Applied Journalism - Newspaper Class - Basic Syllabus Information

Applied Journalism - Basic Syllabus Information

Applied Journalism (Comm 2249) in a one credit hour course that involves working on the student newspaper staff. There are a variety of positions on the newspaper. Most students serve as campus reporters, but the group also has editors, copyeditors, photographers, artists, and sales personnel (depending on the composition and the make up of the group).

Typically students join the newspaper staff with some experience in journalism; however, new staffers are welcome and can get extra help from editors and/or the advisor.

In terms of grading, students are expected to meet or exceed basic expectations in terms of content and group contributions. Rather than grade specific articles and contributions, students are offered feedback and opportunities to rework pieces as needed.

Meeting basic expectations with acceptable work would fall in the B range in terms of the grade. Those missing assignments or meetings will score lower. Students going the extra mile or providing very well written articles with few errors would be in the A range. See the grading sheet for more specifics on the expectations.

Class Expectations

All reporters will contribute one short piece per week (200 to 400 words) or one feature (400 plus words) or the equivalent and one extra duty per two week period. Deadlines are listed on the grade sheet.

An article is defined as a NEWS STORY (pitched and approved at full staff meetings) and not simply a list of fun facts or an interview that is presented as a bulleted list or a Q&A. The softer materials can be completed as extra duties. Remember that you want to complete an extra duty twice per month during the semester, so doing a “just for fun” piece can count as an extra.

Students in other roles will need to meet with the advisor and determine specific expectations with a similar schedule outline that meets the needs of the student, position, and the full staff.

Assignments should be completed and turned in on the date assigned. Do not wait until the due date to start, or you likely will not be able to get all the information needed to make your deadline. Also remember that you need a photo or photos with your article, and they should be sized appropriately. Your own shots are best, but you can find royalty free photos at www.morguefile.com Do not cut and paste photos from other sources, unless you are sure that you have permission to do so.

In addition, students will help with an extra duty contribution once per two week period. These duties vary and could include things like taking photos for another staff member, picking up pizza, checking the messages and deleting spam from the web site.

All students are expected to be at Pioneer meetings. There will be a 5 point deduction per meeting missed after one free miss. The time slot does mean that there will be some schedule conflicts. Students may get an excused absence but only prior to the meeting (not after the fact).

Editor Positions

Students contributing at high levels and taking on more responsibilities will be considered for editor spots. These positions are on a semester by semester basis, but editors fulfilling duties effectively may apply at the end or a semester to hold the spot for the next semester.

New staff members will need to earn editor slots. After performing at a high level and learning the skills needed to take on editor duties, students may apply the week prior to mid term reports for editor jobs for the second half of the semester. Editors already on duty will evaluate the applications and make recommendations as well as providing support to new editors.

Once in an editor spot, the editor will be responsible for content in the area selected. Ultimately the materials in a given section fall back on the editor for that area. That means that editors will check all items posted and will follow up on any concerns in the assigned area. Failure to maintain the section at a professional level will be reflected in the final grade of the editor and will also be grounds for the loss of an editor title. In other words, don’t seek out an editor title for resume purposes and then drop the ball. If the work load is too heavy, make an appointment to discuss a reassignment. Again, it’s about working as a solid team.

Dropping the Class

Sometimes students find that newspaper involves too much work during any given semester (especially for athletes in season or theatre students with heavy production schedules). Do make contact with the editors and advisor if this turns out to be the case. You are always welcome back later, but it is not fair to the rest of the staff to leave everyone hanging. Just be courteous and let someone know if you are not able to meet the obligations.

Text

No text is required for Applied Journalism, but the Arco How to Write Newspaper and Magazine Articles is a good investment (and not very expensive). It is usually in the bookstore and also at web sites like www.half.com Even experienced writers can get a quick brush up and some great samples in the small pocket-sized text.

Welcome to the Newspaper Team!