MDST 3680

First time writing a review on here because the course merits it. Not only is the topic absolutely vital to everyone as a resident of the United States (I took this class as a non-media studies major), but the professor is also one of the best I've had at UVA. The time he puts into his lectures shows, as they are well-organized, to the point, and thorough. His experience and passion for the field speaks for itself. Besides vital lessons about the importance of the news media to democracy, he also seeks to teach practical skills that we can use for life - concise and effective writing as well as smart news consumption. His connections from his decades-long career were also great, as he was able to schedule guest video chat speakers including high-up editors and producers of different shows, websites, etc. It helps that the workload for the course (readings) were very low. Most days were just a few news articles. You will have to put time and thought into the papers, though - it seems to me like these would be hard to "fake." There were two papers and a final exam as well as a participation grade based off of individual news readings. Take this class!

Absolutely fantastic. The professor worked as a correspondent for CBS, so he really knows his stuff. His lectures are hilarious, but you also learn so much from them. The work load wasn't bad at all either. You have to keep up with stuff in the news so you can participate in class. There were hardly any readings, but when there were, they were always so interesting and relevant. There were two papers and a final paper that was timed and open-note. Highly recommend this class to everyone at UVA, despite what your major is.

There are 3 assignments: the first paper (allowed one optional rewrite), the second paper, and the final paper. On the first paper, I initially received a 60%. Went to his office hours to clear up what I messed up on and we figured it out. "Don't worry about the 60%. Easy fixes. This is an A paper waiting to happen.," he told me. "I'm glad I came in and discussed this with you because I really felt discouraged but now I feel like I have potential," I told him. "You have incredible potential." So when I fixed up the few errors, I awaited the final grade: 32%. Lol what? I immediately went to his office: he had a whole new list of things he wanted me to originally fix. "Did I not mention these to you?" he asked me (don't know why he had to ask me, he has record of his original comments). "No," I replied. "Well, that's on me." Then he gave me a 75. Bullshit!
This is a man who completely changes his rubric on you. Take the class for your personal satisfaction; the content is important. But don't take it expecting the atmosphere to be comfortable or the rules to be fair.

By far my favorite class I've taken here. I've learned more in 2 months of this class than I have in my 4 semesters at UVa. Andrews used to report for CBS at the national level and knows so much about the news media industry. This class highlights the good and the bad of the news media (like broadcast news, local news, cable news, print news, foreign news, news biases, etc.). A lot of what we talked about early in the semester was politics heavy (due to election and new president). Their are 2 papers (the first you can re submit and he provides very detailed comments), 10 points participation that you get simply for answering when he calls on you randomly for the news article you brought, and a final that is several essay questions. Best advice: BE BLUNT. he loves writing exactly what you feel with no filler. All in all my absolute favorite class because I learned an incredible amount in a short time. He's not a BS'er and will tell you what you suck at and what you do well, but it will make you better at your craft after the semester finishes. i highly recommend this class

Best class!!! Andrews is an awesome, educated, very accomplished guy. I learned so much in this class and have used in outside of class in analyzing the media as well as being more informed in general. There is weekly reading and a current event every class that you could be cold called on to talk about--this isn't hard at all it's a pretty easy way to keep up with the news and you'd only get called on a maximum of two times the whole semester. There is also 2 papers and a final which was 3 shorter take home essays. He has a very specific writing style but you get to rewrite the first essay so you can get adjusted to it. Even if you are not a media studies major I recommend this class it was so much fun and very informative!

This is an amazing class! Wyatt is an engaging and knowledgable professor, he makes himself readily available with office hours and he makes an effort to know his students even in a large class. I would especially recommend this class if you are interested in politics, Wyatt ties political news into most of his lectures. I will warn that this class has an anti-trump narrative, but even if you aren't a liberal it shouldn't bother you if you are at least open minded. Wyatt has his biases, but he is aware of them and addresses them. Overall, this was one of my favorite courses I've taken at UVA and it made me a much stronger writer.

Blunt. Force. Clarity.

Professor Andrews is a great lecturer, and really wants his students to do the best that they can. The class teaches you a lot of real-life lessons that anyone - Media Studies major or not - would benefit from learning. It's a really interesting class with a great professor. Go to Professor Andrews' office hours because he's a huge help, especially with the 3 papers - he's blunt when it comes to critiquing peoples' work, but you can't take it personally - he's critiquing the work, not the person who wrote it, and is just trying to be as helpful and honest as he possibly can. 10/10 recommend the class.

This was one of the best courses I've ever taken at UVA. Wyatt is incredibly well organized and keeps the class current. He allows a rewrite on the first paper and gives constructive feedback to actually help you improve your writing drastically. I got a 94 on the first paper, and he still helped me during office hours to tell me exactly how I could get the rest of the 6 points. This class is important, and I really do believe in its message and while, yes, he does have his anti-Trump moments, he will never bash someone else for their opinions as long as they can defend them. TAKE THIS CLASS.

Professor Andrews is a former newscaster, and he comes at this course from the practitioner's perspective, which is so valuable in this course. You will never look at the news media in the same way, and will come out of this course with a much greater understanding of it. Make sure you bring a news story that fits the criteria to class every day in case he calls on you to present, and do the readings. Three papers are required for the course, but he allows a rewrite on the first. These papers are excellent practice for writing concisely and straightforwardly.