All students are required to create an e-portfolio or thematic website using WordPress. Students should develop a body of work anchored in this blog/website. They are expected to deliver weekly drafts of their production based on the guidelines offered during each of the sections. These assignments include blog posts, short scripts (audio and visual, including a podcast) for a public service announcement, institutional communication, a press report and a press release. The final assessment consists of an evaluation of this e-portfolio, blog or website.

Every week, students will be offered a theoretical and a practical session. The practical part will consist of feedback from the professor and course colleagues on the piece produced in each week. Assignments will be explained and drafted during the first session and delivered/discussed during the second class. It is expected that every piece produced may range between 500-800 words, in which students are urged to stay in the same topic they elected during the first class.

This module uses the flipped approach to teaching, in which students are introduced to the learning material before the class and classroom time then being used to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities facilitated by the professor.

By the end of the module, all students are expected to have developed a robust body of work that can be incorporated into a future portfolio. 

·            Learn legal and ethical principles of writing for the media

·            Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of writing for various media professions

·            Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for a variety of communications professions

·            Apply tools and technologies appropriate for different communications professions

·            Critically assess institutional and individual media practices

·            Understand how to promote and share written works online

·            Conceive, draft, edit and finalize a basic script for visual and audio media

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY

You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until December 14.

Students will not be penalized for three absences from classes meeting twice a week.

Participation grade will be deducted by 5 points for each additional absence beyond the three absences.

Three late arrivals (or early dismissals) count as one absence. 

Please refer to the JCU Student Handbook and Dean of Students communication emails for updates on COVID-19 protocol.

ACADEMIC HONESTY 

As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision. STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES

John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

This Spring 2021, our course consists of 28 sessions in 14 weeks of approx. 80 minutes each. Each session splits into practical and theoretical parts. Moodle and MS Teams will be the main platforms of the course.  Students are expected to work individually and as part of online groups.

Students are expected to draft their ideas during the first session of the week (Mondays) and present/discuss them during the second section (Wednesdays).

Feedback will be offered by professor and colleagues and on an individual basis. To ease feedback and presentation, all formats and pieces are expected to be available on the same website/portfolio/blog created at the beginning of the course. All texts and materials should be developed within/around the same topic/theme elected at the beginning of the course.  

At the end of the course, students are required to export their production to a html or word file (see guidance on how to export your blog on Wordpress), which should be uploaded on Moodle for grading. The failure in uploading the consolidated portfolio with all texts produced during the course will result in an INC (incomplete) grade.

 Research workshops can be conducted by a librarian*, please contact JCU library for further information.

 Please refer to our Moodle course for a detailed and weekly syllabus breakdown of each session, with resources, activities and assignments and other course material.

 Office hours and personal feedback is available via MS Teams via our Moodle class board. For questions, comments or discussion with professor, please use the MS Teams class chat functionality. 

Final grading happens on Exam week, but students will receive ongoing feedback on their writing.

Check Moodle for weekly assignments/sessions/readings.