Julia Balashova
Professor Julia Balashova heads the master’s program in popular science journalism at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. She is affiliated with the Knight Center as a Fulbright Scholar doing research at MSU this academic year.
By Julia Balashova
Schools of journalism in Russia offer a variety of specialized master’s programs. For example, those at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Saint Petersburg State University include International Journalism, Political Journalism, Business Journalism and Sports Journalism. Several years ago, we started a new master’s degree program called Popular Science Journalism, and it is the only such specialization in Russia.
Training science journalists is necessary for the country, society, science and the media themselves. Global media markets demand science journalists. However, until recently, Russian universities were not engaged in preparation of science journalists. The contemporary trend, named “science with and for society,” means establishing communication between separate areas of the elite scientific and societal spheres.
Continue reading →