Syllabus

OFFICE PHONE: 730-3889
NEWSROOM: 730-3844

E-mail: judyh@cos.edu

COURSE OBJECTIVE: Journalism 1 will get you writing quickly and confidently. It is a comprehensive approach to learning the fundamentals of news writing. The course emphasizes reportorial writing, gathering of information and interview techniques.

This class is the foundation course for The Campus newspaper staff, but will help you with writing in other courses, as well. It will help you to become a better thinker, and a wiser, more critical consumer of the media. The class is fast paced and topical with hands on learning.

Journalistic writing is different from most of the writing you may have done for English classes. There are similarities but also differences which we will talk about in class. Some students get frustrated when they find out they must write in a journalistic style to satisfy the requirements of this class. Be patient with yourself. Journalism is creative, cutting edge and fun. It is storytelling and is important to a democracy and to our culture.

Even the best writers need editors. My advice and comments are meant to help you. However, learning how to handle constructive criticism from me and your peers is an important step in becoming a good writer.

Part of being a good journalist is learning how to solve problems on your own.

We will do some peer editing where you will trade papers with classmates. I believe we can learn a lot from each other.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY: You are responsible for your success in this class. I will give you much help and encouragement. I want you to succeed. But ultimately your success or failure in this class is up to you. That’s right, you. You decide how you will do in this class. Plan to succeed and give yourself the tools to do so. That might mean getting yourself a calendar or setting aside a specific time to work on this class. Good luck!

We will discuss selected text readings, writing assignments, and a broad range of problem areas in reporting.

You will be asked to do timed labs in the journalism lab which will help you learn the basics quickly.

We will see at least one video in class with a journalism theme.

Journalism is a profession that engenders passion, debate, criticism. Bring your opinions to class! Your participation is solicited. Feel free to suggest topics for discussion and to voice your opinions or ask questions. Communication is a two-way street.

Deadlines are important, just as they are in any newsroom.
Late work is not accepted except on rare occasions.

Develop a good attitude about deadline early on. Make deadline work for you.
Don’t sabotage yourself.

ATTENDANCE: It’s important that you attend class because of the pace of the course. But this is college. It is your choice to attend. Work missed because of unexcused absences cannot be made up for credit. An excused absence is one that is cleared by me beforehand. If you are sick and can’t make class please check in with me after you get back.

Final drop dates!!!
The final drop dates for fall are as follows: Jan. 29 without a W on your transcript and to receive a refund. March 26 is the final drop date. See me before these dates if you are unsure if you should drop. Class will start on time. My time is valuable and so is yours. So please be on time.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: Heavy emphasis will be placed on writing assignments. You will be responsible for knowing copy editing symbols (see back cover of your text) and for following stylebook guidelines as they are introduced in class. Verbal and written information will be provided for the lab exercises. There will also be outside assignments. You may use your own computer at home or use the journalism lab in 260.

Once again:

•Deadlines are of paramount importance, just as they are in any newsroom.

•Late work will be not be accepted except on rare occasions.

•Assignments must be typed, double spaced, with generous margins. On the first page of your story, begin the text halfway down the page. A clearly legible computer print out is acceptable. Yes, neatness does count. Please staple your work.

GRADING:

We will have a class discussion regarding the grading method that will ultimately be used in this class.
My philosophy is this: you can always make your work better. If you do the work you cannot fail.

I urge you to read and use the textbook. It is a good one and I would not require it if I did not think so. I guarantee you will find this class easier if you read the textbook.
Here is one grade standard I use for writing.

Grading key:

A=publishable quality
B=publishable with editing
C=substantial editing needed
D=marginal quality
F=unacceptable

Another standard I use is this: is your work interesting? Are you telling the story?

Please feel free to meet with me at any time to discuss your progress in the class.

I will not accept late papers, except on extremely rare
occasions.

READING ASSIGNMENTS/COURSE CALENDAR

Make time to read the book, highlighting the important sections. Come to class prepared to talk about the material in the textbook. Though the bulk of the class will concentrate on writing, it is important to read the text. Reading both the text and a daily newspaper or other printed material will help you become a better writer. We will also critique The Campus newspaper. This course calendar is subject to change, so pay attention in class!

WEEK 1
Jan. 15 `Introduction