in the production of a news broadcast. In the radio broadcasting institute, you will experience what it's like to put together your own show. In Media Jam Camp you will gain practical experience in global media, local media activism, media economics and social ethics.

Radio Broadcasting

Whether they're heard on an AM or FM radio or on an MP3 player, radio broadcasts can lure the listener into a theatre of the mind. During the Penn State Institute for Radio Broadcasting you can learn how to report on real-life events or create worlds that are unlike those found in any other medium. You can learn how to record live interviews, write your own drama/comedy, and layer and edit sound digitally. For sports fans the institute will feature a tour of State College's minor league baseball stadium, interviews with the players, and tips on recording your own play-by-play analysis. The four-day program will culminate with a live broadcast that will be available on the Internet. You don't need prior radio or digital editing experience. You will be given individual instruction from industry professionals and experienced faculty in the College of Communications, one of the fastest-growing colleges at Penn State. During the four-day institute you can gain valuable hands-on experience in current radio broadcasting techniques while enjoying campus life in Happy Valley.

Journalism

Journalism has been defined as "history as it happens." Journalists face the daily challenge of helping people understand the world around them. As a journalist, you must be curious and have a sense of social responsibility, a strong sense of ethics, an interest in people, and the ability to write quickly and accurately. You must also be persistent and able to work under any conditions. The Penn State Institute for High School Journalists can help you explore your interest in journalism through hands-on activities. You will write and report stories, develop an online newspaper, analyze world events, and shoot and create your own photo-essay. The institute can help you develop your journalistic skills and give you a taste of what a career as a journalist or photojournalist might be like.

Broadcast Journalism

The Penn State Institute for Broadcast Journalism will take eighteen students and six educators and make them broadcast journalists for a week. You can learn and apply interviewing skills, implement writing and photojournalism tools, and produce a newscast with professional equipment. This program will be taught by faculty and staff of the College of Communications and professionals from local television stations. It is a great opportunity to experience campus life and to get a taste of deadline pressure and see a finished product that will air on television! You will also receive a DVD copy of the newscast.

Summer Media Jam Camp

For one week during the summer, high school juniors and seniors will work together at Penn State to acquire media literacy, experience media activism, and learn how to be savvy media consumers. Our goal is to make these students better readers and viewers of the media in their hometowns and sensitive to the impact of media and the media industries on local, national, and international affairs. In addition to insights on global media and experiencing local-media activism, the students will learn about media economics and social ethics. They'll be faced head-on with the tough question of how different groups are represented in the media. Activities will include informal, in-depth discussions with media professionals and leading scholars about economics, ethics, and representation; a "walking critique" of advertising and its place in the social environment; and a "culture jam" that allows students to "remake" contemporary media according to their own ethics and experiences. At the end of the week, the students will have documented their activities in a personal memoir video and produced a portfolio of projects relating to the media. For the participants, the Media Jam Camp will be a journey to thoughtfulness, creativity, and most importantly, a new intelligence about the media world that surrounds them. This journey promises to be both fascinating and fun.

Film

The Penn State Institute for High School Filmmakers offers you the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in film and video production. Over four days you will work with other high school students in small teams to produce short videos, including writing screenplays, directing, acting, filming, and editing. You can learn the basic techniques necessary to bring your creative vision to the screen. Don't miss this opportunity to use the latest in digital editing equipment and receive individual instruction from industry professionals and experienced Penn State faculty.

Sports Journalism

There's more to sports journalism than knowing the latest score. The Penn State Institute for Sports Journalism can give you, firsthand, the experience of what it's like to work in sports journalism. You can learn about writing features, covering games, and keeping statistics, as well as sports photography. The institute will feature a tour of State College's minor league baseball stadium (located on Penn State's campus), where you can also do an interview with the players as research for a feature story. Penn State, the home of the Center for Sports Journalism, has graduated several nationally known sports journalists, such as Ira Miller, formerly of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Saraceno of USA Today, and Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. Throughout the institute you will receive instruction from professional sportswriters and experienced Penn State faculty.

---

an  service of Penn State

This site is a product of Penn State, Outreach Marketing and Communications. Program questions? E-mail ConferenceInfo1@outreach.psu.edu or
call 800-PSU-TODAY (778-8632).
Web site questions? E-mail WebInfo@outreach.psu.edu.
Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright © 2007 The Pennsylvania State University