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English 262, section 01 -- Introduction to Journalism

1. General information 2. Course information 3. Overview and Objectives 4. Homework & schedule 5. Assignments & Grading

 

NOTE: This syllabus may change as class needs dictate.

This course helps you develop the skills to gathering news and learn how to "tell the story." It becomes important to think about accuracy and fairness in reporting, as well as consider the relevance of the story, the usefulness of the information, and ultimately the readers' interest. [animation courtesy of the animation factory]
Print news	newspapers pamphlets magazines brochures
Electronic news	blogs, radio, websites, zines
Visual news	documentaries, photos, television
Reminders:
Reviewing the Attendance policy, the Assignments policy, and the SVSU policies is beneficial. You will also find specifics on grading and the minimum effort.
If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number [for example, using my name the subject line would be: Dallas, English 262-01] to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam. Please ensure that you use your SVSU e-mail account for a reply within 48 hours, otherwise a reply may take up to 96 hours.

 

 

ENGL262: News reporting and writing. Emphasis on stylistic elements peculiar to journalism. Prerequisite: ENGL 111.

Ok, Charlene is doing her morning exercises.

Overview: This course is designed as a balance between theory and application, with a critical analysis component. For the theory, we will read and discuss some underlying concepts about journalism. For the application, we will write and produce a class weekly newsletter. For the in-between critical analysis, we will read news stories from our text and locate other news stories to critique and examine.

Course objectives are designed to enable students to: develop strategies for for critical reading and analysis of texts [weekly commentaries] write an effective, researched article [feature story] gain experience in writing, distributing, and receiving feedback on journalistic work [class newsletter] collaborate in groups and project teams [class discussions, class newsletter].

If you need to contact me by e-mail at "fidallas@svsu.edu," the subject line should contain your last name, course and section number to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam.

NOTE: All responses and work for the course (course portfolio) will be burned to CD and turned in at the final examination period.

Required Texts:

Kovach, Bill & Tom Rosenstiel. The Elements of Journalism. Rev. Upd. Three Rivers Press, 2007. ISBN 0307346706
Cappon, Rene. The Associated Press Guide to News Writing. 3rd ed. Arco, 1999. ISBN 0768919797
Lewis, Jon. The Mammoth Book of Journalism. Carroll & Graf, 2003. ISBN 0786711698

Other resources:

• Student Technology Center, 2nd floor, Zahnow Library http://www.svsu.edu/stc
• The Writing Center, 3rd floor, Zahnow Library http://www.svsu.edu/writingcenter/
• Research assistance at SVSU Zahnow Library here
• Information Technology Services @ SVSU here
• English Department grading rubric here [downloads RTF file]
• Your local public library *elsewhere*
• Pop Cap Games (Chuzzle!) here

Course weekly schedule:
Activities are DUE on the date indicated by the course schedule. Please review to plan your time wisely.
Class days: M = Monday; W=Wednesday
Assignments: indicated by bold text
Texts: EJ=The Elements of Journalism; APG=The Associated Press Guide to News Writing; MBJ=The Mammoth Book of Journalism

Format for assignments:
Each assignment will be typed, single-spaced, with one-inch margins. Use Arial 12 point, Bookman Old Style12 point, or Century Gothic 11 point fonts. The top of the paper should be formatted as such:

[your name]
English 262-01
Dr. Dallas
[date]

Then skip a line and center the title of your article or story. Skip another line and begin your article or story. Your article should be within the word requirement listed for the assignment. Your work should be ready to be turned in upon arrival in class. For each day (or portion thereof) that your assignment is late, two (2) points will be deducted.

The Elements of Journalism commentaries -- eleven commentaries of 3 points each for a total of 33 points:
These commentaries will take the form of an opinion as if from the Opinion Page of a newspaper. Each commentary will follow the format listed above and range from 200 to 250 words. Your opinion should:

1. summarize the chapter
2. cover the good points and list items of agreement
3. cover the bad points and list questionable concepts
4. offer your comments on what you will use for future writing

For each day your commentary is late, two points are deducted.

Feature story -- 15 points total; rough draft is worth 5 points and final version is worth 10 points:
One major outcome of this course will be to write a feature story suitable for publication. Students will have the option to pursue any story interest of their choosing. Stories should be submitted to The Valley Vanguard, the PTW online journal, a local newspaper, or other venue for publication consideration.

Rough draft: A minimum of 350-words, single-spaced, rough draft feature story will explore an interest of your choosing. The rough draft will cite at least three credible outside sources or references, is worth 5 points, and is due week 12.

Final version: A minumum of 600-words and a maximum of 750-words, single-spaced, feature story will explore an interest of your choosing. This story will cite at least five references or outside sources--four print and one electronic. The final version with five credible outside sources or references is worth 10 points and is due week 15.

Class newsletter -- 22 points (eleven points for each issue based upon evaluation):
The newsletter is a collaborative effort. There will be three editorial teams which will produce the newsletter in cycles.

editorial team 1: issues 2 and 5
editorial team 2: issues 3 and 6
editorial team 3: issues 4 and 7

The editorial teams will produce the content for the newsletter, distribute it, and assess reader feedback on the stories. Team members not involved with current issue should offer feedback on proposed content from current editorial team. More detail on story type and length will be provided.

Class discussions -- 10 points:
Each student will be expected to contribute to the class discussions and group work of class newsletters. Minimum discussions or group work contributions will be reflected in minimum points.

Course Portfolio -- 10 points:
Your commentaries, newsletter submissions, and feature story will be burned to CD. Your work should be saved as .RTF files. This item is due at the final exam period.

Final exam -- 10 points:
The final exam details will be provided during the examination period.