Jenny Wohlfarth

Jenny Wohlfarth

Professor Educator

Educator Professor

Professional Summary

Jenny Wohlfarth is an award-winning magazine journalist with 30+ years of professional experience who has been teaching journalism at UC since 2000, originally as a part-time adjunct instructor while she was working full-time as a magazine editor. After completing her M.A. degree in English (emphasis in editing and publishing) at UC, she helped build the UC Journalism Program -- which later became the UC Department of Journalism -- while teaching courses in feature writing, magazine writing, news writing, editing and specialty reporting topics.

Now a full professor (in the educator/teaching track), she teaches a wide range of courses across the curriculum: Feature Writing & In-Depth Reporting, Magazine Writing, Environmental Journalism, Science & Nature Writing, Travel Writing, Women in Journalism, Advanced Magazine Writing, Magazine Publishing, and International Field Study in Journalism -- all courses she created and developed. She was the department's first director of undergraduate studies, from 2012-2019, and has served as faculty adviser for several student journalism groups, including the UC chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists (UC-SPJ), Association of Black Journalists (UC-ABJ) and a handful of student-run online magazines.

Professor Wohlfarth’s work has been published in numerous national magazines, covering topics ranging from art/design, architecture, agriculture and animals to business, environmental and social issues, nature/science and travel writing. She has been honored by numerous reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her work in feature/magazine writing, beat reporting and lifestyle reporting.

Her journalism career began shortly after she completed an undergraduate degree in creative writing (composition) at the University of Evansville (Indiana). She landed a full-time job in journalism—at a horse magazine in Texas—and quickly fell in love with reporting. She is a former staff editor/managing editor/executive editor at several national magazines—including the Cincinnati-based design publications HOW Magazine and I.D. (International Design) Magazine—and is a longtime contributing editor to Cincinnati Magazine. She is vice-president of the Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and an active member of the national SPJ, the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and, most recently, the National Association of Science Writers.

Professor Wohlfarth has been honored with numerous teaching/advising awards, including the UC Department of English William C. Boyce Award for Excellence in Teaching, the SPJ David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser Award and the University of Cincinnati Honors Program’s Excellence in Teaching Award—all honors based on nominations from her students and advisees. In 2022, she was nominated by a student for the prestigious UC George Barbour Award for Good Faculty-Student Relations.  

She has a keen interest in active-learning techniques and has co-presented on SoTL (scholarship of teaching and learning) topics at numerous conferences, including the International Lilly Conference for College Teaching and the International Society of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Annual Conference. She is an advocate of innovative, student-centered instruction methods, and has frequently been tapped to lead training sessions for faculty on active-learning techniques, contemplative teaching strategies and methods for increasing student engagement. Her professional work and her involvement in teaching faculty-led study-abroad courses for the UC Honors Program have enabled her to travel to and write about fascinating places around the world, including Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Namibia and Iceland.

Education

M.A. in English (Editing and Publishing): University of Cincinnati 1999

B.A. in Creative Writing (Composition) and Advertising: University of Evansville Indiana, 1993

Abbreviated Publications

Popular Magazine Article

"The Zookeeper's Tale," feature profile, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2013

"There's an App for That," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2012

"Farm Fresh," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, August 2010

"Derby Decorum," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2009

"Abe Slept Here," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2009

"Working Vacation," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, April 2009

"Long Weekend: Columbus," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2009

"Chill Factor," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, February 2009

"Groovy Light Show," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, December 2008

"Ready, Set, Cook," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, November 2008

"Curious Gorge," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, September 2008

"Theater of War," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, August 2008

"Take the Slow Boat," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, July 2008

"Animal House," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, June 2008

"Out of the Money," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2008

"Place Your Bets," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2008

"Down Under," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, April 2008

"Louisville's Other Slugger," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2008

"The Golden Ticket," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, February 2008

"Head for the Hills," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, January 2008

"Men in Tights," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, November 2007

"See Rock City," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, October 2007

"Stone Crazy," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, August 2007

"Row Your Boat," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, July 2007

"What Lies Beneath," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, June 2007

"Prairie Style," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2007

"Stitching City," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, April 2007

"Glass Act," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, February 2007

"Degree of Distinction," feature article, The Artist's Magazine, Jan/Feb 2007

"Mix Master," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, January 2007

"Merry-Go-Town," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, December 2006

"Trail Mix," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, November 2006

"Critter Sitter," profile, Cincinnati Magazine, October 2006

"The Good Stuff," feature roundup, Cincinnati Magazine, October 2006

"Autumn Harvest," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, October 2006

"Threaded Bliss," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2006

"Eagle, Eyed," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, April 2006

"Flight Plan," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2006

"Cabin Fever," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, February 2006

"Progressive Thinking," feature article, HOW Magazine, December 2005

"Elf Expressions," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, December 2005

"When Disaster Strikes," feature article, The Artist's Magazine, October 2005

"Fresh Goods," feature article, HOW Magazine, October 2005

"Back in Time," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, August 2005

"Looks Good on Paper," feature article, HOW Magazine, June 2005

"Horsin' Around," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, May 2005

"Feelin' Vine," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, April 2005

"Dining by Design," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, March 2005

"Aaah, Spa," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, February 2005

"It's All Good," feature article, HOW Magazine, December 2004

"Human Touches," feature article, The Artist's Magazine, December 2004

"Major League Appeal," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, November 2004

"House Blend," cover feature story, HOW Magazine, October 2004

"Animal Magnetism," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, September 2004

"Rare Finds," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, August 2004

"Making Tracks," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, July 2004

"Shore Explorer," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, June 2004

"New Attitude," feature article, HOW Magazine, June 2004

"Model Artists," feature article, The Artist's Magazine, December 2003

"Alternative Rock," feature article, HOW Magazine, December 2003

"Regal Relaxation," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, December 2003

"Cribbing Conundrum," feature article, Western Horseman, September 2003

"Cheap Thrills," feature article, Family Tree Magazine, June 2003

"Opening the Books," feature article, HOW Magazine, June 2003

"Good Night Club," feature article, HOW Magazine, June 2003

"Hot Rod," travel article, Cincinnati Magazine, June 2003

"Fit to Print," feature article, HOW Magazine, February 2003

"Business in Balance," feature article, HOW Magazine, December 2002

"Making the Grade," feature article, I.D. Magazine, October 2002

"Beyond Casual Fridays," feature article, HOW Magazine, December 2000

"Schoolhouse Rock," feature article, HOW Magazine, October 2000

"Saving Graces," feature article, Cincinnati Magazine, October 2000

"Sonic Caffeine," feature article, HOW Magazine, February 2000

(Additional published magazine articles date back to 1993.)

"Ice Ice Baby," Cincinnati Magazine, June 2018

"Am Hungry, Will Travel," Edible Ohio Valley Magazine, December 2018

Presentations

Paper Presentations

Wohlfarth, D. & Wohlfarth, J (2007. ) The teacher in the mirror: how we define ourselves in the classroom .Oxford, OH.

Wohlfarth, D. & Wohlfarth J (2007. ) Learning while teaching: an achievable collaboration .Lexington, KY.

Wohlfarth, D. & Wohlfarth, J (2006. ) Let’s talk: learning while teaching .Oxford, OH.

Wohlfarth, D., Wohlfarth, J., Wohlfarth-Moorman, J., Wohlfarth, M., Wohlfarth, K., and Wohlfarth, S (2005. ) Five sisters share: creative ideas for teaching different disciplines .Oxford, OH.

Wohlfarth, D., Cason, J., Wohlfarth J., & Simon, B (2009. ) Creating a little TLC (teaching-learning community) with no budget and no time .Lexington, KY.

Cason, J., Wohlfarth, D., Wohlfarth, J., & Simon, B (2009. ) Innovative SoTL programming: developing teaching and learning communities .Bloomington, IN.

Lynch, E., Strathern, C., Wohlfarth, J., & Cheatham, M. (2009. ) The teaching commons on campus: supporting scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning through a teacher scholar inquiry group .Bloomington, IN.

Wohlfarth, D., Cason, J., & Wohlfarth, J (2009. ) Building teaching learning communities .Oxford, OH.

Strathern, C., Lynch, E., Wohlfarth, J., & Cheatham, M (2009. ) Planting seeds: supporting scholarly teaching and SoTL through a multidisciplinary effort .Oxford, OH.

Lynch, E., Wohlfarth, J., Cheatham, M., & Strathern, C (2010. ) The teacher scholar inquiry group: developing a teaching commons through multidisciplinary collaboration .Oxford, OH.

Keywords

journalism, magazines, reporting, teaching, storytelling, feature writing, environmental reporting, science reporting, writing, interviewing, travel writing, active-teaching approaches, scholarship of teaching and learning

Courses Taught

Environmental Journalism

Science and Nature Writing

Magazine Writing

Feature Writing & In-Depth Reporting

Travel Writing

Advanced Reporting

Advanced Magazine Writing

Magazine Publishing

International Field Study in Journalism

Journalism Honors Seminar

Women in Journalism

Reporting and Writing

Editing

Practicum

Principles of American Journalism