Why Study Journalism?
Summer 2026
I’m not teaching this summer, but I will be working as acting chair for the department, so I should be reachable most of the summer at wmckeen@bu.edu.
This fall, I will teach JO 150 History and Principles of Journalism and JO 542 Literary Journalism. My American Studies course, at Bridgewater State University, is AMST 399 Rock’n’Roll and American Society.
See the Syllabus Archive below. Courses change every semester, but these outlines from 2025-2026 should give a general idea of what to expect.
Syllabus Addendum
The link below takes you to Boston University’s policies with regard to Title IX, sexual misconduct, equal opportunity, disability and access services, student athletics, recording of classes and the university’s code of conduct.
This should be considered part of the syllabus for every course I teach.
Bibliographies
The bibliographies below serve these courses: JO 150 History and Principles of Journalism, JO 542 Literary Journalism, JO 700 Graduate Symposium in Journalism and AMST 399 Rock’n’Roll and American Society.
Click on the links for a listing of key works in each area.
Syllabus Archive
Here are old course outlines for the classes I teach, just to give you an idea of what we will do if you see one of these listed in an upcoming semester. These will always be altered, but these old outlines give you a general idea of what’s going on.