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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "JRN 221"
COURSE NAME: "Writing for the Media"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall Semester 2012
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Mancini Rosamaria
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 16:30-17:45
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS: M/W 16
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is an introduction to journalistic writing and news gathering. You will learn the structure and style for news and feature stories, interviewing techniques for quotation and attribution, as well as the basics of communication law, especially libel, and the basics of public relations. We will also consider some underlying political and philosophical issues in journalism.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course will require that you write some stories from provided facts, but it will emphasize “real world” reporting and writing. You will be assigned a reaction story, which will require you to interview a number of people about a current news issue. Later, you will write a profile, which will require you to conduct an in depth interview of a person, department or club.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course will give you the basic skills needed to report and write news and feature stories in a clear and effective way that takes into account your responsibility as a reporter.

KEY SKILLS TAUGHT:

-Identify News

-How to Interview

-How to Structure a News Story

-Associated Press Style

-What is Media Law/Ethics

-Basics of Public Relations
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method Carole Rich 9780495004233     
Associated Press StylebookAssociated Press 9780917360558     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Attendance/Class Participation <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"><br /> </span></p> <p> </p>20 percent
Reaction Story <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"><br /> </span></p>15 percent
Profile Story <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"></span></p> <p style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"><br /> </span></p>25 percent
Assignments/Quizzes <p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"><br /> </span></p> <p> </p>20 percent
Final Exam<p><span style="font-family: 'poor richard', serif;"><br /> </span></p>20 percent

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
Attendance: More than three absences makes “B” your maximum grade. This policy should cover most emergencies during the semester – please contact me via e-mail if you will be out. If you find you will be missing more classes, you must contact me during the emergency and outline your plans for keeping up. It is not acceptable to miss additional classes and hand in work at the end of the semester, even if you had “good reasons” for being out. Please be on time, I will take attendance each class and if you are late it’s your responsibility to tell me that you’re present.

Class Participation: You should take active part in the class discussions and have exercises, reading and stories done on time. You, as a reporter, should be curious and you should ask questions - there are no stupid questions.

News writing: You will write two stories from actual sources and several in-class from provided facts. A number of these stories, including the reaction and profile stories, will go through two drafts. It’s important to remember that you must check facts and spelling of names in your stories, mistakes happen, but they should be avoided at all costs. These assignments that must be typed must be turned in on time or your grade will suffer. I will ONLY accept late assignments the class after they are due. Source lists: All stories you hand in must have a list of sources and their contact information.

Reaction Story

A reaction story reports the views of a large number of people on an important news issue. You will select the news issue, but I will approve it. You will start with five sources, but eventually expand your reporting to include more people. Your story will not necessarily include 20 sources, but a professional journalist often “over-reports” to assure that they have strong useful material. For this class, the experience in interviewing is also valuable. Interview a wide variety of ages and types of people. [Tip: To get solid statements from your sources, ask them to respond to the arguments of people on the other side.] The reaction story is a basic story type, but provides challenges in interviewing, organizing transitions, quotation and paraphrase, identifying sources and keeping the reader interested. We will study a number of professional models, some of which you will find yourself.

I encourage you to consider subjects of interest to the John Cabot community and to do your interviewing among John Cabot students, staff and faculty.

Profile Story

Pick an interesting student as the subject of your profile, or a John Cabot academic department or club. You should not be intimately related to your subject. If it is a club, you should not be a member. You may write about a department in which you are a major or minor. Again, I will approve your subject.

A profile is not a biography or history. It focuses on news or some point of interest. For a person profile, you must interview the subject plus at least three people who know him or her. For a club or department interview a variety of officials, club president or department head, plus members or majors. Gather background information as appropriate – biographical dates, personal statistics, club budget, number of majors and faculty in a department.

The profile should state the interesting quality of the person in the lead, perhaps through a scene or anecdote. Background information and description should be worked gracefully into the story where appropriate. Don’t just dump the information or description in one section.

Quizzes/Assignments

You will have news/AP style quizzes. The quizzes will test whether you have been following the news. They will also test whether you understand AP style.

Final Exam: You will take a final exam that covers information from the textbook, AP Stylebook and lectures.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
See Assessment Criteria
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.
SCHEDULE

CLASS SCHEDULE and ASSIGNMENTS

3/5 September
Week 1
Course Introduction 
Reading: Rich, Chap. 1 

Basic news story and story ideas
Reaction Story Assignment
Analysis of reaction story
Reading: Rich, Chap. 2 and 3

10/12 Spetember
Week 2
Sources and interviewing techniques
Hand in three ideas for reaction stories. Please write a few paragraphs describing the news issue, why it is newsworthy and what angles you would pursue. 
Reading: Rich, Chap. 4 and 5

Leads and nut graphs
Clip a hard news lead and an anecdotal lead. 
Reading: Rich, Chap. 6 and 7

17/19 September
Week 3
Story structure
Reading: Rich, Chap. 8 

Reaction story, draft 1, due

24/26 September
Week 4
Storytelling and features
Reading: Rich, Chap. 9

Accuracy and media law
Reading: Rich Chap. 13

1/3 October
Week 5 
Ethics
Reading: Rich, Chap. 14 

Multicultural sensitivity
Reading: Rich, Chap. 15

8/10 October
Week 6
Lab 
Reaction story, final draft, due

Global journalism
Reading: Rich, Chap. 16

15/17 October
Week 7
Profiles
Profile assignment
Analysis of a profile
Reading: Rich, Chap. 22

Prepare two ideas for a profile. Please write a few paragraphs describing why the person or club is interesting and what would be your news peg. Be ready to discuss in class, a decision on your subject will be made today. Clip a profile from a newspaper or magazine.

22/24 October
Week 8
Web journalism
Reading: Rich, Chap. 12

Speeches, news conferences and meetings
Clip a story about a speech or meeting. 
Reading: Rich, Chap. 18

29/31 October
Week 9
Lab
Profile assignment, draft 1, due [NO EXCEPTIONS]

5/7 November
Week 10
Beat reporting
Reading: Rich, Chap. 17

Government/Crime stories 
Reading: Rich, Chap. 19 and 20

12/14 November
Week 11
Business News
Reading: AP Stylebook

Outside Reporting Assignment

19/21 November
Week 12
Lab 
Profile

Profile assignment, final draft, due [NO EXCEPTIONS]

26/28 November
Week 13
Broadcast writing
Reading: Rich, Chap. 11

Public Relations
Reading: Rich, Chap. 10

3/5 December
Week 14
Media jobs, internships and resumes
Reading: Rich, Chap. 23

Review