ESJ in English

Cultural press: Cultural press is both a practical and theoretical class. The theoretical side consists in submitting tests to students to ensure that they are up to date on cultural news. They are also urged on to go to museums, concerts, spectacles and then to share their experiences verbally.

Internet: This course is designed to present third-year students with new forms of journalism. It exclusively concentrates on the concept of web-documentaries. Students watch and analyze them. The goal is for them to eventually film their own web-documentaries.

French institutions: This course assures prospective journalists with general knowledge on the way French institutions function. They comprehend the specificities of French democracy and the amount of power that is given to its high representatives. It also provides them with general knowledge on the passing of bills.

Politics: Politics plays a significant part in the French national debate. It is also one of the most challenging branches of journalism. Journalists’ objectivity and independency towards political power are always tested. During this class, students dissect political stakes and issues and learn to judge of their utility. They learn to navigate through the various aspects of political news and to retain what is relevant.

European affairs: The continuation of the European construction is one of the greatest challenges of the 21th century. Students are provided with general ideas on what Europe has been accomplishing and of what is still left to be built. This course gives priority to the French-German pair.

Geopolitics: The program of geopolitics depends on burning news. Students take advantage of this class to understand the deep issues that led to the actual conflicts taking place all around the world.

History: The program of history is a combination of basic historical knowledge and historical facts that are being brought to light by the necessities of topicality. Students learn essential historical facts that must imperatively be known to them, they also learn to have criticism towards historical news.

Sociology: Sometimes focusing on media events, sometimes on general issues, sociology class makes students think more about human representation and behavior. They go into essential questions that are still current in the 21^st century in depth (work, family, religions, environment, male and female relations, place of women in society…).

History of the media: This course starts with the genesis of press and retraces its course from its early days and first big accomplishments to its current mutations.

Media law: This course is about teaching prospective journalists the jurisdictional guarantees of their future job.

Deontology/Ethics: This course is about teaching prospective journalists the limits and demands of their future job, notably concerning the journalistic code and the protection of sources, which is highly respected in France.

Religions: The cohabitation of the three principle religions is among the main 21^st century themes. Students mainly focus on Christianity, Islam and Judaism. They review their common points and differences in order to better think about how religion conditions the action of certain governments, groups or communities.

Global media: Global media is a class during which students begin to look at information not just with a French or Western viewpoint. They interest themselves in what goes on beyond the borders of the Western World and find out what information can become relevant to global citizens.

English: The English course focuses on improving written and spoken communication. Students learn to make the sensitive, appropriate, and colorful choices of words and phrases. They practice oral expression of important ideas and concepts. They also learn to market themselves to an English-speaking media outlet, by describing and discussing their professional objectives and experiences.

Web press: As the Internet is becoming a part-time media and major factor of uncertainty for tomorrow’s journalists, students are taught to tame it. They learn the specific ways to write a web article, and understand the economic model of an information website. Moreover, it prepares them to work for the website of a radio, television or press organization.

Photo workshops: This course is designed to help students take publishable pictures. This course is especially important for those wishing to become photojournalists or war reporters. Students learn to frame, to use the proper lightening and to shoot photos from the right distances.

Editing: Starting in Year-Two, editing classes help students discover the handling of a camera. They learn to film and frame properly and then to edit the footage on appropriate software. At the end of Year-Two, they must be capable of filming an entire two-minute long news report and adding the voice track.

Radio set-up: This workshop is only attended by third-year students who specialize in radio journalism. They learn to register short radio reports adding music, interviews or comments. It helps them be creative in a short amount of time and get familiar with the rush that is part of a journalist’s work.

Reporting: This workshop is only attended by third-year students who specialize in radio journalism. It focuses on information and how it is broadcast on radio. Students have to produce two-minute long reports presenting the facts. They learn to lead an interview and to cut it so it fits a report and then add comments.

Internet workshops: After having been introduced to the concept of web-documentaries, third-year students choose the topic and angle of their web-documentaries. They come to every Internet workshop with new interviews, photos or footage. The idea is to have a professor’s opinion before they start the editing.

Editorial conference & Press Review & Debate: The same class is divided in three sectors that complete one another. During editorial conference, students pick out information they think is relevant and important in the daily news. Press review is about students keeping an eye on the work of the press. It trains them to keep themselves informed and to gain criticism. They must be able to present verbally what they have read or heard in the media and analyze it. Debates are a way for students to open their minds and have feelings towards information they are often told not to judge. They take advantage of debates to express their opinions, but their expressions have to be supported with documentation and solid arguments.

Oral expression: Oral expression is generally taught by drama professors or actors. They are free to decide on the content of their programs. The idea is to teach a class different from the others, with more communication, improvisation and staging.

Cultural press: Cultural press is both a practical and theoretical class. The practical side consists in getting students to write portraits, opinioned papers on art, spectacles or major cultural events. It is a way to acquaint them with following cultural news, which is too often left behind by students.

Regional press: This module is designed to familiarize students with what is the largest hiring sector of French press. They learn to adapt their editorial choices to the reader, to write for a specific and limited public, and empathize with the reader’s expectations and concerns.

Sports press: This module is designed to familiarize students with specialized press. They learn to write for a specific and demanding public. They have to be able to use sports vocabulary.

School and community life: The grade for participation in school life is a bonus. Its goal is to determine if a student is committed to school activities and big events. The activities can range from volunteering to host the open-door days to representing the school on television shows or other external events.

*Internships: At the ESJ Paris, we value the importance of field work. We believe prospective journalists must be prepared to overcome the challenges of what is an unpredictable profession. Therefore, we believe newsrooms remain the best places to learn the essence of the job. Each year, all students go through a minimum two-month period of internship. Not only does it provide him with an invaluable experience, but it also gives depth to the resume.

*Conferences: First- and second-year students at the ESJ Paris benefit from high-quality, two-hour conferences, which take place once a week. It is an opportunity for them to hear the stories of media, political, intellectual or business figures. Each conference is divided into two parts: a first-half during which the guests express themselves, a second-half for the students to ask questions. Each conference is filmed and edited by a second-year or third-year student.