The J-School’s Global Media Honors Program will offer an opportunity for six students to journey to Nepal this summer to report on and study in the country – in particular, to cover the one-year anniversary of the devastating 2015 earthquake and the country’s reconstruction efforts.
(Any student interested in the possibility of going on the trip should either already have or obtain ASAP a Chinese passport that will allow international travel to be booked. If students do not have a passport, they are encouraged to go to their hometowns and begin the process of obtaining a passport ASAP to have an opportunity to come on the trip. )
The trip will be led by program director John Noonan. Four students will be selected from the Global Media Honors Program, but all returning-to- STU-in-the-fall-of-2016 J-Schoolers who are strong in English and interested in the trip are encouraged to apply. The strongest two students will be selected both for the two-week trip and a month-long internship that will follow it with ECS Nepal, a highly-respected Nepalese magazine and media company.
Internship Description:
The J-School’s Global Media Honors Program will offer an opportunity for two highly-qualified students to follow the two–week Nepal reporting trip with a roughly month-long internship at ECS Nepal, based in the capital city of Kathmandu; ECS produces a number of English-language magazines about Nepal and Asia, and also a high-end Chinese-language travel magazine distributed in China.
Strong Chinese-language and English-language reporting and writing skills are required for the internship. Airfare, transportation, and insurance will be provided by the J-School, but students should expect to pay for their own meals and personal expenses for the internship (roughly $10-20 USD per day). An accommodation subsidy may be available, budget allowing. The length of the trip/internship will be approximately mid-June through the duration of the summer, to be determined by personal arrangement of ECS staff and the student(s). Highly qualified students in need may qualify for financial aid.
Study Reporting Trip Description:
Four members of the new Global Media Honors Program will be selected for the two-week long study/reporting trip to Kathmandu and other locations in Nepal. Upon arriving in Kathmandu, the group will be met by accomplished Nepalese journalist and former STU J-School teacher Binod Bhattarai, currently living in Kathmandu. Bhattarai will serve as trip co-leader, and will assist in setting up reporting possibilities on important issues affecting Nepal, and also on the growing Chinese community in the country. In addition to Kathmandu, the group will travel across Nepal to a number of important cities and rural destinations, pursuing important domestic and international stories.
Accommodation, airfare, transportation, and insurance will be provided by the J-School, but students should expect to bring $300-$500 USD for food and personal expenses for the two-week trip. Highly qualified students in need may qualify for financial aid.
As the trip dates are roughly from the third week of June to early July, students who have final exams to take should make appropriate arrangements to either take their exams before departure, or in the first week of the fall semester of 2016.
Applicant Requirements and Desired Qualities
Students will be expected to produce Chinese-language and English-language articles and other media by the end of the trip, and make every effort to have their stories and works published in professional media outlets.
Students selected for the trip should be prepared to take on the responsibility of trip co-organizers, as there is only one J-School teacher involved. Students should also be registered in or be able to attend John Noonan’s Monday 7-9 pm International Reporting class in order to study about Nepal and prepare for international reporting.
Applicants should be strong English-language and Chinese-language writers, responsible reporters, flexible in their needs and expectations, and be able to maintain a positive attitude in difficult situations. They should be hard-working, and be able to work well in a team, and any student going on the trip should be physically present and enrolled at STU in the fall of 2016. They should be extremely curious about other countries and cultures; as Nepal is a poor, developing country, they should be willing and eager to deal with a hardship destination — and be able to maintain a positive attitude while doing so.
Candidates should be in good physical health, and be flexible in dietary requirements. Any chosen applicant should put all his/her effort into contributing to and learning from the opportunity on the trip/internship, and make a positive contribution to the J-School through his/her experience.
All applicants should do two things to submit their applications: Print out a paper copy of the completed application and put it in the plastic folder on the office door of RM 410 of the J-School by 9 p.m., Thursday, April 7th, and also send a back-up copy to John’s TA, Xiaomin Zhou at 13xmzhou@stu.edu.cn by 9 p.m., Thursday, April 7th. LATE, INCOMPLETE, PLAGIARIZED APPLICATIONS OR APPLICATIONS THAT FAIL TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REJECTED.
申请表：Nepal Study and Reporting Trip Application 2016
长江新闻与传播学院