Course description
An introduction to literary journalism, in which students study the craft of storytelling along with interviewing, reporting, and the journalist’s ethical stance. Guest speakers, field trips, writing activities and course readings will help students engage deeply with their environment and develop the skills and sensitivity required for literary reporting.
Course instructor
Hamutal has been an editor of magazine, newspaper, digital, and book-length journalism for over 15 years. Formerly editor-in-chief of Torontoist, Focus editor at the Globe and Mail, and senior editor of The Walrus, most recently Hamutal was a William Southam Journalism Fellow at University of Toronto’s Massey College, where she explored the history and psychology of reading, and the cognitive biases that can influence our reading of non-fiction in particular.
Hamutal has edited National Magazine Award-winning journalism and National Newspaper Award-winning memoir, and teaches journalism and creative non-fiction at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University. Once, many moons ago, she was herself an undergraduate at Innis College.
Get to know your professor
Hamutal Dotan
You can call me…
Hamutal (pronunciation: ha-moo-TAL)
I just can't live without…
Dark chocolate
I just can't live without…
Dark chocolate
My hometown is…
Toronto, Ontario
For my undergraduate degree…
Philosophy, right here at Innis!
I am surprisingly good at…
…Tetrising my travel packing into a tiny bag.
Fun fact:
I have never met anyone else with my name.
If I wasn't teaching, I would be a…
…an urban farmer.
In a sentence, what you’ll learn in my course:
How to report on and write about issues that matter to you in a nuanced and engaging way.
What I'm working on now is…
…launching a new quarterly magazine about Jewish culture and ideas.
I was inspired to get into this field because…
…journalism exists at the intersection of research and lived experience — the mission is to be professionally curious about issues that affect day-to-day lives.
One of my favourite things about teaching first-year students is…
They are not yet specialized in a field, and so, bring diverse points of view to questions of art.
My first-year seminar in five words:
Curious, creative, truthful storytelling
One of my favourite things about teaching first-year students is…
…giving them the freedom to explore, research, and write about subjects that genuinely matter to them.
My best advice for those starting their first year…
Give yourself a chance to really explore university life, and give yourself permission to not have all the answers. You have time to figure out what major you want to enrol in or what you want to do after graduation! Give university — the classes that you're taking and the people that you meet — a chance to surprise you.