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CDFAI held both the French and English Journalism Courses this year.
English Course
The English course was run by Dr. Bob Bergen at the University of
Calgary in conjunction with the Centre for Military and Strategic
Studies. 12 Journalism students participated in the course, which was
held May 2-10. This course, now in its 10th year, is an established
and innovative leader in not only military journalism, but in Canadian
journalism education as a whole. The stated aim of the course is to
teach future journalists how to learn about the military. From its
written evaluations comes a sampling of the extremely gratifying
comments about the 2011 course: Sample Feedback from the 12 English
2011 Students:
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“I feel confident that I would at least know where to begin when
it comes to tackling the issues that confront the Canadian
Forces as a journalist. A lot of us have had the opportunity to
debate the merits of foreign policy, but few of us have had this
kind of opportunity to scrutinize the practical aspects of how
the military works at home and abroad.”
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“This is one of the single best experiences I have had in my
journalistic training”
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“I have had a life changing experience during my time here and I
owe it to all the people who put a lot of work into
accommodating us.”
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“This course is a gem. So is the instructor. I hope it will
continue on for another 10 years.”
Francophone Course
The fourth edition of the Francophone Military Journalism course, held
at the Université de Montréal from May 2-11, was a clear success. Six
university students from Quebec City and Montréal participated in this
nine-day course organized by the Francophone Research Network on Peace
Operations. The course provided an introduction to military journalism
and the Canadian Armed Forces. For some of these students, it was a
very much appreciated first contact with the military institution and
the military world in general. The content of the course included a
combination of theoretical presentations from military staffs and
academics, as well as field visits to regular force and reserve units
and to historical sites. The students had the chance to exchange with
specialists from different fields and gain first hand experience of
the training recruits go through. All the participants have given very
positive feedback, saying the well balanced content gave them the
necessary tools to do acute analysis on military issues. They also
felt the course was a welcomed complement to their academic courses,
giving them a unique advantage in the very competitive work
environment of pressrooms.
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