Fall-Winter Offerings from the Loeb School: Learn, Question, and Tell Your Story
The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications is heading into fall with a new lineup of classes and a special event with Federal Communication Commissioner Anna Gomez designed to help you understand your right to know, strengthen your communication skills and become a more thoughtful consumer of information.
From First Amendment freedoms and election research to artificial intelligence, creative writing and family history, the fall/winter schedule offers something for anyone interested in journalism, communication, civic life, and the power of a well-told story.
Registration is now open!
October
The First Amendment in Focus: A Conversation with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez
Tuesday, October 6 | 8:30–9:30 a.m. | In person at the NH Institute of Politics
What is the role of the Federal Communications Commission in protecting free speech and a free press? And how should we think about the balance between government authority and the First Amendment?
Join the Loeb School and the New England First Amendment Coalition for a conversation with Federal Communications Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, who will visit New Hampshire as part of her nationwide First Amendment Tour.
Commissioner Gomez will be joined by Brendan Nyhan, Professor of Government at Dartmouth College, for a discussion of free speech, a free press and the FCC's regulatory role. The conversation will explore the relationship between government and the news media, press freedom and the importance of an independent press in a democracy.
Vote Smarter, NH: How to Research Candidates, Follow the Money, and Spot the Spin
Thursday, October 15 | 12–1:30 p.m. | Online
With Election Day just weeks away, Anna Brown and Mike Dunbar of Citizens Count will provide practical tools for researching New Hampshire candidates for every office on the November ballot.
Learn how to check voting records, follow campaign money, evaluate information and spot misinformation. Whether you're a first-time voter or a longtime participant in civic life, you'll leave with tools to help you make a well-informed decision at the polls.
The Current Attacks on Our First Amendment Freedoms
Tuesday, October 20 | 6–7:30 p.m. | Online
What happens when government action and First Amendment freedoms collide?
Attorney Greg Sullivan, president of the New England First Amendment Coalition, will examine recent cases involving free speech and press freedoms. The presentation will explore specific cases and the role of the courts in interpreting the First Amendment and the rule of law.
Exploring Literary Frontiers
Four-Week Series on Thursdays, October 22 & 29, November 5 & 12 | 6–7:30 p.m. | Online
Ready to shake up your writing life?
In this four-week series, writers will explore personal essay and memoir, profile and review, travel writing and fiction's sense of place. Each form becomes a tool for strengthening skills that matter across genres: generating ideas, building vibrant characters, crafting effective dialogue, and revising your work.
Writers at every level are welcome.
The series is taught by Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett, a teacher of adult writers, longtime journalist and author of Carolina Israelite: How Harry Golden Made Us Care about Jews, the South, and Civil Rights.
November
AI Demystified: Everyday Skills and Spotting Misinformation
Four-Week Series on Tuesdays, November 10, 17 & 24 and December 1 | 6–7:30 p.m. | In person
Most advice about AI is either hype or panic. This four-week course is neither.
You'll learn what AI actually is, why it isn't a search engine, and how to choose the right tool for the job. You'll practice using AI to sharpen your thinking rather than replace it and learn how to check what you're told in a world where convincing falsehoods can be produced in seconds.
No technical background is required. Bring a laptop or tablet if you have one.
The course is taught by Maggie “Peg” Aubin, an English adjunct professor and AI integration specialist at Southern New Hampshire University.
December
Wrap Up That Family History!
Monday, December 14 | 6–7:30 p.m. | Online
Have decades of family history, photographs and stories waiting to become something more?
This one-session class will help you organize your material, structure your manuscript and shape the stories you've been telling for years into something you can share and treasure. We'll also discuss smart ways to interview relatives over the holidays to capture family history and much more.
The class is taught by Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett.
Join us! Register for class today.