CA370 Syllabus Fall 2010

 

 

Syllabus CA370

Intermediate Reporting and Writing

 

 

Tuesday and Thursday, 8 – 9:15 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday UCOM 1265

Instructor: John Sellers, MA

UCOM Adjunct Office: Hours Tuesday and Thursday: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., or by appointment

Office Phone: 380-2816 - Home Phone: 633-4837 - Cell Phone: 604-4451

E-mail: jis301@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

 

Course Overview and Goals

This course focuses on how to efficiently gather information for good, solid, public journalism. As a practicum, the course is designed to engage potential print journalists of junior and senior levels in supervised practical application of previously studied print journalism theories. It provides opportunity for students to hone their acquired skills and produce portfolio-quality material for publication. Students will study an assigned text and participate in facilitated classroom discussions as they relate to their practical experiences reporting and writing for the University of South Alabama newspaper, The Vanguard. In cooperation with Vanguard staff, students will submit stories in hard news and feature news categories, including breaking news, special events, sporting events and academic discipline-sponsored events.

 

Required Texts: Latest Editions

Schwartz, Jerry. Associated Press Reporting Handbook

Melvin Mencher. News Reporting and Writing, 12th edition

Associated Press Stylebook (latest edition) or subscription on line at apstylebook.com

Sunday Press-Register - subscription or on line at www.al.com/mobile

 

Students will be expected to read, on a regular basis, The Mobile Press-Register, The Vanguard and USA Today.

 

NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to alter the readings and assignments to meet unexpected needs of students in the class.

 

Attendance, Participation and Exercises

Students are expected to arrive on time, every class, ready for active participation in discussions of assignments. Each student should be prepared to discuss current news and stories of local interest, especially to USA campus life. Each student is expected to help other students with story ideas, suggestions for sources and ways to handle problems in gathering information. During class, various exercises will be assigned. Some will be due at the beginning of class. Others will be done during class. Attendance, exercises and participation count for 20 percent of final grade.

 

Deadlines are absolute.

No makeups are allowed. In the real world, deadlines build on other deadlines for a final edition publication or broadcast. Reporters who miss deadlines in the real world cause serious problems for everyone who must handle stories and assign time and space. This is particularly crucial in broadcast, where the news anchor must account for every second of air time. A similar problem exists in print. If an editor must pull copy from somewhere else to fill space being held for a missing story, the entire process suffers. In other words, someone must do the job before the final deadline. To compensate for the absolute nature of this policy, and accommodate legitimate excuses, the lowest story grade will be dropped. Stories count for 30 percent of final grade.

 

Exams

Four AP Style exams will be given during the term. The lowest style test grade will be dropped. Three of these exams will comprise 10 percent of the final grade.

 

Feature Story

The heart of the course will be a Feature Story Project. Students will learn how to research for background and write a mid-term story, based strictly upon background research. Each student will submit a source list, including electronic library and Internet sources, as well as a list of books and articles used. This will sharpen analytical skills, teach source credibility, authority, perspective and source-reporting techniques. This background story will be graded as a mid-term exam and count for 15 percent of final grade. Students will then interview at least two persons, who are experts, authorities or other sources directly, or indirectly, connected with their topic. These interviews will be incorporated into the background story to complete the Feature Story Project. A report of interviews will be made part of the source material listing. The final story, complete with background and interview material, will be submitted for publication by The Vanguard and will be graded as the final exam. It will count for 25 percent of final grade.

 

Stories

At least four stories will be completely researched and written by each student. These stories, and rewrites, will account for 30 percent of the final grade. Stories not turned in on, or before, deadline will receive no higher than a “C” grade. Each story will be accompanied by a sources and contacts list. These stories will be assigned by The Vanguard. More than one student can work on the same story and submit it for consideration. In the absence of satisfactory number of story assignments for students to complete their four-story requirement, the instructor will make additional assignments.

 

All stories must use a minimum of three appropriate sources (more will be better), and must include information on sources not found in local news reports. A list of all sources interviewed, or contacted, for a story must accompany the story. This list must include the name of the source (spelled correctly), title (if being used as a source related to the person’s profession), explanation of why this person is an appropriate source for this story, the date and location the source was contacted and a phone number where the source can be reached for verification of information in the story. Stories without this information receive grades no higher than a “C.”

 

All work submitted in this class must be typed, double-spaced and in correct AP and broadcast style.

 

Grading:

Attendance, Exercises and Participation                                          20 Percent

4 AP Style Exams (Three Highest Scores)                                         10 Percent

Mid-Term Story                                                                               15 Percent

4 Stories (3 Highest Scores-Originals and Rewrites)                        30 Percent

Final Story                                                                                     25 Percent

 

Scale:

90.0 - 100 =                            A

80.0 - 89.9 =                           B

70.0 - 79.9 =                           C

60.0 - 69.9 =                           D

59.9 and below =                     F

 

Changes in Course Requirements

Since all classes do not progress at the same rate, the instructor may wish to modify the above requirements or their timing as circumstances dictate. For Example, the instructor may wish to change the number and frequency of exams, or the number and sequence of assignments. Students will be given adequate notification. Moreover, there may be non-typical classes for which these requirements are not strictly applicable in each instance and may need modification. If such modification is needed, it must be in writing, and conform to the spirit of this policy.

 

Disability Services

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with bona fide disabilities will be afforded reasonable accommodation. The Office of Special Student Services will certify a disability and advise faculty members of reasonable accommodations. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify the instructor/professor and provide certification from Disability Services. OSSS is located in Room 270 of the Student Center (460-7212)

 

Statement on Plagiarism

The University of South Alabama is committed to the fundamental value of academic honest. The student handbook, The Lowdown, defines plagiarism as one form of academic misconduct which is “subject to investigation and disciplinary action through appropriate university procedures.” Plagiarism is using somebody else’s ideas and/or words in your writing, without correctly identifying the sources.

 

Academic Conduct

Standards of academic conduct are set forth in the Student Academic Conduct Policy.  By registering at the university, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Conduct Policy, and you are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the code.  Please see The Lowdown for the complete Student Academic Conduct Policy.

Each instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the chair of the department.  The student involved will receive written notification describing the alleged violation and the recommended penalty, along with a copy of the policy.  The written notification will inform the student that if it is determined that previous incident(s) of Academic Misconduct have occurred, an additional or higher level charge may be brought.

The student involved has ten (10) Class days from receipt of the written notification to submit a written response to the instructor and request a conference with the department chair and the instructor.

 

Disruptive Behavior

All incidents of academic disruptive behavior will be documented in a Classroom Disruption/Behavior Concern Reports. Disruptive academic behavior is defined as individual or group conduct that interrupts or interferes with any educational activity or environment, infringes upon the rights and privileges of others, results in or threatens the destruction of property, and/or is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance of order in an academic environment.

An academic environment is defined as a classroom, laboratory, library, study hall, field trip or similar setting in which formal learning is taking place. Though dependent upon the size and nature of the academic setting, disruption refers to behavior a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct of an activity.

University of South Alabama’s policy regarding academic disruption is published in the student handbook, The Lowdown.

 

ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Reading and homework should be completed by the assigned date. Readings are primarily from the Associated Press Reporting Handbook and News Reporting and Writing, except where noted. Not every homework assignment will be graded on dates where multiple pages are assigned, but at least one of them will be graded for that date. Exercises are at:

 

https://paris.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073511994/student_view0/brush_up/

 

E-mail exercise results to jsjisellers@gmail.com

Aug. 24 – Introduction to the course: Diagnostic Quiz

 

Aug. 26 – Part One, The Reporter at Work: Chapter 1 – On the Job; “A Guide to AP Style” handout; Brush Up; Grammar Exercise 1: Subject-Verb and Spelling Exercise 1

 

Aug. 31 – Part Two, The Basics: Chapter 2 – Components of the Story; AP Editing Symbols; Brush Up; Grammar Exercise 2, Subject-Predicate and Style Exercise 1

 

Sept. 2 – Part Three, Writing the Story: Chapter 3 – What is News?; Grammar Exercise 3, Sentence Patterns and Spelling Exercise 2

 

Sept. 7 – Chapter 4 – The Internet and Other Tools of the Trade; Grammar Exercise 4, Simple, Compound, Complex and Style Exercise 2

Sept. 9 – Chapter 5 – The Lead; Grammar Exercise 5, Sentence Purposes and Spelling Exercise 3

 

Sept. 14 – Chapter 6 – Story Structure; Grammar Exercise 6, Fragments and Style Exercise 3

 

Sept. 16 – Chapter 7 – The Writer’s Art; Grammar Exercise 7, Fused, Run-On, Comma Splice and Spelling Exercise 4

 

Sept. 21 – Part Four, Reporting Principles: Chapter 11 – Digging for Information; Grammar Exercise 8, Dangling Modifiers and Style Exercise 4

 

Sept. 23 – Chapter 12 – Making Sound Observations; Grammar Exercise 9, Parallel Structure and Spelling Exercise 5

 

Sept. 28 – Chapter 13 – Building and Using Background; Grammar Exercise 10, Keeping Tenses Consistent and Punctuation Exercise 1

 

Sept. 30 – Chapter 14 – Finding, Cultivating and Using Sources; Grammar Exercise 11, Verb Tense Consistency and Review Exercise 1

 

Oct. 5 – BREAK

 

Oct. 7 – Chapter 15 – Interviewing Principles and Practices; Grammar Exercise 12, Subject-Verb Agreement and Review Exercise 2

 

Oct. 12 – Chapter 16 – Speeches, Meetings and News Conferences; Grammar Exercise 13, Pronouns and Review Exercise 3

 

Oct. 14 – MIDTERM BACKGROUND STORY DUE

 

Oct. 19 – Chapter 17 – Hunches, Feelings and Stereotypes; Grammar Test 1

 

Oct. 21 – Part Five, Accidents to Education: Chapter 18 – Accidents and Disasters; Punctuation Test II

 

Oct. 26 – Chapter 19 -- Obituaries; Spelling Test III

 

Oct. 28 – Chapter 20 – Police Beat; Style Test IV

 

Nov. 2 – Chapter 21 – The Courts; Review Exercise 3

 

Nov. 4 – Chapter 22 – Sports; Review Exercise 4

 

Nov. 9 – Chapter 23 – Business Reporting; Review Exercise 5

 

Nov. 11 – Chapter 24 – Local Government; Review Exercise 6

 

Nov. 16 – Chapter 24 – Education; Averages Exercise 1

 

Nov. 18 – Chapter 25 – Reporters and the Law; Averages Exercise 2

 

Nov. 23 – Chapter 26 – Defining the Appropriate; Percentages Exercise 1

 

Nov. 25 – THANKSGIVING

 

Nov. 30 – Final Story Project – Class Work; Percentages Exercise 2

 

Dec. 2 – Final Story Project – Class Work; Rates Exercise 1

 

Dec. 7 – Final Story Project – Class Work; Math for the Journalist, Test VII

 

Dec. 9 – Final Story Project – Independent Work Day, no Class

 

Dec. 10 – FINAL COMPLETED FEATURE STORY DUE by 10 a.m. (I will be in the classroom to receive your story from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m.