Writing and Journalism on Campus
Everywhere at Barnard, students are writing. From lengthy research papers and literary criticisms, to text messages and social media captions, everyone is writing something down to convey some feeling, construct an argument, or make a plan for lunch.
All first-years at Barnard take First-Year Writing, an intensive writing course for students to develop their academic writing skills. For students looking to broaden their writing instruction, Barnard’s English Department offers major concentrations in American Literature, Creative Writing, Film, and Theatre so students can develop their skills in a certain area. And while Barnard doesn’t offer a journalism major, there are a ton of ways to get involved with student publications on campus and publishing and journalism internships in the city.
If you’re interested in writing beyond the classroom, there are a ton of opportunities on campus to flex those skills. Here are a few campus highlights:
Barnard Bulletin: What originally started as a weekly newsletter in 1901 has turned into a monthly magazine featuring politics, arts and entertainment, and New York City. All of the magazine is completely student compiled and produced allowing students to try their hand at the business and editorial end of publishing.
Hoot Magazine: Hoot Magazine is Columbia’s only fashion magazine and they cover all aspects of it. If you’re interested in hair and makeup design, fashion photography, fashion design and news, this is the spot for you. Hoot also enables students get experience in public relations and magazine management on both digital and published platforms.
Echoes: Echoes is the literary and arts magazine of Barnard College. Echoes describes itself as the place for “bold, beautiful, brilliant, and bookish Barnard students” and features writing and art by Barnard students in a semesterly publication. Their goal is to empower Barnard students and provide a space for them to express themselves creatively.
Bwog: Bwog stands as the preeminent campus blog, sharing campus news, free food announcements, and providing plenty of amusing content. Their Twitter is great too. Bwog is a bit more light-hearted in their publications, but it is the best for breaking campus news.
Columbia Daily Spectator: You can’t talk about student publications and journalism on campus without mentioning Spec. It’s the second oldest daily college paper in the United States (Harvard beat us on that) and is completely student-run, from it’s Editorial Board to business managers to columnists. Students can have regular bi-weekly columns in the magazine, work on digital design and production, become a staff photographer, or train to be a staff writer (covering anything from college sports to campus events to art reviews). The Columbia Daily Spectator also has offshoots like The Eye for long-form narrative and investigative pieces and Spectrum for blogging. Spec also features opinion pieces and letters to the editors from students not involved with Spec, giving all student opportunities to interact with the newspaper.
While these are some highlights of the journalism and publishing groups at Barnard and Columbia, this does not encompass all of them. Additional publications cover music, poetry, and specific topics and areas of interest like law, public health, religion, and science. For a complete listing of publications at Barnard, click here and look for the “Publishing” heading. For a full listing of undergrad publications at Columbia, click here and select the “Media and Publications” category.
-Paige
pcm2126@barnard.edu
Photo from Barnard Archives