Your responsibility includes everything here and in the General Class Policies. Read both, then sign the contract and return by the third class meeting if you intend to stay in the class. If you have questions, consult the syllabus then consult me. Ignorance will not save you points. General Class Policies Index: ETHICS || FEEDBACK || e-MAIL || WebCT || DEADLINES || ATTENDANCE || ELECTRONIC DEVICES || ACCOMMODATIONS Syllabus Index: TEXTS || GRADING || OPPORTUNITIES || BRIEFS || THE VOICE || GROUP PROJECT || PORTFOLIO || SCHEDULE
Basic techniques for print, broadcast and public relations writing, including precision (grammar and spelling), accuracy (attribution and identification), conciseness and AP style. Due to the nature of news, you will write A LOT in this writing-intensive course. Demonstrate the ability to write news stories and feature articles fluently, concisely and clearly. Write publishable news under deadline pressure with few errors and NO factual errors, culminating in a portfolio. Learn the elements of Associated Press style and the inverted pyramid, answer the five W's and H, and offer context. Use the Internet as a resource. Stay abreast of current events in business, politics, the arts, finance, science, media and international affairs. Demonstrate an understanding of the practices and importance of mass media. Demonstrate an understanding of journalistic ethics. Demonstrate skill in using the technologies commonly used in newspaper and magazine production. Syllabus Index: TEXTS || GRADING || OPPORTUNITIES || BRIEFS || THE VOICE || GROUP PROJECT || PORTFOLIO || SCHEDULE
I grade on performance, not effort — it takes great effort to perform. At first, your work will be flawed as most of you will be unfamiliar with the stylebook, format and news writing principles. However, your work will meet publishable standards over time.
Fatal errors — People can
sue if you publish incorrect factual information, i.e. fabrications and incorrect age, name spellings, addresses and date or time of an activity. Work with fatal errors will receive a 20-point deduction for each instance. The general range of each grade will adhere to these standards: A — Publishable article with minor editing, featuring a compelling lead and excellent writing that is well organized and thoroughly covers the topic. It contains no factual errors.
B — Publishable article with minor editing and/or rewriting,
featuring an acceptable lead, writing and organization. It contains no serious information gaps
or factual errors and only minor grammar, style and spelling errors.
D — Cannot publish article due to:
F — Cannot publish article due to serious defects including:
Your grade includes in-class and out-of-class writing assignments; published work; campus briefs; news, style and reading quizzes; and attendance and class participation. Read chapters and work on assignments prior to each class meeting. Submit assignments by the beginning of class on the date listed in the schedule. Syllabus Index: TEXTS || GRADING || ASSIGNMENTS || THE VOICE || BRIEFS || GROUP PROJECT || PORTFOLIO || SCHEDULE
OPPORTUNITIES
First Impression - Describe who you are and why you're taking this course
without using opinion or first person (use third person
instead). This first paragraph must be 35 words or less while explaining the
most important information someone might need to know about you. Boil it down by
using short sentences and active voice, i.e. make it do it to it.
Your second paragraph should elaborate with additional information indicating
what factors contribute or detract from the first paragraph, e.g. if the first
paragraph describes yourself as a hard-working individual, explain in the second
paragraph. Does that mean you work hard on school, a job, a family (contributes)
or might that mean your other obligations will require school to be something
you're doing on the side (detracts)?
First Interview - Use the First Day Survey to
interview your classmate. Skip question no. 5 as each person must find his or
her own newspaper article and link to it. You will use the interview to write the profile that they will use for
their WebCT homepage. Make sure you get it right! E-mail the profile you've
written to your classmate. Once you receive your profile, finish your WebCT
homepage. To practice, edit your profile written by your classmate whenever you
learn something new in class. AP STYLE hint: Check ages,
nicknames, composition titles, courtesy titles, academic titles, addresses,
Internet, Web, newspapers.
Quizzes — You will take 12 quizzes over the course of
the semester. I will drop the two lowest grades before compiling the remaining
grades for a possible 100 points. Quizzes may NOT be made up.
— Publications run
on tight deadlines. To give you the feel of deadline pressure, you will take two
timed writings for grades and others for practice. I grade timed, in-class writing exercises for completion and accuracy.
Timed writing exercises may NOT be made up.
What's News? - Bring an article from a national and local newspaper on the same topic for each article
type under discussion. Be prepared to
discuss the similarities and differences between the articles.
Speakers - Bring a list of questions you'd like to ask the speaker.
Remember: a good journalist ALWAYS asks questions.
— receive once per semester (your
choice!): Syllabus Index: TEXTS || GRADING || ASSIGNMENTS || THE VOICE || BRIEFS || GROUP PROJECT || PORTFOLIO || SCHEDULE Article Process
Interviewing: Most assignments require out-of-class interviews.
Real journalists interview people instead of using the Internet, which
should ONLY be used for background purposes for the majority of your assignments.
Keep copies of all notes to verify quotes and information throughout
the semester. Assignment Redo Policy - You learn as you work but my standards remain high. Most likely, there will be a huge gap between where you begin and end the semester in terms of your writing knowledge. I expect this and realize some of you will be unhappy with your first few grades, but will end the semester with higher grades. I will provide you the opportunity to redo an assignment if the original was submitted on time, provided that you submit the redo and the original within a week of its return. 1) OBITUARY - Choose a celebrity that you really love or really hate. Using at least one physical source and no more than two online sources, write a canned obituary of 600-750 words. While you may make up the cause of death and the funeral arrangements, everything else MUST be factual. Use information provided for all obituaries, i.e. prominent activities, relevance to the community, education, etc. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style and make sure you do not use passive voice or personal opinions. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. 2) PROFILE - Profile either a new professor or the chief official on your beat by interviewing them and their boss, e.g. if you have the Arts and Humanities beat, you'd interview the new professor then also interview Dean Mark Spencer. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style and make sure you do not use passive voice or personal opinions. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice. 3) PUBLIC SAFETY - Write an article about the police department, fire department, emergency medical technicians or a natural or man-made disaster. Remember: Hard news articles should feature a lede of 35 words or less. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style and make sure you do not use passive voice or personal opinions. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice. 4) MEETING/SPEECH/BUSINESS - Choose one of the three genres, then write an article. A meeting article should cover the meeting of a campus or community body, while the speech article would cover remarks made by a speaker. DO NOT write this article in chronological order; instead, lead with the MOST IMPORTANT topic of the meeting or the speech. A business article should cover either a campus or community business. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style and make sure you do not use passive voice or personal opinions. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice. 5) SPORTS - Write a sports article on UAM athletics or intramurals. If you write a hard news article, the lede should be 35 words or less. If you write a feature-type article, make sure to have a nut graph by the third graf. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice. 6-7) NEWS I-II - Choose a topic on campus and write a news article fit for The Voice. You may want to write about something happening on your beat. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice. 8) BROADCAST/PRESS RELEASE - Write a press release for your favorite campus organization after finding a newsworthy event or turn one of your hard news articles into a broadcast article. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style and make sure you do not use passive voice. Remember to provide embargo information, sources and an end-mark. 9) ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - Write an A&E feature article or review, which can cover art, music, movies, video games, etc. While the feature article can not use opinion, the review can. However, if you use opinion, be sure to back it up with facts. NOTE: Be careful to write with AP style. Remember to provide sources and an end-mark. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice.
10) NEWS III - For your final article, choose any topic on campus and
write an article fit for The Voice. This may be suitable for publication in The Voice.
WRITING for THE VOICE
Keep track of your published articles on your disk. You will add them to your portfolio at the end of the semester. Of the five submissions, you may write two articles of your choice, but you MUST write at least one of each of the following:
Attend staff meetings and volunteer for story assignments or be assigned to them. You're encouraged to originate story ideas, but make sure they're not already assigned to someone else by checking with the editor-in-chief, managing editor or adviser. If you need a photo to go with your article, be sure to speak with the chief photographer.
The Voice Submissions: Submit your articles by
sharepoint or to The Voice's e-mail. Make sure to send an original to me for grading!
Choose three preferences
for a
beat. Once assigned, meet with a contact on your beat
and have them e-mail me to verify the initial meeting. Make a beat report for
your benefit, i.e. so you will know what's happening there for the remainder of
the semester. Turn information from
your beat into a brief, so as those appearing in The Voice's Around Campus briefs column
to alert the campus to upcoming events or short bits of news that can be condensed into a single sentence. Some briefs may lead into larger news stories.
.
The group project provides students the opportunity to discuss
events happening on the campus and in the surrounding community. During the
Master Planning Stage, you will develop the guidelines for attacking this
project. What will your topic be?
You
Syllabus Index: TEXTS || GRADING || ASSIGNMENTS || BRIEFS || THE VOICE || GROUP PROJECT || PORTFOLIO || SCHEDULE
When the semester winds down, some people slack off - maybe
the worst thing that can happen in this class. The portfolio accounts for 10
percent of your grade - enough to raise or lower your final grade. You must keep track of your articles and briefs on your disk and in traditional paper form.
You will benefit by putting this together as you go, rather than waiting until
the last minute to do it You will maintain a portfolio containing (in order):
As noted in the grading scale, you'll receive 100 points for class
participation, which includes good listening and discussion skills, an open
attitude to learning, attendance, effort, professional attitude,
making a WebCT homepage, attending midterm conferences
and working with your group on the group project.
If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr.
Ronald Sitton.
©Ronald W. Sitton 2009 Revised 062609 — http://www.uamont.edu/FacultyWeb/sitton/crz/ntro.html |
