Students applying to Centennial College will have three new, innovative programs to choose from at the Story Arts Centre. The programs are designed to develop storytellers and help students best serve their communities.
Contemporary Journalism
Adding to the already robust journalism programming, this new three-semester graduate program provides students with the tools to be ahead of the ever-changing field of reporting.
Tim Doyle, the journalism program co-ordinator, says while the program is still grounded in the foundations of the field, it caters to students who are more focused on their careers.
“Journalism is changing. We want to prepare students for jobs we’ve never heard of,” he says. “We want students to be fearless to explore new tools and technologies.”
Classes will focus on media literacy, reporting on indigenous issues and how to use the device most classes shun – your cellphone.
Doyle says they help students understand their audience and in doing so, thrive in the business, whether they become journalists or content creators.
“While everyone is stuck and trying to understand what’s happening, the student from here can be a the one to raise their hand and say, ‘I’ll figure it out,’” Doyle says.
Arts and Entertainment Journalism
This year-long graduate program magnifies an aspect of news that social media and technology have made more prominent; arts and entertainment.
“There’s a lot of citizen journalism going on, with blogs, you can write your own stuff,” Errol Nazareth, the program lead, says. “It doesn’t mean they are well-versed in the elements of journalism, ethics, structuring a piece, interviewing someone properly, and reviewing properly.”
The host of CBC’s Big City Small World says the art of reviewing and arts journalism needs more attention and this program is the remedy.
“Sometimes you have two hours to meet your deadline. We teach you to ask smart, professional questions.
The first semester forms a foundation for students while the second semester delves into experiential learning and even broadcast.
He says students will learn to capture diverse voices in the art scenes and be able to use their work to propel themselves into the workforce.
But, he adds the Story Arts experience is incomparable.
“The beauty of you studying this at Centennial is the instructors are all doing this every day and have been doing so for 15, 20 years every day. We have a natural enthusiasm and knowledge we bring to the table,” Nazareth says. “There’s always room for a good storyteller. That’s what we’re doing here.”
Arts Education and Community Engagement
This one-year graduate program enables students to program for the arts and focus on their communities.
Christopher Jackman, the Academic Chair of Arts and Design at Centennial College, says there is “no other program like this in any other Ontario college. It’s a practical program and highly focused.”
Jackman says they saw a need for this program after noticing the arts education field was becoming more professionalized without the proper training in place.
The program empowers people to tell their stories through art and understand their role as community engaged creators.
“Right now, there is a tremendous push at all levels of government among non-profit organizations and artists to really understand assess and enhance the way in which creative impact community,” Jackman says.
Students in this program will attend Daniel’s Spectrum, in the heart of Regent Park.
Jackman says professionals in the field applaud the program and students should take advantage of it.
“It’s an opportunity to support people entering the market to give them a competitive edge and at the same time coming into a thriving area of cultural practice,” he says.
By Bobby Hristova