This course explores two purposes of journalism: providing a public forum for discussion and amplifying the current conversations in communities. Focusing on editorial pages, this course trains students to increase community conversations and amplify hot topics. The course emphasizes the fact-finding skills vital to op-ed pieces and focuses on writing structures and techniques that engage news consumers and cause them to think about issues more deeply and creatively. Beyond editorials, the course also analyzes the construction of various kinds of personal columns and reviews. Prerequisite: JOUR 210