JUST 109 “Justice in Chicago”
For the launch of the Special Section’s Partner Profiles, the Independent collaborated with the JUST 109 First Year Experience (FYE) class “Justice in Chicago,” taught by Professor Maurice McFarlin, to cover a range of topics from issues of justice in students’ communities and overviews of community organizations to events they have participated in at NEIU. They are as follows:
Old Irving Park Association: Helping the Neighborhood by Xitlali Najera
Governments Gather in Colombia for COP16 Biodiversity Conference by Daniela Torres Ramirez
El Centro Students Want More Events by Rodrigo Rodriguez
Violence at Food Pantry in Little Village by Isaiah Rodriguez
The works by students in this section were written and edited in collaboration with the NEIU Independent. Articles have been lightly edited where absolutely needed to better embody journalistic standards. However, the work still ultimately reflects the views and voices of the writers, who work independent of our regular reporting.
Future Opportunities For Collaboration
Partner Profiles plans to expand the reach of its class highlights. Articles written by students as part of class projects, or designed in collaborations with their professors, or devised on some other account are all welcome.
The purpose of these collaborations are to give students a chance to apply what they are learning in their classes to writings that can become some of their first published works in their educational careers, works they can cite on their CVs and resumes.
Working with the Independent in this capacity introduces students to journalistic style writing skills, an editing and publishing environment, and elements of media literacy that they may not encounter otherwise. Additionally, this serves as a space for students to experiment with multiple forms of reporting as they let their own voices shine. Whereas traditional journalism makes the divide between categories like news and opinions clear, articles produced here can transcend those boundaries, blur the lines with clear intention, and/or connect seemingly separated categories.
If you are interested in this experience or having your class’s work published in our Class Highlights section, please contact the Independent Editor-in-Chief ([email protected]).
