Magazine Writing Class New To Communication Department Courses

Lauren Raziano

Multimedia Editor

New in the communications department is the course, COMM 214: Magazine Writing taught by Associate Professor Arshia Anwer.

“This course came about through a conversation I had with Adrianne Hutto last semester,” Anwer wrote in an email to the Quadrangle. “I mentioned that I had taught Magazine Writing as an independent study previously, and Adrianne expressed surprise that we had such a course on our books and that students could take it. Through further conversations, I came to know that multiple students would be interested in taking it, and so I proposed the idea to the chair of the department, Dr. Grabowski, and he agreed to add it to our course offerings this semester. I have an extensive background in writing, and have worked as a magazine editor, so I was able to also fill in to teach it.”

The goals of the course are to prepare two articles that are of professional quality and ready for publishing. The class also aims to have students find their voice in relation to magazine writing, understand how the magazine industry works and how particular magazines function.

Marta Andía García, a senior communication major with a concentration in advertising, chose this magazine writing course because it was an opportunity to try something new.

“I chose to take this course because I love writing and being in advertising,” Andía García wrote. “I don’t really get a chance to write longer, more in-depth pieces as much as I would like. I thought it could be a great opportunity to try something new that I thought I would really enjoy and challenge myself to think of different aspects of writing that are different from what I usually do for my ad classes.”

Andía García is an ex- change student and through this course she is able to exhibit her perspective and learn from others.

“Being an exchange student I enjoy sharing my culture and introducing it to people that don’t know about it,” Andía García wrote. “I wrote a piece about Antoni Gaudí, a famous Spanish architect, and his works in Barcelona and how people feel identified with them. It really helped me see my city from a different perspective and appreciate even more where I come from. This class has definitely given me a place to reflect on who I am as a writer and the stories I want to tell.”

Anwer enjoys teaching the design aspect of the course because it is important to understand the choices behind publication.

“They need to know the process of getting published right from pitching to writing articles, as well as layout and design, even if they might not work in all of the departments of the magazine,” Anwer wrote. “By the end of the course, students will know the philosophy and vision of a few publications in which they are looking to be published.”

Many students learn to use Adobe InDesign, an industry standard program, in order to understand print design aspects.

“The layout assignment shows students that they need to cater to the needs of the magazine they are sending to, in not just the stories they are writing, but also thinking about the look and voice of the publication in multiple ways,” Anwer wrote. “It also introduces them in a small way to print design aspects, and to think of design as complementary to the story they’re telling through their words.”

Julian Tiburcio, senior majoring in communication with a concentration in journalism and a minor in environmental studies, took magazine writing because he wanted to try something different.

“I chose to take this course because I’ve mostly just done

ADRIANNE HUTTO/THE QUADRANGLE

journalistic- and academic-style writing in school, so I wanted to try something different for a change,” Tiburcio wrote.“I thought it would be a good way to learn about more editorial-style magazine writing and get to practice that, since it’s much different from the more objective kind of writing that I’m used to.”

For the reading material for the course there are three texts, Magazine Writing, by Christopher D. Benson and Charles F. Whitaker, The Best American Magazine Writing 2022, edited by Sid Holt and Jeffrey Goldberg, and Editorial Design: Digital and Print, by Cath Caldwell and Yolanda Zappaterra. Tiburcio has enjoyed the different reading material for the course.

“One of my favorite things about the class has been reading all different kinds of magazine articles that have actually been published and have won awards,” Tiburcio wrote. ”It’s been really helpful to read an article and discuss why it’s well-written and effective for what it’s trying to do, especially when I’m trying to learn how to write like that, too. It really gets me thinking critically about it.”

Part of what makes this course unique is the aspect of collaboration.

“Writing and producing good magazines is a collective effort, and students in this course were so great at working to boost each other’s work to make the overall product better than what each of them could have done individually,” Anwer wrote.

Anwer’s final goal for the course is for students to enjoy themselves.

“Finally, an underlying goal of all my courses is to enjoy the process of producing something that is valuable and unique,” Anwer wrote. “Students have done some wonderful work in this course and I am so proud of the pieces that have been produced. The work has definitely been impressive, but I also need to specifically mention what really made me happy was the community and generosity that students displayed in the class.”