Tentative Schedule
JOUR 3013
News Writing
1:40 - 3 p.m., TR, Wells Hall Room 108

COMM-STOP e-MEDIA SYLLABUS SCHEDULE
Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Week 6 Week 7 Midterm Week 9
Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13
Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Final
Date Topic Readings/Major Due Dates
Aug. 27 Course Introductions WebCT homepage instructions
Submit beat choices
Sept. 1-3 So far ...
AP Style
News Values
Death of the Inverted Pyramid? (Read for Thursday!)
Interviewing 101
Mencher 2, 3, 12, 15
Beat Assignments (T - pp. 353-354)

WebCT homepage due (R)
Registration ends (T)
Sept. 8-10 "Let Your Fingers Do the Walking"
Statistics for Communicators

Ethics and Law
Mencher 4 (pp.80-93), 11, 13, 14, 26
Brief 1 due (R)
Beat Report due (R)

Article 1 due (R) (100 pts)
Quiz 1 - AP: Punctuation/Research
Sept. 15-17 Fair & Balanced Coverage
Overcoming Bias

Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists

Checklist for Media Accuracy
What's News?
Mencher 17, 19 (pp. 375-377), 25, 27
Article 2 due (R) (100 pts)
Quiz 2 - Ethics & Diversity

Sept. 22-24 Public safety I
Covering Criminal Justice Vol. II (sections 2&3)
What's News?
Quiz 3 - Public Safety

Mencher 18, 20
Article 3 due (R) (100 pts)
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1 The Art of Structure - life and stories
Public Safety II

Beat Sources: Public Safety
Beat Sources: Drug Policy 

Literary Style
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood: A Legacy

Charles Dickens "On duty with Inspector Field"

George Orwell "A Hanging"; "Shooting an Elephant"

What's News?
Mencher 21
Brief 2 due (T)

Article 4 due (R) (100 pts)
Quiz 4 - AP: A-E
Oct. 6-8 Covering Business
Beat Sources: Business
What's News?
Mencher 23
Quiz 5 - Business
Article 5 due (R) (100 pts)
Oct. 13-15 Midterm review (T)
Consider topic for Enterprise Series (T)
Midterm evaluation meetings
MIDTERM
What's News?
Exam (R) (200 pts)
Oct. 20-22 Midterm Overview
Election Coverage AAPOR standards
Finding Polls
What's News?  
Submit topic for Enterprise Series (R)

Quiz 6 - AP: F-J/ Elections
Brief 3 due (T)
Mencher pp. 103-105
Homecoming (SA)
Oct. 27-29 Courts
Beat Sources:
Courts
What's News?
Mencher 6, 7, 8
Quiz 7 - Courts

Article 6 due (R) (100 pts)
Synopsis of first part of Enterprise Series (R)
Nov. 3-5 Covering Local Governments What's News?
Quiz 8 - K-R
Article 7 due (R) (100 pts)
Mencher 16, 24 (pp. 477-487)
Synopsis of second part of Enterprise Series (R)
Nov. 10-12

Government II - Follow the Money
National Association of State Budget Officers
Government Financial Officers Association
Rockefeller Institute of Government
"Financing Local Government"
U.S. Census Bureau government finances

Beat Sources: Transportation

What's News?
Mencher 24 (pp. 487-498)
Synopsis of third part of Enterprise Series (R)

Article 8 due (R) (100 pts)
Quiz 9 - AP: Government
Spring Pre-registration begins (M)
Last day to drop with "W" (W)
Nov. 17-19 Education
Beat Sources: Education

Guest Speaker?

What's News?
Mencher 24 (pp. 499-510)
Brief 4 due (T)
Quiz 10 - Education

Article 9 due (R) (100 pts)
Spring Pre-registration ends (F)
Nov. 24 Specialty Beats: Religion
"Judge Allows God's Law to Mix with Alabama's" by Rick Bragg
Religion Newswriters Association

Religious Tolerance - cults, new religious movements
Interfaith Calendar
Help Wanted on the Religion Beat
Help for the Religious Beat: A Novice Who Blossomed
Help Wanted on the Religion Beat: Don't Limit the Talent Pool|
Religion Beat became a Test of Faith
GetReligion.org

What's News?
Quiz 11 - S-Z
Enterprise Series  Bonus Option (T)

THANKSGIVING BREAK (R)

Dec. 1-3 Specialty Beats: Environmental, Science, Medicine & Health Issues
Beat Sources: Environment
Beat Sources: Health & Science

Literary Style
HL Mencken: "Bryan & Aftermath" (6 pgs)

What's News?
Quiz 12 - Specialty Beats
Brief 5 due (T)
Article 10 due (R) (100 pts)
Begin work on Portfolio
Dec. 8-10 Editorials/Commentaries

Guest Speaker- ???Finding a J-O-B
Ten Reasons You Should Hire A Journalist
The Journalism Job Market 7/09

What's News?
Enterprise Series
(200 pts)
Portfolio due (R)
 (200 pts)

Last day to withdraw from University (T)
Dec. 16 Exam Destination: ???
Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Overview Class
Receive Grades

If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton.

COMM-STOP e-MEDIA SYLLABUS SCHEDULE

©Ronald W. Sitton 2009
Revised
111909 — http://www.uamont.edu/FacultyWeb/sitton/crz/nrptsked.html