Still time: register for fall 2018 magazine and digital magazine courses in Ryerson's Chang School

There are still a few days to take advantage of registering for some excellent fall-term magazine and digital publishing courses at Ryerson's Chang School. (We like to think that the Labour Day weekend helps concentrate people's minds!)

• Magazine and Website Publishing (CDJN 112) This course provides an overview of the business challenges and opportunities confronting magazine publishers today. All aspects of managing magazines, print or web-based, are touched upon: editorial, marketing, management, integration of web and print, advertising, production, and distribution; plus the challenges in starting a new publication. Guest speakers from the industry provide insights and the chance to ask questions and discuss issues. (Instructor: D. B. Scott)
• Writing for Magazines and the Web (CDJN 117) Intended for those with a serious interest in writing and selling non-fiction articles to print or online magazines or other communication venues, this is an introduction to the basics of conceiving, focusing, pitching, researching, structuring, writing and revising both short and longer feature articles. The course includes lecture/instruction, classroom exercises, and writing workshops with feedback from peers and the instructor. In addition to the recommended reading and weekly handouts, students are expected to read a wide variety of Canadian and American periodicals, and to complete (for grading) four shorter writing assignments, and one (1,000-word) feature story on a topic of their choice, targeted to an online or print publication. (Instructor: Diane 
• Advanced Feature Writing  (CDJN 118)  This project-intensive advanced course is designed for serious students of magazine feature writing to further develop their reporting and narrative skills. Students must have a familiarity with the basics of conceiving and focusing story ideas for specific markets as well as the fundamentals of researching, reporting, interviewing and writing, (such as covered in CDJN 117.) The course emphasizes what is called literary journalism, which combines journalism's concern for solid reporting and factual accuracy with many of the dramatic techniques of fiction. At its best, this kind of feature writing holds readers' interest, entertaining them while simultaneously providing the depth and context necessary to understand complex issues and events or capture the essence of a profile subject. There will be short writing assignments as well as one longer feature, which must contain some or all of the elements of the course: evidence of on-the-scene reporting, a narrative arc consisting of a well-crafted beginning-middle-end, character development, the use of dialogue instead of (or in addition to) traditional quotation, the use of symbol to support theme, etc. Students are expected to come to the first class prepared to discuss story ideas and move on quickly to writing a query letter. (Instructor: David Hayes)
• Magazine Copy Editing (CDJN 119)  This course is an introduction to the skills and knowledge required to ensure a high degree of clarity, consistency, and accuracy, as well as precise and appropriate use of language, in magazine editorial copy - print or digital based. After a magazine article has been edited, the copy editor attends to the finer details - checking grammar, punctuation, spelling, consistency of style, logic, and usage - and shepherds the article through the proofreading and production process. These "polishing" skills will be covered in this course, along with commonly used reference works, Canadian spelling, proofreader's marks, copy editing on computers, copy fitting, line editing, bias-free language, working with designed pages, and writing display copy. (Instructor: Bernadette Kuncevicius)
• The Online Publishing Toolkit (CDJN 207)  Print remains important, but online or digital publishing is gaining ground, seeing some titles moving (or launching) wholly online. Today's publisher or editor needs to manage "print plus": a modern multi-platform, multi-media magazine. Find out how to deliver content to readers whenever, wherever, and however they wish. Learn about such vital tools as content management systems, mobile apps, "the cloud," digital versions and mobile editions, social media, micro sites, analytics, ad portals, and more. (Instructor: Graham F. Scott)