Professor: Paul Bush

Office: Fitzwater                                Office hours: W 10:00-12, T-Th 12:30-

Phone: 4040; home: 878-3552                        1:30  & by appointment

email: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu

About this course:

I want this course to:

• give you a new set of skills that will help you both college and in the working world
• give you a new perspective on what’s happening in the world today
• be challenging
• be rewarding

I want you to learn about journalism and how it is an eye on America and the world, but I also want you:

• to be a “creator” when it comes to technology – using it to make people see and understand
• to gain a sense  of power and confidence that comes when your work results in something that is read by and is useful to the larger community

In order to do that, over the last eight years or so I’ve tried to find the best ways to make this a course that works for students.  That includes an emphasis on creating something meaningful and on engaging in a professional experience, one that echoes what you’ll find when you go to work after college.

On your part, for these things to happen and for this course to be a successful experience you will have to:

• care about learning
• put in effort both in and out of class

Are you willing to work on behaviors that hold you back or interfere with your success?  For example, procrastination is deadly for a journalist, and it’s not great even for a college student.  If you’re a procrastinator, are you willing to try changing that?

It takes 30 days to create new habits and erase old ones – are you willing to do that if it will make a positive difference in your life?  If you are, I’ll help you.

But the other side of the coin is that I have a hard time with students who don’t try, who slide and slack.  They’re the ones who don’t show up the day they have an assignment due (because they haven’t done it).  They’re the ones who don’t do the reading.  They’re the ones with lame excuses for low quality work – saying an interview subject wasn’t available, when in reality they didn’t contact the interview subject until the last minute.  They end up earning D’s and F’s – if they don’t end up getting kicked out before the semester is over.

On the other hand, if a student who consistently tries hard gets messed over by an interview subject, I don’t blame the student.  If someone who has been putting in effort all semester forgets to do the reading or can’t memorize all the countries in Europe the first time around, I am understanding.

A working metaphor for this class might be that of a sports team.  I’m the coach: I have a position of authority, but I can’t force you to achieve higher levels of performance.  Your performance is dependent on your commitment and willingness to put in effort. But if you’re willing to try, I can help you get better.

Why be a journalist?

If you like knowing something first, particularly when you believe that others need to know it too; if you like seeing your name on something that hundreds or thousands of people are going to read; if you like a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment – then there’s nothing better than being a journalist.

What happens if you don’t go into journalism as a career?  It doesn’t matter.  You won’t be one of the multitude who are mindlessly critical of newspaper reporters and who rank journalists just above used car salesmen – you’ll know what goes on in the newsroom and out on the beat and you’ll know when journalists really deserve that ranking and when they don’t.

The skills in journalism are the same skills you need for a successful liberal arts education: asking questions (of others and yourself), organizing information, writing well and thinking critically.

Objectives:

At the end of the semester you will fill out an objectives assessment, evaluating how successful you were in achieving these goals.

Objective:

learn basic newswriting, the foundation of all journalism.

Why? If you want to consider journalism as a career, it should be obvious.  But basic newswriting also involves disciplining your brain to look at and organize material in a systematic way, making sense of it.  The benefit will carry over to other classes that have nothing to do with Mass Comm.

Newswriting outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least two articles) that you can:

• write effective one-sentence summary leads
• interview and quote at least two subjects effectively
• use the inverted pyramid properly
• show a proper grasp of newsvalues

Objective:

practice effective newsgathering, without which newswriting is impossible.

Why? If you don’t have solid facts, you don’t have a story.  Yet many professional journalists are criticized for “working the phones,” that is, not getting away from their desks to find the news.  Newsgathering is often the toughest part of a story, because you have to find a story – and the information that goes with it – before other people even recognize what’s going on.  It requires creativity and hard work.

Newsgathering outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of a legwork assignment and articles) that you can:

• find solid news stories on campus (ones that have strong news values) and gather the first round of facts and quotes on them.
• interview people in different fields/areas and gather essential information from them.

Objective:

understand the ethical underpinning of good journalism.

Why? Well, without moral actions, what are we left with?  Journalism is one of the most important professions in America.  What tenets do good journalists adhere to, even when the pressure is on to do otherwise?  Knowing the answer to this will affect your ability to analyze the journalistic controversies that arise long into the future.

Ethics outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of answers to ethics test questions or a written explanation) that you can:

• explain various elements (major and minor) of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) code of ethics
• apply elements of the SPJ code to ethical dilemmas and discuss how they can help lead to a course of action

Objective:

start using different technologies to present and accompany your work

Why? Technology is an integral part of 21^st Century life.  Using it is not just a matter of mastering the software or the device, but also one of choosing how to best use it to support what you’re trying to achieve.

Technology outcome: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of Exchange articles, photos and video clips) that you can:

• publish online using a WordPress theme
• take and illustrate an article with effective photographs
• take appropriate video clips and insert them in articles

Objective:

develop the skill of planning ahead in order to achieve goals

Why? Planning ahead sounds simple, but it means recognizing potential obstacles and dealing with them before they can trip you up.  Mastering this skill is essential to being a success in any endeavor.

Planning outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of multiple examples of scheduling interviews and arranging for timely check out of still and video cameras as appropriate) that you can:

• contact interview subjects for timely meetings (ones where there is no time for a face-to-face interview)
• arrange check out of still and video cameras so that you always the needed equipment at interviews (avoiding scheduling conflicts because of heavy demand for equipment)

Objective:

understand the role that journalists play in democracy.

Why? If you have to ask that question, then you don’t know the importance of the role they play.  Without journalists, people in power will control information, which makes it easier to control people, and a democracy in which people are manipulated isn’t much of a democracy.

Journalism in democracy outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of an essay question answer or through meeting with me in individual conferences) that you can:

• articulate the role of journalists in democracy and explain why it is so important

Objective:

begin developing knowledge of basic style rules.

Why? You won’t get a job in journalism if your writing is filled with basic errors.

Style rule outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one style rule test where you have gotten the majority of the questions right) that you:

• know some of the basic writing rules needed by beginning reporters.

Objective:

develop a sense of world geography and of world news.

Why? Journalists are responsible for reporting what goes on in the world.  Journalists also know what’s going on in the news – it’s part of their profession.

World geography and news outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one successful geography and news test) that you can:

• identify a number of countries in a given geographical area
• demonstrate familiarity with ongoing news

Objective:

act professionally.

Why? It’s essential practice for what’s to come in the rest of college and the rest of your life.  Taking on responsibility and successfully meeting it is a habit like any other.  You can’t turn it on after graduation like a light switch.  Meeting the standards that have been set for you – such as doing the reading and participating in class or online – can sometimes be a pain, but it always pays off.

Objective:

work with upper level journalism students.

Why? Franklin Pierce offers a unique opportunity to work with Journalism 2 students, who will provide editorial feedback on your articles, and with Convergent Journalism students, who will evaluate your work for possible publication in The Exchange.  Working with them will add to the educational experience, and it will also provide a sense of what it’s like to work in an electronic newsroom.

Standards and Expectations:

I expect all students to act professionally, just as they would in the first three or four months at a new job with a boss of my generation. Just as one would never argue with, badmouth, whine to, complain about a job assignment, surf the web, carry on conversations while the boss is talking or anything of that general nature, I expect that it will not happen here.  Anything that detracts from the positive learning environment (discourages, disrupts or undermines it) will be considered unprofessional.

This standard may require some students to reflect on how they have acted in other classes or in other settings and evaluate whether or not those behaviors will meet my expectations – which is to say, there’s no excuse for unprofessional behavior.

Points will be deducted for unprofessional behavior.  At the most, I will say, “That’s unprofessional,” to indicate that points have been lost.  Professionalism also extends to behavior towards classmates, and to taking feedback to heart and acting on it.

Some behavior may result in a student being told to leave for the day, which will be counted as an absence, or being told to leave until such time as he or she has met with ResLife, Academic Services or another appropriate service and that office informs that a productive meeting has taken place aimed at understanding and addressing that behavior.   Absences will accrue until I receive such a notice.  If that office feels that multiple meetings are necessary, the failure to attend those meetings will result in absences until such time as productive meetings take place again.

Students who lose all professionalism points will receive an F for the class.  Grossly unprofessional conduct will result in an immediate F.

Plagiarism is the height of unprofessional conduct.  It is passing someone else’s work off as your own.  This includes “copy and paste” plagiarism and copying the work of another student.  A student who commits any act of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, who keeps a record of plagiarism, and will suffer appropriate consequences ranging from loss of points to immediately flunking the course.  (Note: fictionalizing quotes or facts in articles will result in the same consequences.  As you’ll learn later in the course, plagiarism and fictionalizing are among the worst crimes a journalist can commit.)

Students with documented learning disabilities should approach me out of class, and I will make every accommodation that I reasonably can.

Folders:

You will keep all your graded work in a folder, which I’ll hold on to until the end of the semester.   Do not put material that is due to be graded in these folders – I won’t see it and you won’t be graded.

Other Fundamentals:

Regularly checking your e-mail is a must.  We will use your FPC account, so make sure your mailbox is empty.  (Two instances of being told to empty your mailbox will be considered unprofessional.)  Saying “I didn’t get that” or “I didn’t read that” is not an acceptable reason whether a student is in this class or at work.

• If I ask for a response from students to an e-mail I’ve sent, failure to respond in 36 hours will cost points.

Regularly visit the class site at www.fpujournalism.org/classes

Regularly read The Exchange at www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange

No food in the classroom.  Drinks in covered containers are OK.

Never, ever surf to a non-classwork-related site.  It is unprofessional and will result in the immediate loss of points.

Read the syllabus at least once a week and consult the rubrics before and while you’re working on an assignment.

An idiosyncrasy of mine:

I don’t mind answering questions twice, since I know that sometimes there are reasons for having missed an answer.  However, being asked the same question three times drives me up the wall.  It suggests to me the student doesn’t respect what’s going on in class enough to pay attention.  To be honest, I’m also not real super with students who need reassurance that what’s in the syllabus is what has to be done – I put a lot of effort into the syllabus and if it’s here, I don’t expect to repeat it.

Earning Points:

The key to earning points is providing clear, demonstrable evidence that you are doing the things below or are reaching the highest levels of the grading rubrics.  (If there is any doubt about having clearly reached goals, etc., there will be no arguments: I will be fair, but I am the final judge.)

Class managing editor                            5

Legwork, newsbrief, &                                      3

other assignments

Articles & learning statements             25

Photos & videos                                     8

Professionalism                           3

Various tests/quizzes/etc.                     36

Outcomes self-analysis                          2

Reflection papers                                    4 (2 each)

My professional evaluation of you       10

Presence                                                  4 (see rubric for full accounting)

• The rubrics below are intended as guidelines. I haven’t been able to include all the factors that go into evaluating performance, but there will be nothing that you haven’t learned in class.
• I’ll be glad to discuss your grade with you up until Nov. 15.  After that, improving your grade will be best served by concentrating on your final assignments.
• I do not give extra credit assignments, but you can earn up to 5½ points by working with upperclasss journalism students on advertising, campus surveys and other projects.  The points will vary from 1½ to 2½ per project.

Managing editor:

The managing editor (ME) acts as the traffic cop at a publication, keeping everything functioning.  In class, the ME will be responsible for staying on top of the assignment schedule and the syllabus, reminding the class (and me) about assignments and deadlines, which includes emailing everyone as many times as there are shifts.  The ME is also responsible for answering questions about the syllabus, about how to prepare articles/drafts/reader responses/cover sheets/etc. for turn-in, etc. The ME should always include me in emails in order to get credit.

You will sign up to be ME twice during the semester.  If a second slot isn’t available, you will do a photo slide gallery in the Exchange illustrating some campus matter.  Ifa second slot is available for you, it will worth +1 point.  (You’ll have to pick names from hat if there is competition for any open positions.)

Legwork:

The legwork assignment will require you to physically visit offices, departments, etc. on campus.  You’ll get information about possible stories that have good newsvalues along with the contact information for your sources.  The form requires you to get the signature of your source.  This assignment can be done in a two-person team, but you must both be present to get information.

Newsbrief:

The newsbrief assignment is intended as a warm-up, a chance to write a five sentence mini-article with a quote about something happening on campus (or nearby).  I want it to be more than a Ravenflash.  It can be about a club about to hold a meeting, some student group’s plan for the semester, what happened in your dorm, something special that some professor is planning to do, etc.  If you can, get a quote from someone involved in the subject (identify them properly).  Remember, the key to news is something new that is happening or that has happened: give your readers information that they can use or that they probably didn’t know.

Articles and learning statements:

Journalists don’t miss deadlines.  Late articles will have a detrimental effect on your professional evaluation.

The article grading is structured so that my expectations rise: I expect you to get better and better through the semester (unless you start out really great).  That means I’ll be more inclined to cut you slack in the early articles.  This is also why I allow the first article to be team-reported and –written.

Article length:             #1  250 words, 2 sources quoted

#2  250 words, 2 sources

#3  300 words, 2 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

#4  350 words, 3 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

#5  350 words, 3 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

You may not quote a roommate, classmate or friend unless they play an active role in the story.

When you hand in the hard copy of your article (along with small copies of your photos), you will also submit a learning statement: a paragraph – at least five sentences – on what your experience interviewing, taking photos/video, writing, etc. was like.

Drafts will be due on Tuesday at 9:25 a.m., filed as a “draft” on the Exchange site.  You will get reader-responses in class, along with an emailed critique from an upperclass student.  Your revision is due Thursday at 9:25 a.m., replacing your first draft on the Exchange site.  (These times may change to Monday and Wednesday evening if necessitated by editing for the Exchange.)

You will also hand in hard copies of your work at the start of class for me to grade.

• On top, you’ll place the cover sheet that I’ll give you.
• You’ll attach your learning statement to the cover sheet.
• Next, you’ll attach your article and small versions of your photos (when part of the assignment).
• Finally, you’ll attach printouts of the reader-responses that you’ve received.

(Managing editors will remind you about all this when necessary.)

Revised draft:

Interviewing:

Writing:

Learning statement:

Photos attached (when appropriate):

Video inserted on Exchange draft (when appropriate):

Various tests/quizzes:

Among the items that will be tested will be mastery of: journalism in democracy concepts, ethics, newsvalues/5 Ws/inverted pyramid, map knowledge, etc.  There will also be news quizzes: every two weeks or so on Tuesday I’ll tell you about news articles that caught my eye, then on Thursday there will be a quiz on it.  On several of those Thursdays there will also be map and other quizzes.

Reflection papers:

Twice during the course you’ll write a three page (complete to the bottom of the 3^rd page) reflection on how the course has gone for you up till that point.  Strong reflections will refer to the goals and objectives of the course.

Outcomes self-analysis:

Near the end of the semester I’ll give you a form to fill out, concretely describing how you have achieved the course outcomes: listing specific articles, etc.

Presence:

Since illness might strike you unexpectedly, I strongly recommend that students avoid any absences that might be due to oversleeping, etc.

• Be aware that I consider two lates to equal an absence.

Professionalism:

Professionalism, as described above, is preparation for the rest of your college education as well as for the work world.  Since this is a college class with high standards, many of the behaviors that are common in high school classrooms will not be acceptable here.  When in doubt, a student should ask about a behavior before exhibiting it – anything that detracts from learning and a positive atmosphere is definitely unprofessional.

• Anyone earning zero professionalism points will be dropped from the course with an F.
• Any act that is grossly unprofessional – that would get a new employee fired in the work world – will result in an F.

My professional evaluation of you:

My professional evaluation will focus on your commitment and effort toward being successful in class.  This will include giving evidence of having done reading assignments during class discussions and of consistent participation in discussions. (If I don’t think you’re speaking up enough, I’ll let you know, but I’ll expect improvement.)  My professional evaluation will also include such things as your response to my coaching, your ability to schedule equipment check out, your willingness to develop new, positive habits, etc.

• Any student who is truly outstanding for steadily superior attitude, work, etc. may get additional points at my discretion.

• One caveat to that: someone who over-participates, by which I mean talks so much that others don’t have a chance to contribute, cannot get extra points.

Snow Policy:

If class is not held, assignments will still be due.  Any meetings scheduled with other students must still be held.  Articles, as well as photos and video clips, will be saved on the Exchange site (where upper level students will decide about publishing them).  At the following class period, you will turn in hard copies of your work, unless I have told you otherwise.

Texts:

Harrower, Inside Reporting, 2^nd edition.

We will be using the SPJ code of ethics (available at www.spj.org).

Schedule:

The semester schedule is attached.  The schedule may change in order to take advantage of learning opportunities (campus speakers, etc.), recent events in journalism, etc.  The changes will be announced via email, if not in class – another reason to regularly check your e-mail.

Professor: Paul Bush

Office: Fitzwater                                Office hours: W 10-12, T-Th 12:30-1:30, & by Phone: 4040; home: 878-3552                                    appointment

e-mail: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu  (remember the “d”)

The primary goal of this course is to introduce you to the ways journalism is changing and to familiarize you with some of the skills that are required because of those changes.  In addition, this course will help you prepare for the post-graduation world (even if you don’t go into journalism).

My teaching philosophy is “if at all possible, do it in order to learn it.”  The corollary of that is “do it in steps, from easiest to hardest.”  This course, like all my journalism classes, follows that philosophy. You’ll be working in teams step by step, in order to become familiar with the technology and skills.

There’s another corollary (a point that follows naturally from or is linked to the first): “the amount of responsibility you take for your education determines how much you actually learn.”  I know almost all of you and I know that you’re capable of really good work.  Unfortunately, I also know that at times things get in your way and even that sometimes you sabotage yourself through procrastination and other self-defeating behaviors.  Regrettably there’s not a lot I can do about that, other than refuse to relax my standards – unless you want to do something about it.  As you get closer to the job world, the more important it becomes to confront the behaviors that keep you from doing your best.  So, if you’re willing to be upfront about those behaviors, I’m willing to help you overcome them.

On the other hand, as you may have found out in the past, it’s always possible to slide some degree of slacking past a professor, especially if you’re working in teams.  I ask that you recognize that slacking (not doing the work, not starting it on time, etc.) means that you’re giving up responsibility for your learning – when that happens, there’s not a lot that I can do.

I want this class to be a valuable experience for you, but it means that at times you’re going to be responsible for doing some serious work.  Ultimately, the payoff will be that you have the skills and the work habits that employers value.

At its most basic level this course will allow you to explore new technology and its uses and to understand the hot topics at the heart of journalism today.  It will also serve as a bridge to the working world – which is all the more important given the awful state of the economy and the likelihood that it’s going to stay that way through your graduation.  The more effort you put into projects – creating individual examples of group projects, for example – the easier it will be for you to start effective job-hunting and the bigger the payoff for you.

A special note: Much of the equipment that we’ll be using – the Macs, as well as the “backpack” components – only arrived in the last week of August (some still hasn’t arrived as school starts).  We’ll be using Macs in large part because the software is so easy, but as a consequence of the late shipping, I’m not adept with all of it – so this class is going to be a mutual learning process.  Another part of this is that some of you have already been exposed to some of the skills and technology in other courses.  If that’s the case, I’m looking to you to help teach others how to use/how to do it.

In addition, although I’ve assigned deadlines for the group projects, in your groups you can decide to start them early.  I am open to alternate scheduling, as long as deadlines are made and the Exchange has a variety of material to publish.  If everyone is taking responsibility for their learning and standards are being met, I’m open to making modifications (I’ll expect the class managing editor and the project editors to present me with an acceptable plan).

Immediate Goals and Objectives:

In this course you will:

• learn how and why the journalism industry is changing
• familiarize yourself with social media and its uses for professionals
• introduce yourself to blogging as a professional tool
• expose yourself to issues in journalism
• practice skills needed for a converged newsroom such as photography, audio, and video
• experiment with crowdsourcing
• write articles, including those that result from crowdsourcing
• take leadership roles as project editors, weekly managing editor, working with J1s, etc.
• continue to work in an online newsroom, the Exchange
• work with J1 students, editing their work and enlisting them to work on  your advertising project (and perhaps others)

At the end of the course I’ll ask you to do a self-assessment of how well you’ve achieved these goals, and as in all my courses you’ll write two reflection papers on how the course is working for you.

Projects:

The course will revolve around a number of individual projects, or assignments, and group projects, which will usually result in individual products – the group portion of the assignment will provide a way to learn the techniques and to get support when producing your individual product.

Choosing your team will be important, since you’ll have to meet out of class – and face to face meetings are important for brainstorming, production, etc. (To be clear: I want you to meet face to face.)  The makeup of the teams can change, as long as students are completing all assignments in a timely fashion and deadlines are being made.

Once your team chooses its deadline, I expect you to make all necessary meetings and take part equally in getting the project completed.  I will not be in the least sympathetic to “I couldn’t go to the meeting because I had to …”  (I most certainly do not want to hear “we couldn’t do a good job because ______ wouldn’t do a fair share.”)

The projects start out fairly simple and progress from there.

• Facebook project: the first exposure to social media will involve creating an Exchange Facebook page that includes photos of all j. students (including J1’s and independent study students putting out the Exchange) and some articles.  (ME’s will be responsible for updating the Facebook page each issue.)
• “Advice” project: two stages: 1) you’ll get fellow students to use our Macs to record videos of them giving advice to freshmen on how to get the most out of college, etc. 2) you’ll use Flipcams, Sonys or Nikons to record faculty or staff  giving advice to everyone.
• Audio:  simple, limited-editing voice over by an interview subject, accompanied by their photo.  Example: what Christmas means to me, the most eye-opening moment for me in college was _______, etc.
• SoundSlides project (or its Apple equivalent): two stages: 1) you’ll create a slide show with your commentary as voice over, 2) you’ll create a slide show with the subject’s commentary as the voice over.  Examples: a day in the life of a student/staff member, putting out an issue of the Exchange, coverage of an SGA meeting, etc.
• News video: create a 45-90 second news report, post it to YouTube and embed it in the Exchange.

On a number of these assignments many of you will be able to quickly produce the project as a team.  If that’s the case, I expect you to then each produce a project that you can call your own.  You’ll file this with your online portfolio – potential employers are going to be far more impressed with actual proof of your skills than with resume items that say, “As part of a team, produced …”

Please note: We’re going to focus these projects on the positive side of community.  However, news articles and news videos will be on whatever is news.  *Though we may not cite names if there’s a compelling reason, no anonymous contributions will be allowed.*

[The same progression goes for individual assignments:

• Social media familiarization will begin with monitoring Twitter, then reading j. organization blog sites, then finding five individual bloggers who interest you, before culminating in planning your own blog and how to advertise it.
• Job hunting preparation will begin with signing up for Wired Journalists and other appropriate sites/organizations, writing your resume, creating a LinkedIn profile, revising your resume, before creating an online portfolio (and revising your resume some more).]

[Editing J1 articles will be done mostly in class; however, the last three to four weeks of class will require extra effort and possibly out of class meetings as you take over production of the Exchange.]

Some of the team and individual projects will overlap, as when you take photos – some may be used for SoundSlides, etc.  There will also be some assignments not listed above.

Leadership:

Leading others is an important skill.  You’ll need to volunteer to act as project editor for two major team projects

Project editors answer to me: you are responsible for making sure that your group has a quality assignment done by the deadline.  I expect that everyone in the team will participate fully and will support the project editor, but the editor is responsible for ensuring that everything gets done.

You will also need to sign up to serve as weekly managing editor plus two jobs the equivalent of ME.  The ME will serve for two weeks, which means there are only 7 slots available: the eighth person will organize the pizza party.  The first equivalent task will be to write for the Exchange (based on our crowdsourcing experiments).  For the second task you will be able to choose from arranging an iChat with a journalist or journalism grad (must be good choice and you’re responsible for ensuring it works), organizing and videotaping a news scenario for J1s (a faux news event with various “witnesses”/sources) or producing a slideshow or video that requires editing by yourself (I recommend this for your portfolio/future job hunting).

Standards and Expectations:

Most of the following is old hat to you, since you’ve had me before, but it’s worth mentioning again.

Be present and on time.  Being absent is one of two things that will cost you points that you have already earned.  See below for the other.

Be professional.  I expect all students to act professionally, just as they would in the first three or four months at a new job with a boss of my generation. Just as one would never argue with, badmouth, whine to, complain about a job assignment, carry on conversations while the boss is talking or anything of that general nature, I expect that it will not happen here.  Anything that detracts from the positive learning environment (discourages, disrupts or undermines it) will be considered unprofessional.

Points will be deducted for unprofessional behavior.  At the most, I will say, “That’s unprofessional,” to indicate that points have been lost.  Professionalism also extends to behavior towards classmates, and to taking feedback to heart and acting on it.  Some behavior may result in a student being told to leave for the day, which will be counted as an absence, or being told to leave until such time as he or she has met with ResLife and Academic Services and developed an understanding – which must be put into writing for me – of why that behavior occurred, why it is inappropriate and what actions will be taken to prevent it from happening in any class again. Absences will accrue until a satisfactory letter is turned in.

Students who lose all professionalism points will receive an F for the class.  Grossly unprofessional conduct will result in an immediate F.

For god’s sake, don’t surf the web and don’t get distracted by your computer screen.  Eyes on the screen and a hand on the mouse are dead giveaways.  If you can’t conquer this behavior during class discussions, you’ll be asked to leave the room.

Plagiarism is passing someone else’s work off as your own and is obviously unprofessional.  In journalism, fictionalizing is equally vile.  Doing either in this class will, at a minimum, earn you a 0 for the assignment and will in all likelihood result in an F for the course.

Students with documented learning disabilities should approach me out of class, and I will make every accommodation that I reasonably can.

Snow policy:

The job gets done, no matter what.  If you have team meetings scheduled, I expect you to make them.  If you have a team project due, post it to the Exchange as planned, regardless of whether or not we have class.  Give me a hard copy, if appropriate, at the next class.  The same goes for individual projects: if they are due on the Exchange, post them by the deadline.  If they are to be handed in, email them to me (at bushpd@franklinpierce.edu) and hand in a hard copy at the next class unless I tell you otherwise.

Earning Points:

Class is based on a 100 point system.  I provide the rubrics below so that you can see what the expectations for assignments are.  I’ll be glad to talk to you about your grade until Nov. 15: after that your effort is best spent on finishing assignments.

See the attached sheet for assignments and earning points.  You can use that sheet to keep track of your deadlines, etc.

In-class Managing Editor:

Once during the semester for a two-week period you’ll take responsibility for providing managerial leadership, helping keep students (and professor) on track.

Team project editor:

You will serve as team editor twice during the semester for the six team projects plus the Facebook project.  (The newsvideo project editing position will be available as a third, extra-points assignment for three qualified students.)

ME equivalent assignments:

Everyone, except for the three who take on an additional position as newsvideo project editor, will sign up for two ME equivalent assignments.  The first will involve writing for the Exchange; the second will be chosen from arranging an iChat with a journalist or journalism grad, organizing and videotaping a news scenario for J1s or producing a slideshow or video that requires editing by yourself.

The Exchange:

Second equivalent assignment:

Individual and other projects:

Advertising:

Reflection papers (mid- and end-of-semester):

Outcomes self-assessment:

2½ point team and individual assignments:

(Twitter: identify 10 people involved in journalism through websites and follow their tweets for a week, submit log of daily message summary plus explanation of how and why chosen, statement of what learned.)

(Blog #1: identify 5 journalism blogs/websites through “blog rolls,” subscribe via RSS, etc. for a week, submit log of daily message summary plus explanation of how and why chosen, statement of what learned.)

(Blog #2: identify 5 individual bloggers of your choice through “blog rolls,” subscribe via RSS, etc. for a week, submit log of daily message summary plus explanation of how and why chosen, statement of what learned.)

(Blog #3: create a convincing plan for a blog of your own that has an identified audience, a convincing rationale as to why the blog will be unique-ish (what it will offer to that audience that is different and appealing), an example of an entry, plus 9 other topics for entries, along with an explanation for how you will advertise the blog.)

(Photos: take 15 high quality photos, resize and touch up as necessary; can be used for slideshows and other assignments, photo galleries, etc.  Include best in online portfolio, submit scaled down printout no later than week 14.)

(Advice #1: using Mac webcams record a fellow student (not classmate) offering advice to freshmen on how to get most out of FPU experience; save to YouTube; post to Exchange.)

(Audio: record audio of non-classmate subject discussing topic of interest to Exchange audience – falling under the categories of “gives me something to talk about,” “looks out for my interests,” “makes me smarter,” etc. – as audio clip accompanied by photo; save and post to Exchange.)

5 point individual projects:

You will submit a draft resume at the start of week 11 and revise it until I think it is complete.  You will submit a draft online portfolio in week 12 and revise it until I think it is complete.  Failure to submit an effective draft (one that shows effort), to make consistent efforts to revise over the next 2 weeks (not all done at end) or failure to complete revision to my satisfaction within 2 weeks will adversely affect your grade.

5 point group projects:

(Slideshows: take multiple evocative photographs (illustrating what voice over is touching on) as photo gallery with voice over by 1) you, 2) the subject.  Edit and post.)

(Video advice: take video of non-classmate subject (preferably faculty or staff) describing topic of interest to Exchange audience – falling under the categories of “gives me something to talk about,” “looks out for my interests,” “makes me smarter,” etc.  Edit and post.)

(Newsvideo: produce a 45 second or longer news clip with video footage, voice over, interviews, and stand-up.)

Working with a J1 to build knowledge/enthusiasm (additional task):

It should be obvious that in order to get an A, students will need to earn 5 points for producing individual versions of these projects.  That may not be possible in all cases, so it is possible to earn partial points for enlisting a J1 to work with you: the J1 will need to write a statement for me about what he or she did and learned.  An important part of this will be whether or not the J1 felt part of the team/felt a sense of enthusiasm/came away with something positive, etc.  If two of you work with the J1, you can split 1 point; if one of you takes on the mentoring role, you earn the point.

Exchange production:

My professional evaluation:

My professional evaluation of you will factor in such elements as consistent effort, attitude, informal leadership (supporting others, supporting class goals, etc.), the degree to which I think you’ve taken responsibility for your learning, etc.  A student who takes the class seriously, reads the syllabus, reads the rubrics, etc. should have no worries about this.
Presence:

Absences count off.  Since illness might strike you unexpectedly, I strongly recommend that students avoid any absences that might be due to oversleeping, etc.

• Two lates will equal an absence.
• At 3 consecutive absences or 6 absences total, I will in all likelihood drop the offending student from the course.

Professionalism:

Texts:

I’ll provide you with online material.

You’re expected to read the Exchange weekly.  Indications that you haven’t will affect my professional evaluation of you.

P rofessor Paul Bush

Office: Fitzwater Center

Office hours: M-W-F 10-11, T-Th 10:50-11:20 & by appointment

Telephone: 4040 (home: 878-3552)

E-mail: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu

News writing and reporting are great, but after a while you’ll yearn for something that is less regimented and more of a challenge.  That’s where feature writing comes in.

Feature writing offers you the chance to explore subjects more creatively and more in-depth.  It puts more of a demand on you as a writer: you won’t be able to rely on formulas like the inverted pyramid.  Meeting those demands, however, is what makes feature writing satisfying.

One of the things that I want you to do is to take risks – try writing in ways that you never have before.  You must always adhere to the basic rule of nonfiction: don’t pipe anything.  Fictionalizing, faking it, making things up, etc. is absolutely forbidden.  I would rather see you stretch as a writer than write a hum-drum, run-of-the-mill feature, such as the how-to or the numbers feature.  However, you will be exposed to all the skills – coming up with ideas, interviewing, paying attention and so on – that are necessary for all features, whether they are in newspapers or magazines.

I like this course a lot.  I’ve been a feature writer almost all of my journalistic life, but that’s not the only reason.  I’ve refined this course and over the years more and more students have been successful at it.  One example of that is “workshopping.”  It will give you a taste of what you might get in a graduate writing program, but over the last two years of employing it  it’s proved to be a useful tool for undergraduates. Throughout this course I’ll be showing you the upper end of the feature writing spectrum, but even if you never write a literary nonfiction piece, the skills you learn will make you a stronger writer of standard features.

As a consequence of all this, you have to be committed to doing well in this course.  Reflect on whether you’re willing to push yourself, as your writing and the deadlines will require you to do, and on the requirements I lay out below – everyone who comes back to class next week is agreeing that they’ll live up to the standards I have set for you.

LEARNING OUTCOMES/COURSE OBJECTIVES:

I hope that you come out of this course knowing that you have the stuff to be a feature writer.  In the process, you will learn and/or reinforce the following:

the need to focus on a person

the importance of getting to the heart of that person (what makes him or her worth reading about)

how to gather information, anecdotes, dialog, etc. that help you do the above

the critical role that tension/emotional stakes play in answering “so what?”

the part played by “the elements of story” – powerful verbs, writing concisely, concrete detail and other techniques that help set good features apart

the difference between showing and telling, as well as the difference between quotes and dialog

one way to write effective query and cover letters

the role that theme can play (however, this is a tough concept to apply – we may employ the idea of “unifying thread”)

Since I have designated these things as learning outcomes, you’ll need to write a self-evaluation/self-reflection at least twice during the semester demonstrating to me your progress towards these goals.  You’ll be able to use examples from your work as evidence, but you’ll also need to show me through your analysis that you’re thinking about the whole process of writing.

You will continue progress towards the goals of the Franklin Pierce student experience, which includes learning that “you must be an active seeker of knowledge throughout your life,” which is one of the central elements in being a good feature writer.

TEXTS:

Hallman, Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask (Sam)

Klement & Matalene Telling Stories Taking Risks: Journalism Writing at the Century’s Edge (TSTR)

Jack Hart, A Writer’s Coach (Hart)

Francis Flaherty, The Elements of Story (TES)

I expect all my journalism students to read the Exchange as it comes out.  The plan at the moment is for features to be updated weekly and news to be updated three times a week.  The new location is www.fpujournalism.org/TheExchange.

POLICIES:

Don’t miss class.  This is critical because of the amount of learning that will go on in the classroom.  Being late twice will count as an absence.  A late student should approach me after class to make sure that I’ve recorded them as late rather than absent.

Whenever I’m not directing the class or other students are leading the discussion of the readings, you will be expected to be self-directed: to take responsibility for pursuing legitimate learning activities.  Just the fact that you’ve signed up for a class like this indicates that you are responsible, so I don’t envision major problems, but be aware that we are adhering to professionalism (see below) and working world standards.  Being in class is just like working in an open-architecture newsroom or magazine office: what you do at all times counts.

• • Never, ever surf the net.
  • Do not text.
  • Don’t carry on conversations, particularly about partying past or future.
  • Be aware of how obvious all of these things are and that all of them will affect your evaluation.

Make your deadlines.  There are no “excused” absences, since if a student isn’t here he or she can’t participate, learn, help others, etc.  Whenever you have an assignment due, whether it’s a draft or a reading or an article you’re supposed to have looked up, make sure you’re ready with it.  If there’s a reason why your work is late you may want to let me know, but the lost points for missing deadline are non-negotiable: deadlines are that important in journalism.

• Late drafts, late articles, forgotten deadlines all will count off from my personal evaluation of you
• Be sure to come to class even when you don’t have the required material.  Being absent when you have an assignment due will also affect your evaluation.  I can’t help it: based on what I’ve seen in the past I’m  always suspicious when a student who has important work due is absent.

Keep in touch: check your e-mail regularly.  It’s not professional to not check or to let your mailbox become full.  If I ask for a response  to an e-mail I’ve sent, failure to respond in 36 hours will cost points.

Be professional: do all of the above and have a good attitude/be committed.  Everyone has the capacity to be a positive force in class and that’s how I’ll expect you to act.  I’ll deduct points for unprofessionalism.  I won’t make a big deal of it – I’ll just say, “That’s not professional” or some variation.  Anyone who loses all of their professionalism points will be ejected from the course.  The only reason I’m mentioning this here is so that I can cut and paste it into my other syllabi – I don’t think there’ll be any problems in this class.  However, if you haven’t had me before, please understand that I expect everyone to act as if you are in your probationary period on a new job.

Let me know if you have a documented learning disability.  I will do my best to accommodate you.  If you have a learning disability and are trying to go it alone, please let me know anyway.

Do not plagiarize, fictionalize, or commit other acts of academic and professional dishonesty.  As your other journalism courses have taught you, credibility is essential to a journalist.  This is a 300 level course and where I might give a beginning freshman a break, that would never be the case here.  Committing any of these acts is grounds for being thrown out of this course, and I will report the incident to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies’ office, which may take further action.

OTHER STUFF:

Speak up so I can hear you and be aware that as people approach my age they increasingly have trouble picking up voices clearly when there is background noise or talk.

The back four seats, closest to the hallway, won’t be used.  Plan on sitting elsewhere.

No eating in class, even if you promise not to spill crumbs in your keyboard.  If I have to tell someone more than once, he or she will lose professionalism points.  Drinks are okay as long as they are in spill-proof containers.

MANAGING EDITOR:

Because of the good results I’ve had with doing this in other upper level j classes, I’ve incorporated managing editors into all of my courses.  In a newspaper or magazine, the ME acts as a traffic cop for assignments.  In class, the ME will be responsible for staying on top of the assignment schedule and the syllabus, reminding the class (and me) about who is responsible for assignments and deadlines, which includes emailing everyone some time between Thursday and Sunday of what they are.

The ME is also responsible for coordinating which features are ready for the Exchange.  That means being on top of which features have been revised into final shape (probably after I’ve graded them and the writer has a chance for final changes) and on who you have to contact at the Exchange.

The ME is also responsible for answering questions about the syllabus, about how to prepare articles/drafts/reader responses/cover sheets/etc. for turn-in, etc.

CLASS METHODS:

You will write five feature articles.  Because of the particular nature of this course, articles 2 through 5 must involve someone facing a conflict or crisis.  Trust me on this.  This course is not about writing crap-ola (official journalism term) features, and if you follow this rule it will significantly decrease the likelihood of that happening.  This will require hard work to pull off, but with planning and effort you’ll be able to do it.  You can write about someone off campus if you clear it with me ahead of time.

Please note: the place where articles are filed is listed below as WebCT; however, that may change, since we have a new class web site (www.fpujournalism.org/classes).

When you hand everything in,

1. Submit your drafts for reader response and workshopping to the appropriate draft folder in WebCT.  Mark it clearly (Ashley’s draft, Ashley’s workshop version, etc.).  Put your revised, ready to be published copy in the appropriate Ready to be published folder in WebCT.

• Caveat: it’s possible that we’ll use Google notebooks or some other system.  We’ll be flexible, and you’ll be notified in advance.

1. When you give me the version to be graded, you will provide a ½-1 page statement about what you learned from writing this feature and from the workshopping process.  That goes on top.
2. Next comes your to-be-graded copy, which must be double spaced
3. This is followed by the draft you workshopped.
4. Which is followed by your reader-responses and your original draft at the very bottom of the stack.
5. Be careful: I grade whichever version is first.  If I start grading your original draft because it’s out of order, you’re stuck.

It is essential that you save your features and queries to the F: drive or to a portable thumb drive, or e-mail them to yourself so that you can print them out on the college’s system if necessary.  This is an absolutely critical habit, so I’m not going to cut anyone any slack on this.

Your last article in the course will be 5 pages (all the way to the bottom of the page) minimum and will demonstrate that you have followed a subject for an extended period or that you have done extensive research.

Two of your features must be sent, with a cover letter, to a magazine or other likely publication for your feature.

You will lead a discussion on several of the readings, which basically means you’ll start things off with a statement on what struck you about the reading, ways it might connect with material we’ve already gone over, questions you might have, etc.  Don’t exhaust all the possibilities, because you then have to ask questions and get a conversation going about the reading.

Workshopping:

The process we use will combine elements of the system that most of you are familiar with from J1 (drafts being brought in for reader responses) with “workshopping.”  Workshopping a feature means reading it out loud and then getting responses from your audience, or in our case, part of the audience.

I think workshopping leads to students taking ownership of their work and taking pride in it.  It also results in useful feedback that helps the writer improve.  Unfortunately, because of the size of this class, you’re all going to have to adapt to a less-than-perfect system.  In order to accommodate the time available, I’ve staggered your sessions.  I’ll divide you into 3 groups (A, B, & C) and while everyone will need to have a first draft ready on the same day for reader responses (the first step in revising), you’ll then have your second draft ready on different workshop days.  That also means your final draft will be due on different days, and for some of you that means you will have to e-mail your draft (as a Word attachment) on a Friday.

• I expect to see noticeable revision between your original draft and the version you present for workshopping.  Failure to use this period to revise will cost points.

On most workshop days there will be enough free time for me to use some of the readings to share lessons with the entire class.  Some other points:

• I want the workshopping to be positive and supportive; however, in order for it to work, everyone must make comments.  You can’t be quiet.
• When you listen, you’ll need to take notes. No excuses please.  Your comments will be much better when you do.  I will take off  points from your overall grade if you don’t.
• When people respond to your feature you’ll need to take notes, too, because besides revising the draft, you’ll need to write half-a-page to a page on what you got out of the responses, what changes you made, etc.  (Again, since this is an important part of the process, points will taken off of the overall grade if it’s not handed in with the article.)
• The number of people in class will determine the amount of time we devote to listening to and commenting on articles.  Because of these uncertainties, we’ll need to be flexible throughout the course.
• Workshopping is not for your first draft. If you can’t complete a draft in time for reader responses, you’ll have to forego workshopping unless I’m in a really generous mood.
  • If you’re not in class on reader-response days, post your original draft in WebCT.  If it’s not there, you’ll miss workshopping.

The next class after your workshop your feature will be due for a grade.  At times this will mean a rapid turn-around for your next feature – I expect you to be prepared.

GRADING:

Managing Editor:                                 6 (3 each time)

Reading leading:                                   8

Reading:                                                (falls under my evaluation)

Drafts:                                                 10 (2 each)

Feature articles:                                   39 (5 for #1, 8 for #2-4, 10 for #5)

Progress report on final article:                         2

Presence:                                              5

Taking a leading part in participation:       (falls under my evaluation)

Professionalism:                                   3

Reflection essays:                                4 (2 each)

Queries:                                                6 (3 each, including mailing to appropriate outlet)

My evaluation of overall performance:   15

Other assignments:                                 2

·         The rubrics below are intended as guidelines.  If work looks like it was done at the last minute, that automatically moves it into a lower category.  Being a good journalist requires thinking and preparing in advance.

• I don’t grade your assignments by letters; I’ll use the rubrics below.  For ease of calculation, I keep track of how many points are lost and at the end of the semester I simply subtract that number from 100.  You can do the same thing to keep track of how you’re doing.
• I’ll be glad to discuss your grade with you up until April 15.  After that, improving your grade will be best served by concentrating on your final assignments.

Managing Editor: (3 x 2 times)

The ME should always include me in emails in order to get credit.

Reading leading: (5 for Sam, TSTR, 3 for other)

You’ll sign up for the reading and the date you’ll lead discussion on it in the opening days of class.  The second discussion will be on shorter readings in The Elements of Story, which must be done a separate day.

Reading and participation:

Doing the assigned reading is critical, as is participating in discussion.   Part of my evaluation of your overall performance will be based on how consistently you gave evidence of having done the reading and how consistently you took a leading part in discussion.  Take note of my use of the phrase “leading part.”

Drafts of features: (10  pts – 2 each)

Due on appropriate reader response day.

Features: (39)

Most of the features will be graded as follows, except for the 1^st one which will only be worth 5 points and the fifth one, which will be worth an additional 2 points:

Topic:

Lead:

Showing:

Interviewing/information gathering:

Ending:

Grammar:

Progress report on final article.

You’ll have to submit a progress report on article 5.

Queries: (3 x 2 times)

You will write two query letters, which will be graded on how well you followed the query format that we’ll use.  Grading will be withheld if the queries aren’t converted to cover letters and mailed with a feature to an appropriate publication.

Presence: (5)

Since illness might strike unexpectedly, I strongly recommend that students avoid any absences that might be due to oversleeping or anything else that’s avoidable.  Two lates will equal an absence.  More than 6 absences (3 weeks of class) is grounds for being withdrawn failing or, if it is too late in the semester to submit a WF, failing.

Professionalism: (3 pts)

One way to define professionalism is the way you’d behave during the first three months at a new job where the boss is my age.  You would never be adversarial, you wouldn’t try to get out of work, and you’d treat the people around you with courtesy and respect, among other things.

Mid- & end-of-semester reflection essays: (4  pts – 2 each)

Half-way through and at the end of the course (during the final exam period) you will turn a first-person narrative assessing your learning up till that point.  These will each be 3 (full) page papers describing what you’ve learned and what’s happened to you as a consequence.

CLASS CALENDAR

Changes may occur, but I’ll try to make you part of the process of making those changes.

TSTR = Telling Stories, Taking Risks

BTIP = Beyond the Inverted Pyramid

Hart=A Writer’s Coach

TES-The Elements of Story

Don’t worry if there is overlap between A Writer’s Coach and The Elements of Story.

DATE    TOPIC                                                         READING

1/20      Introduction

1/25     What makes Sam compelling reading?                       Sam 1-118, TES pt 1

Assignment: Clip the best example of a hard news article and a feature from the Globe or another publication.

Sign up for reading leading

1/27     “Celebrations of Life”/Getting to the heart    Hart ch. 1; TSTR 63-66,

113-120, 297-303, 319-320,

TES 8, 9, 14

2/1       All Groups Article 1 Reader Response                       TSTR 69-76; Sam 119-end

TES ch 35, 39, 41, 46

Draft of article 1 due: write a 1-2 page (200-400 words) celebration of life for someone on campus.  Interview 3 or more people for quotes and/or information.

2/3       Workshopping for ½ of class                          Hart ch. 2; TSTR 244-246,

TES 33,34

Revised draft due for members of group A and half of gp B.

.

2/8       Workshopping for rest of class                                    Hart ch. 3; TSTR 204-212,

TES 31, 32

Those who were workshopped on Wed. have feature #1/celebration due for grade.  (If you don’t remember everything that you should hand in today, re-read Class Methods above.)

2/10     Showing vs. telling                                         Hart ch. 9; TSTR 50-62, 238-243,

TES 19-21

Rest of class has feature 1/celebraton due for grade.

If anyone is not workshopped until today, his or her feature is due on my door Friday by noon.

2/15     Presidents’ holiday

2/17     Article 2 Reader Responses for Everyone      Hart ch. 4; TSTR 25-26, 172-181,

First draft of 2^nd feature                                  TES 36-38, 40, 44

2/22     Group B Workshopping of 2^nd Feature                       Hart ch. 5, TES 15-18

2/24     Group C Workshopping                                  TSTR 77-89, 28-30

Gp. B feature 2 due for grade

Gp. C feature 2 due for grade on door of my office by Friday at noon.

3/1       Group A Workshopping                                 Hart ch. 6

Take note: in one week you have to give me the title of your choice of feature  writing book.

3/3       Characters and characterization                                  Hart ch. 8

Gp. A feature due for grade

3/8       Query/Cover letters                                         TSTR 215-227, 262-270.

TES 7, 10, 12, 13

3/10     Query letters Reader-responses                      Hart ch. 10

Draft of first query letter due.

Mid-semester learning reflection due (3 full pages).

3/15 – 3/17                              Spring Break

3/22     Article 3 R-R’s for Everyone                          TSTR 283-296,

TES 42, 43, 45

First draft of 3^rd feature.

First query due for a grade (include draft and reader-responses)

3/23     Group C Workshopping

Group C feature 3 due for grade on Friday by noon on the door to my office.

3/29     Group A Workshopping of Feature 3             TES 22-26

Have your first query converted into a cover letter and ready to mail to an appropriate publication with the feature.

3/31     Group B Workshopping of Feature 3             TES 27-30

Group A feature 3 due for grade

Group B feature 3 due by Friday noon on the door of my office.

4/5       Article 4 R-R’s for Everyone                          TES 5, 6, 11

Draft of 4^th article

4/7       Group A Workshopping Feature 4                 TES 47-49

Take note: progress statement on final feature is due next week.  You need  to provide me evidence that you’ve chosen a strong subject and are working on it in such a way that your final article will be more challenging than any you’ve done so far.

.

4/12     Group B Workshopping Feature 4

Gp. A feature 4 due for grade

4/14     Group C Workshopping Feature 4                  TSTR 90-109

Gp. B feature 4 due for grade.

Gp. C feature 4 due for grade on the door of my office by Friday noon

Progress statement on final feature due at beginning of class (please, no working on it in class).

4/19     Query #2 reader response                               TSTR 182-190

Draft query due: a pitch for your 5^th article.

4/21     Feature 5 R-R’s for Everyone

Query #2 due for a grade everyone

Fifth feature draft due.

Pick a magazine or newspaper to send one of your articles to.

4/26     Group B Workshopping

4/28     Group C Workshopping

Group B feature 5 due for grade

Group C feature 5 due Friday noon on the door of my office.

5/3       Group A Workshopping

5/5       Catch up/Wrap up

Group A Feature 6 due for grade.

I’ll show you how to convert your query into a cover letter so bring a copy of query 2 to work on.

5/11     10:15 a.m. Final meeting

Final Learning Reflection essay due

Bring 2^nd cover letter and feature ready to mail to an appropriate publication.  To get out of this class you must get a signed, written excuse from the Dean of the College.

Instructor: Paul Bush

Office: Fitzwater Center

Telephone: 4040 (home: 878-3552)

E-mail: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu

Office hours: M-W-F 10-11, T-Th 10:50-11:20 & by appointment

This class is a bridge to your professional life.  You’ll be expected to demonstrate as much commitment and professionalism as if you were in a new job. That’s because this is where you’ll sharpen your skills, solidify your habits and take the final steps for what I hope is a productive and successful career.

Seminars are courses that center around student work, usually in regards to reading and research, but because journalism is a hands-on field this will be an experiential seminar.  It will also be one that gives you clear-cut evidence with which to sell yourself to prospective employers.  What you do here will be in their language: professional-quality work that will demonstrate your talent, skills and drive.  In short, this class will give you the opportunity to create concrete reasons for people to hire you.

This class works in conjunction with the other journalism classes.  The core standards, found at www.fpujournalism.org/classes , apply to everyone.  Two of the most important ones are:

• • The Exchange comes out on time with quality material
  • You are an adult: you make choices and you accept the consequences of those choices.
    • If the choice leads to a poor outcome, accept responsibility and use it as an opportunity to improve.  But don’t make excuses.

The Advanced J Seminar centers around an online newsroom.  You are the staffers and editors; I’m the publisher.  To be precise, as editors you will be in charge of a team of reporters consisting of J1 and J2 students.

You will be in charge of

• helping them find stories (at the assignment meeting – see below – you’ll make sure everyone has a good story)
• helping them revise their work (by emailing them reader responses or the equivalent useful guidance)
• helping them make last minute revision at the editing/production meeting
• kicking their butts to make sure they take everything, including meetings and improving themselves, seriously
• making any final edits, if absolutely necessary (a good editor gets the writer to do that)
• deciding what goes in, what gets left out and what needs a little more work to get in
  • if something needs a little more work, it will be up to you to get it and add it to the Exchange (which is now very easy)
• making sure your name is on each reporter’s article under “Edited by”

As a staffer (a non-editor/non-team leader) you will be responsible for helping out in any way possible.  For example, you will help brainstorm article ideas for the shift editors and you will write departments and edit others’ departments, before posting them.

One result of all this is that you will rewrite your resume to emphasize your leadership.  For example, “Led a team of four freshmen and four sophomores.  Responsible for article assignment, editing and production of breaking news stories.”

Methods and Policies:

You don’t have to worry about not knowing how to produce the Exchange.  We use a simple set of procedures that you can learn quickly.  You also learn a few of them each week, rather than all at once.

We will be using a new program (WordPress) and a new site for the Exchange (www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange ).  Because we will no longer be tied to IT, we will be able to update the paper whenever we wish.  This means:

• • We will update three times a week: Sunday night, Tuesday night and Thursday, with the expectation that most readers will see it the next morning.
  • That means there will be a weekend shift, a Tuesday shift and a Thursday shift.
    • Each shift will require an assignment meeting and an editing/production meeting.
    • The assignment meeting for the Tuesday shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the Thursday shift will be the preceding Sunday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the weekend shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
      • It is important that the J1s and J2s come to these meetings.  You cannot lead via email.
      • This is what I’ve included in the J1 and J2 syllabi: Theoretically, electronic meetings can be effective, but only after team cohesion has been built; however, our meetings are also avenues for learning from upperclass students and are also necessary for upperclass students to have a chance to develop leadership skills.
  • The opening five weeks of the class, the Exchange will be produced mostly during class time, but you will need to write articles and departments and you may need to complete production out of class.
  • Once the first five weeks of class are over, because of the class size it means that everyone will have to pull four Tuesday and Thursday shifts.  (We can arrange so that either you get the same shift or rotate the shifts.  We’ll decide in class.  However, I want you to pull it with a regular partner.  You can convince me otherwise, but the standard of good quality material on time will always be your responsibility.)
  • Everyone will also have to pull two weekend shifts as an editor/leader.  (While you do not have to pull the shift with your usual partner, it will be best if you do.  Screwing up the weekend shift because of miscommunication with a new partner will adversely affect my evaluation of you.)
  • Because of the number of J1s and J2s – 9-10 if enrollment doesn’t change – you will also sign up for one weekend helping another team.  Your primary role is to help with editing.
    • As adults, you have the choice to arrange this any way that is successful, but you must make sure that you are not working in isolation: go next door in Lakeview, or wherever, and talk to the editing team so you all agree on how editing should be done.

You can offer alternatives to any of the above, but before doing so, refer to the core standards found at www.fpujournalism.org/classes .  If I give you the go-ahead, it will be with the understanding that you are still responsible for all the standards.  I know that some of the class requirements are a hassle, but an alternative that results in J1/J2 students not getting face-to-face time with you or in barfy articles or no articles, etc. will not be acceptable.

Just as in the workplace, your performance will be judged on the basis of your initiative, commitment, effort, leadership and other indications of involvement.  So what that means, in part, is that if you don’t know a skill, you should arrange to learn it.  I want to hear “I can’t do that because I don’t know how” replaced with “I don’t know how to do that yet, but I’m learning.”  This is the sort of thing that will play a large part in my evaluation of you (a significant portion of your grade).

There will be many opportunities for you to play to your strengths – for example, if you’re into sports reporting, you’ll be able to develop a portfolio of varied work.  However, I also expect you to push yourself and explore beyond the boundaries of what you’re used to.  Consequently, I’ll be expecting to see you do different things every week.

• If you have trouble scheduling any meetings, you should inform me and I’ll contact your coach, employer, parent, etc. and help arrange it.
• Failure to consistently attend the shift meetings will result in an incomplete, which will only be fulfilled after a contracted amount of work is completed after graduation – for example, 3 or 4 months of writing and submitting articles or broadcast news reports to outlets that I deem adequate.  Since I will be doing extra work to monitor your incomplete, a student who gets one should be aware that it will require extra work on his or her part – and the student will be expected to complete all other activities in regards to class and the Exchange.  (Be aware that transcripts are not available while an incomplete is outstanding, and that an incomplete becomes an F if not fulfilled by the end of the following academic semester.)

As part of your editing/leadership duties, you will fill out an evaluation/description of what your reporters did.

• It’s always up to you to provide a convincing evidence of your involvement and commitment.  An employee always provides specific and concrete description of what he or she is doing.
• Your evaluations of reporters should also be specific, giving evidence of how you worked with them, what exactly they did, etc.

You will be expected to regularly check your e-mail.  I will use it frequently in this class (often on Fridays, when the Exchange goes out).  Be aware: if I ask for a response to my message, I expect to receive it within 36 hours or it will adversely affect my evaluation of you.  Repeated failure will also result in loss of professionalism points.

In regards to professional conduct, you’ve all had me before and know my standards.  You should act towards me and towards others as you would in the first three months at an important job.  Three acts of unprofessional behavior will result in an F.  Grossly unprofessional conduct will result in an immediate F.

• Some behavior may result in a student being told to leave for the day, which will be counted as an absence, or being told to leave until such time as he or she has met with ResLife, Academic Services or another appropriate service and that office has informed me that a productive meeting has taken place aimed at understanding and addressing that behavior.  Absences will accrue until I receive such a notice.  If that office feels that multiple meetings are necessary, the failure to attend those meetings will result in absences until such time as productive meetings take place again.

Plagiarism is passing someone else’s work off as your own and is obviously unprofessional – for a journalist to do it is absolutely unexcusable, and will result in an immediate F for the course, as will fabrication or fictionalizing – as in faking quotes.  A student who commits any act of plagiarism will also be reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, who keeps a record of plagiarism.

Students with documented learning disabilities should approach me out of class, and I will make every accommodation that I reasonably can.

Some other basics:

I want to go on record as being fully supportive of the Pierce Arrow.  I hope that we can create new and innovative ways of collaborating – that’s what the future of online journalism is about.  However, I won’t be able to allow working for the Arrow to count for class because it’s an extracurricular activity and because your work contributes to the way four classes function.  (The Exchange is an outlet for and part of the training of J1, J2 and Feature Writing, as well as this class.)

Recommended Text:

Friend, Challenger & McAdams, Contemporary Editing

Grading:

Exchange shifts (4)                             40

Weekend shifts (2)                              20

Weekend shift extra editor (1)              5

Class managing editor                           5

General staff work                                (part of professional evaluation)

(writing departments, advertising and promotion, and any other work as

needed)

Outside review draft                             2

Outside review of articles/resume         8

Reflection papers                                  5 (2½ each)

My professional evaluation of you      15

Earning Your Grade:

Any one item in a rubric can be enough to bring the grade down to that level.  Students in the past have demonstrated that earning an A is easy to do with commitment and initiative.

My professional evaluation of you:

Each week I’ll be looking for indications that you have:

• carried out your shift duties thoroughly and professionaly
• exercised formal leadership as Class Managing Editor (at least once in the semester) and have exercised informal leadership by helping out whenever possible, assisting the ME, encouraging others, helping maintain a supportive environment, etc.
• as a staffer, willingly taken on multiple tasks per edition, particularly primary ones
• willingly taken on a variety of tasks over time
• been a consistent participant, with very few, if any, off weeks
• have not missed any classes or work sessions
• participated in discussions in class about the Exchange or other topics
• shown initiative that goes beyond the typical production needs, for example, coming up with new, workable ideas, writing extra articles, staying late in work sessions, etc.
• demonstrated other signs of wholehearted involvement or commitment

Regular Tues-Thurs shifts, weekend shifts:

Weekend shift editing assistance:

Class managing editor:

You will sign up to be Managing Editor.  There will likely be extra ME slots to sign up for, either for those who want to guarantee themselves an A or for those who need to make up for lost points somewhere.

The ME is responsible for keeping the class on track both in regards to the Exchange and to any other classwork.  The ME should email reminders about assignments, both for the Exchange and for classwork.

Outside  review of your work:

Get a working professional (print or broadcast) to review and evaluate your resume and your print or video clips.  You will write a 3 page paper (all the way to the bottom of the last page) of his or her analysis and suggestions, how you changed your resume or works, etc. and reflect on what this experience was like for you (beneficial? etc.)

Due date for outside review paper draft: March 30 (2 pts)

Due date for outside review paper: April 15

Initial effort:

Overall:

Reflection:

Reflection papers:

write two reflection papers, at mid-term and end of the semester, 3 pages (all the way to bottom of the third page) that reflect on what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, what the experience has been like at different points etc.  (2 points each)  Due March 13 and final exam period.

You will sign up for your own due dates on the survey, the advertising and the online paper review.  It will be up to you to remember your own deadlines (although the ME may remind you).

Final exam period

The university requires that we meet during this time, so to be excused you need to get a signed, written note from the Dean of the College.

Recommended reading:

• If you haven’t taken Convergent Journalism, read ch. 16 by next week.

• If you haven’t taken a journalism course recently, read ch. 2 by next week..

Ch. 6 is also worth reading if you haven’t done so already.

Skim chapters 11, 14 and 15 as necessary.

If you need a brush-up on media law, read ch. 12.

Readings by function/task:

Campus News (J1/J2 articles)             ch. 3, ch. 7

National/International News               ch. 8, ch. 9

Photos                                                 ch. 13

Feature articles                                    ch. 10

Professor: Paul Bush

Office: Fitzwater                                Office hours: M-W-F 10-11, T-Th 10:50-

Phone: 4040; home: 878-3552                                    11:20  & by appointment

e-mail: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu

Successful students will come out of this class with stronger writing skills and with a knowledge of a number of the skills and techniques needed by working journalists. However, besides making you more a strong candidate for a job in journalism, this class is also aimed at bringing out your critical thinking skills, something that is integral to a liberal arts education and essential to being a successful graduate working in any field.

Objectives:

In five or ten years, I hope you’ll look back on this class and regard it as the place that helped you develop professional skills that you continue to use.  But regardless of whether you pursue a job in journalism or not, I hope that it will have helped you develop skills and traits, such as keeping up with the news or understanding investigative reporting, that prove useful to you throughout your post-graduate life.

At the end of the semester you will fill out an objectives assessment, evaluating how successful you were in achieving these goals.  As we proceed through the semester, you will also keep notes on what you’re learning on a nearly-daily basis – in the process you will keep track of your progress towards achieving the course objectives.

This year I will be emphasizing individual and small group conferencing during class time, more than I have in the past.  You will be expected to take notes on these sessions, entering them in your personal log (or whatever we decide to call your record of your personal learning).  If I’ve indicated your achievement of objectives, you can use that for your end-of-the-semester outcomes assessment.  However, in all cases you are expected to be able to provide evidence of achieving outcomes.  (For example, “Prof. Bush okayed my journalism in democracy objective after I described … [and then summarize the main points].”)

It is my goal to help all students get better at developing their journalism skills and their life success skills (those ones that help you do well in other courses and in the workplace).  It is my expectation that all students will take the course seriously and make improvements in all skill and objective areas.  However, I realize that some students may find that something that they can’t do.  They shouldn’t take this course.

Objective: Take responsibility for your education; specifically: making sure that you know and make all of your deadlines, with minimal to no reminders/encouragement from me.

Why?  This is a skill you’ll need for professional success, and it’s obviously something that will benefit you during the rest of your academic career.

Unlike Journalism 1, this class has split due dates, when members of the class will have different assignments due than their classmates.  You’ll need to keep track of your personal deadlines.  Chances are that I’m not going to get on your case when you miss one, but I always mark down missing material – please don’t think that I don’t notice.  If you have issues with scheduling your workload (such as waiting to the last minute), you should develop a strategy (like using a daytimer) immediately.

(Please note: there are several times when you may be doing an assignment that is all your own and have a deadline that no one else has.  It’s your responsibility to make the deadline – and it won’t hurt to make sure that I mark you as having made it.)

Responsibility outcomes: When you fill out the end-of-semester self-assessment, you should have no or very few missed deadlines.

Objective: related to the preceding objective, you will also take responsibility for being self-directed: because of the emphasis on conferencing, etc. there will be times when I am not directing the class activities – you are expected to fill the time with legitimate learning activities and to keep notes on them. I will provide a list of suggested research areas; your notes will reflect how you did your research and what you learned.

Why?  The job market is too awful to allow otherwise: bosses take note of employees who are slacking or who can’t provide evidence that they can work without direct supervision.  These days, and for a long to come, employees who have to learn self-direcition on the job, won’t be on the job long.

Self-direction outcomes: You will have good notes that provide detailed evidence of your learning activities whenever I am not directing the class activities.  If you have been counseled about improving your self-direction, you will be able to show consistent achievement of the outcome from that point on.

Objective: demonstrate leadership, formal and/or informal.

Why?  Providing leadership demands active involvement – it’s the opposite of the passivity exhibited by students who avoid or minimize participation in class (for example, in class discussions).  Active involvement has a way of reinforcing taking responsibility for one’s education since it’s about taking responsibility for the success of the class and for the success of your classmates.

You’ll have the opportunity to serve as Managing Editor, a one-week position, where you’ll have formal responsibility for reminding the class (via email over the preceding weekend and orally during class time and whatever other ways are needed) of reading assignments, upcoming deadlines, etc.  You’ll also be responsible for making sure that I leave time for pitches and other class assignments (since I get wrapped up in discussions, etc.)

I also expect everyone to exercise informal leadership by encouraging classmates, supporting classmates in taking risks, helping generate positive reinforcement, etc.  These sorts of things help create a positive atmosphere in the class, making for a better learning environment (which is important to me) and making for an experience that is more rewarding for everyone.

Leadership outcomes: By the end of the course you should be able to describe specific examples of how you demonstrated leadership.

Objective: practice/reinforce newswriting.

Why?  This is how you learn to be a better reporter, by facing the challenges that come with finding strong news stories and the demands of having to structure the material in the best way possible.

Newswriting outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence ) that you can:

• write effective one-sentence summary leads
• can also write an effective alternate lead
• interview and quote at least three subjects effectively
• interview sources from different sides of the same story
• use the inverted pyramid properly with more complex stories
• develop stories with strong newsvalues

Objective: become familiar with in-depth reporting.

Why?  In-depth reporting is more challenging – and more rewarding – than basic newswriting.  This is often where journalists can have their biggest impact, by exposing dangers to the public or revealing the wrongdoings of politicians, etc.  Investigative reporting is often where journalists demonstrate their critical role in democracy.

In-depth reporting outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one in-depth article) that you are familiar with the elements of in-depth reporting

Objective: become familiar with editorial/op-ed writing.

Why?  Op-ed writing is another advanced form of writing that draws on basic journalism skills but also allows you to inject your own opinion and suggest your own solutions.  Besides the Exchange, this semester we also have been asked by the National Media Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, to submit op-ed pieces.  If accepted, these pieces will be sent to news outlets at the state and even the national level.

Editorial outcomes: By the time you complete the course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one op-ed piece) that you:

• grasp the basic structure of one style of op-ed piece
• have used basic fact gathering and interviewing skills in an op-ed

Objective: continue use of photography (and perhaps other non-writing skills).

Why?  Modern journalists are expected to have more than newswriting skills.  Because of the changing environment for journalists as a consequence of the growth of the internet, reporters will be called upon to employ visual and audio reporting techniques.

Photo outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one series of photos) that you have a sense of how to compose usable photos of a campus news event or other topic.  These may be in the form of photos accompanying an article you’ve written.

Objective: successfully contribute to an online newspaper, The Exchange.

Why?  Changes in journalism make it more and more likely that a journalist will work in some sort of online newsroom.  Participating in the The Exchange, as a reporter taking part in shifts that include the weekend, is at the core of the unified journalism classes here at Franklin Pierce.

Online newsroom outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of news articles) that you have successfully taken part in online newspaper production; however, evidence of this outcome is also demonstrated by having attended all assignment and production meetings.

Objective: continue developing knowledge of basic style rules.

Why?  You won’t get a job in journalism if your writing is filled with basic errors.

Style rule outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence that you have increased your knowledge of the basic writing rules needed by reporters.

Objective: continue developing a sense of world and national news, with a geographical context.

Why?  Successful people, and journalists in particular, follow the news, whether it’s online or in print.  (It’s also hard to get a job as reporter if you can’t answer basic questions about what’s going on in the news.)  Reporters also know where things are happening in the world

World and national news outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence that you can:

• demonstrate familiarity with news that it is happening (at the time of the assignment) both nationally and internationally.
• identify various countries around the world and the news events that are happening there.

Additional objectives: (ones for which no specific outcomes are associated at this time)

Objective: act professionally.

Why?  It’s essential practice for what’s to come in the rest of college and the rest of your life.  Taking on responsibility and successfully meeting it is a habit like any other.  You can’t turn it on after graduation like a light switch.  Meeting the standards that have been set for you – such as doing the reading and participating in class or online – can sometimes be a pain, but it always pays off.

Objective: work with journalism students in other classes.

Why?  Franklin Pierce offers a unique opportunity to work with students in Advanced Journalism Seminar and Journalism 1 students to produce The Exchange three days a week.  When you look at the Core Standards at www.fpujournalism.org/classes you’ll note how everyone will adhere to high standards and be expected to meet high expectations.  In the long run this will prepare you for the working world; in the short run, it will give you a sense of accomplishment.

Producing the Exchange:

We will be using a new program (WordPress) and a new site for the Exchange (www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange ).  Because we will no longer be tied to IT, we will be able to update the paper whenever we wish.  This means:

• • We will update three times a week: Sunday night, Tuesday night and Thursday, with the expectation that most readers will see it the next morning.
  • That means there will be a weekend shift, a Tuesday shift and a Thursday shift.
    • Each shift will require an assignment meeting and an editing/production meeting.
    • The assignment meeting for the Tuesday shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the Thursday shift will be the preceding Sunday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the weekend shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
      • It is important that everyone come to these meetings.  You cannot participate via email.
  • The opening five weeks of the class, the Exchange will be produced mostly during class time, but you will need to write articles and departments and you may need to complete production out of class.
  • Once the first five weeks of class are over, because of the class size it means that everyone will have to pull four Tuesday and Thursday shifts.  (We can arrange so that either you get the same shift or rotate the shifts.  We’ll decide in class.  However, I want you to pull it with regular partners.  You can convince me otherwise, but the standard of good quality material on time will always be your responsibility.)
  • Everyone will also have to pull two weekend shifts.  (While you do not have to pull the shift with your usual partner, it will be best if you do.  Screwing up the weekend shift because of miscommunication with a new partner will adversely affect my evaluation of you.)

Just as in the workplace, your performance will be judged on the basis of your initiative, commitment, effort, leadership and other indications of involvement.  So what that means, in part, is that if you don’t know a skill, you should arrange to learn it.  I want to hear “I can’t do that because I don’t know how” replaced with “I don’t know how to do that yet, but I’m learning.”  This is the sort of thing that will play a large part in my evaluation of you (a significant portion of your grade).

Standards and Expectations:

Core standards are listed at www.fpujournalism.org/classes.  Everyone is expected to understand and adhere to those standards.  What follows is an elaboration on some of them, as well as specific standards for this class.

I expect that every student in this class will do his or her best to achieve these goals and meet my expectations.  Anyone not willing to do this should not take this course.

I expect all students to act professionally, just as they would in the first three or four months at a new job with a boss of my generation.  Just as one would never argue with, badmouth, whine to, complain about a job assignment, surf the web, text or read text messages, carry on conversations while the boss is talking or anything of that general nature, I expect that it will not happen here.  Anything that detracts from the positive learning environment (discourages, disrupts or undermines it) will be considered unprofessional.

Points will be deducted for unprofessional behavior.  At the most, I will say, “That’s unprofessional,” to indicate that points have been lost.  Professionalism also extends to behavior towards classmates, and to taking feedback to heart and acting on it.

Some behavior may result in a student being told to leave for the day, which will be counted as an absence, or being told to leave until such time as he or she has met with ResLife, Academic Services or another appropriate service and that office informs that a productive meeting has taken place aimed at understanding and addressing that behavior.   Absences will accrue until I receive such a notice.  If that office feels that multiple meetings are necessary, the failure to attend those meetings will result in absences until such time as productive meetings take place again.

Students who lose all professionalism points will receive an F for the class.  Grossly unprofessional conduct will result in an immediate F.

Plagiarism is the height of unprofessional conduct.  It is passing someone else’s work off as your own.  This includes copying the work of another student; however, where students doing internet research, as you will, usually mess up is in copying work without putting it in quotes and without citing the source.  Either failure constitutes an act of plagiarism.  A student who commits any act of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, who keeps a record of plagiarism, and will suffer appropriate consequences ranging from loss of points to immediately flunking the course.  (Note: fictionalizing quotes or facts in articles will result in the same consequences.)

Students with documented learning disabilities should approach me out of class, and I will make every accommodation that I reasonably can.

Folders:

You will keep your notes on self-directed learning, on achievement of goals, and on conferencing with me in a folder.  You will also need to keep copies of articles, reflection papers – in short anything that you hand in.  Do not put material that is due to be graded in these folders – I won’t see it and you won’t be graded.

Other Fundamentals:

Regularly checking your e-mail is a must.  We will use your FPC account, so make sure your mailbox is empty.  (Two instances of being told to empty your mailbox will be considered unprofessional.)

• If I ask for a response from students to an e-mail I’ve sent, failure to respond in 36 hours will cost points.

Get in the habit of consulting the syllabus at least weekly, if not for each class.

Regularly visit the class site at www.fpujournalism.org/classes

Regularly read The Exchange at www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange

No food in the classroom.  Drinks in covered containers are OK.

Never, ever surf to a non-classwork-related site.

Please read the grading rubrics/guidelines before and while you’re doing an assignment.

An idiosyncrasy of mine:

I don’t mind answering questions twice, since I know that sometimes there are reasons for having missed an answer.  However, being asked the same question three times drives me up the wall.  It suggests to me the student doesn’t respect what’s going on in class enough to pay attention.  To be honest, I’m also not real super with students who need reassurance that what’s in the syllabus is what has to be done – I put a lot of effort into the syllabus and if it’s here, I don’t expect to repeat it.

Earning Points:

The key to earning points is providing clear, demonstrable evidence that you are doing the things below or are reaching the highest levels of the grading rubrics.  (If there is any doubt about having clearly reached goals, etc., there will be no arguments: I will be fair, but I am the final judge.)

Articles & learning statements            32

In-depth articles                                  10

Op-ed pieces                                         4

Photos                                                   3

Managing editor/in lieu of …                5

I-Search, including drafts                     7

Professionalism                                    3

Assignment & editing meetings           8 (although this will also factor into my

professional evaluation, this is intended to make a point that strong performance

here is important)

Reflection papers & outcomes

self-analysis                               3 (same as above)

Other assignments                                 5

My professional evaluation of you      20

Presence, participation, self directed learning & log  (all factor into your

professional evaluation)

• My professional evaluation will include such things as participation and presence, how seriously the student took the course, how consistently the student put in effort (someone who kicks into gear in the final weeks of class isn’t going to impress me very much), if the student ever put in extra effort, etc.
  • More than four absences, missed shift meetings, a “slacker” attitude or making excuses, inconsistent participation, inadequate self-direction, weak learning statements and logs, etc. will adversely affect my evaluation, dragging it down even though there have been positive actions.
  • A student who grossly falls below basic expectations with excessive absences, missed shift meetings, poor participation, inadequate self-direction, lousy attitude, failure to improve after counseling, or any action that detracts from class or individual learning will have more points taken off.
  • Conversely, any student who is truly outstanding for consistently superior attitude, work, etc. may get additional points at my discretion.
    • One caveat to that: someone who over-participates, by which I mean talks to so much that others don’t have a chance to contribute, cannot get extra points.
• The rubrics below are intended as guidelines.  If work looks like it was done at the last minute, that automatically moves it into a lower category.
• For ease of calculation, when it comes to the rubrics I keep track of how many points are lost and at the end of the semester I simply subtract that number from 100.  You can do the same thing to keep track of how you’re doing.
• I’ll be glad to discuss your grade with you up until April 15.  After that, improving your grade will be best served by concentrating on your final assignments.
• Since we’re using a new system of shifts, etc., I reserve the prerogative to assign a “bump” upwards in grade points at the end of the semester.  However, I will not give the bump to students with excessive absences, missed shift meetings, poor self-directed learning, poor participation – you get the picture.
• I do not give extra credit assignments.

Articles:

Journalists don’t miss deadlines.  Late articles and drafts will have a detrimental effect on your professional evaluation.

All the articles you write for this course, except of op-eds, will be news stories.

You’ll be divided into 4 groups, and groups will be assigned to shifts that either rotate between Tuesday and Thursday or are fixed (Tuesday only, Thursday only).  Remember that shifts require an assignment meeting and editing/production meeting – these are face-to-face rather than electronic meetings.  You will also have to sign up for two weekend shifts, and you will have an article to write at the end of the course, leading up to the final meeting.

At assignment meetings you are expected to have several news story ideas ready.  (You can work with your shift members in our class to generate ideas.)  However, it is up to the AdvancedJ editors to make the final decision as to what assignments will be made.  (If you have several good ideas and the editors use them by assigning them to others, you should encourage them to credit you with that when they write their informal evaluations.)

(Theoretically, electronic meetings can be effective, but only after team cohesion has been built; however, our meetings are also avenues for learning from upperclass students and are also necessary for upperclass students to have a chance to develop leadership skills.)

• • You will have a draft of your article due the morning of the editing meeting.  Upperclass students will email you suggestions for revision – if they don’t, you should let me know.
  • When you interview sources for your article, make sure you get a phone number and let them know you’ll be calling during lunch or whenever you have free time on the due date.  Even the 10 minutes between classes will be enough.  Leave a phone number where the source can leave a message, if necessary.
  • In class you will have 10 or 15 minutes to make changes, but don’t plan on conducting interviews then.  (Unless I give special permission, it will adversely affect your professional evaluation if you do.)
  • Post your revised draft to WebCT no later than the start of the editing session.  The editors will re-read your piece and may suggest more changes, which you’ll make during the editing meeting.  (I would prefer to have your revised draft at the end of class, but if you choose to keep working on it you can, just be sure it’s in by the start of the meeting.)
    • I will evaluate your revised draft.  If the editors mess it up somehow later, it won’t affect my evaluation, which is why I have to see the revised draft.
  • The final step in the shift will be to write a minimum 3 paragraph (5 sentences each) statement about how the whole process went and what you learned or have to learn.  This is where you can include what you learned from talking with the editors during the editing meetings.
    • Write this up in the last 5 or 10 minutes of your participation in the editing meeting.
    • Turn this learning statement in at the start of the next class period.

I expect your articles to be good enough to be regularly appear in The Exchange.  (Since The Exchange staff will be making its own decisions, it won’t count off against you if you write a good article and it isn’t picked up.)

In the opening weeks of the course you’ll be writing articles out of class for the Exchange.  You will be expected to attend an editing/production meeting for each article that you have to do.  These opening articles are intended to give you a chance to get back up to speed, particularly with one-sentence summary leads.

Article length:

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll call the Tuesday-Thursday shifts the weekday shifts, as opposed to the weenend shifts.

Weekday shifts:

#1  350 words, 2 sources quoted

#2  400 words, 3 sources (this and all subsequent articles should include at least one non-student official, preferably one who is integral to the story)

#3  450 words, 4 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

#4  450 words, 5 sources (incl. 2 non-student officials)

Weekend shifts:

Both: at least 350-400 words, at least 2-3 sources quoted.  (This is where, if you do more than the minimum, you want to bring it to my attention, because extra effort – especially at inconvenient times like weekends will factor into my professional evaluation of you.)

Revised draft:

Interviewing & fact gathering/presentation:

Learning statement:

In-depth reporting:

You will be expected to write two in-depth stories.  You will have some degree of choice in the due date for the second story.

Op-ed pieces:

You will write two op-ed pieces, where you must pick an issue, gather facts and quotes about the issue, and provide a solution for it.  These will be made available to the Exchange and, if I think they’re good enough, to the National Media Forum.  You will have some degree of choice about the due date for the second one.

I-Search paper:

An I-Search is written in the first-person, describing what you did and what you learned, as well as reflecting on what that new info means.  It will be at least 6 full pages (to the bottom of the 6^th page); it will also contain a works cited page.  It requires that you interview at least 2 working journalists.  Most of your paper will focus on the interviews and what you learned, but you must also research your topic by finding at least 3 library-based or online sources, preferably before your interviews.  Copies of previous students’ I-Searches will be provided.

Teams 1 & 2 have their draft due May 6 and their final copy due May 20.

Teams 3 &4 have their draft due May 13 and their final copy due May 27.

Interviews:

Organization & research:

Learning, grammar, spelling, style rules, etc.:

Managing Editor:

The managing editor (ME) acts as the traffic cop at a publication, keeping everything functioning.  In class, the ME will be responsible for staying on top of the assignment schedule and the syllabus, reminding the class (and me) about who is responsible for assignments and deadlines, which includes emailing everyone reminders as often as necessary.

A good managing editor will coordinate with the Advanced J class as necessary, letting them know how to contact you, being ready to pass on information, etc.  The ME is also responsible for answering questions about the syllabus, about how to prepare articles/drafts/reader responses/cover sheets/etc. for turn-in, etc.

Since there will be a limited number of ME positions, anyone who can’t sign up will have an as-yet-to-be-determined activity of equivalent degree to perform..

The ME should always include me in emails in order to get credit.

Photos:

This is pretty much a matter of did you do them or didn’t you?  You will sign up for two assignments, 6 or more photos each time, at least one of the photo assignments will cover your story for that week.  You will be expected to learn how to import the photos into the Exchange (a simple process once you have the photos on a thumb drive or saved to a computer in class).

Professionalism:

Professionalism, as described above, is preparation for the rest of your college education as well as for the work world.  Since this is a college class with high standards, many of the behaviors that are common in high school classrooms will not be acceptable here.  When in doubt, a student should ask about a behavior before exhibiting it – anything that detracts from learning and a positive atmosphere is definitely unprofessional.

• Anyone earning zero professionalism points will be dropped from the course with an F.
• Any act that is grossly unprofessional – that would get a new employee fired in the work world – will result in an F.

Reflection papers:

Twice during the course you’ll write a three page (complete to the bottom of the 3^rd page) reflection on how the course has gone for you up till that point.  A strong paper will refer to the goals and outcomes of this course.

Outcomes self-analysis:

Near the end of the semester I’ll give you a form to fill out, concretely describing how you have achieved the course outcomes: listing specific articles, etc.

Texts:

Harrower, Inside Reporting, 2^nd edition.

We will be using the SPJ code of ethics (available at www.spj.org).

You are expected to regularly read the Exchange, www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange

Schedule:

The reading schedule is attached.  It contains a shift schedule that is based on a fixed rotation (an oxymoron) so your team will always have the same workday shift.  If the class decides that you can cope with rotating between Tuesday and Thursday shifts, we can change accordingly.

Draft due dates vary based on shifts, so pay attention.

You must sign up for two weekend shifts during the course of the semester, as well as for photo assignment dates, your second in-depth and your second op-ed.

It is up to you to keep track of your shifts and when your drafts and final articles are due.  You should also keep track of who the class ME is (we’ll have a roster, but writing it on your syllabus might be a good idea).  Ditto for who the Advanced J students are.

Professor: Paul Bush
Office: Fitzwater                                Office hours: M-W-F 10-11, T-Th 10:40-
Phone: 4040; home: 878-3552                        11:10  & by appointment

email: bushpd@franklinpierce.edu

Why be a journalist?

If you like knowing something first, particularly when you believe that others need to know it too; if you like seeing your name on something that hundreds or thousands of people are going to read; if you like a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment – then there’s nothing better than being a journalist.

What happens if you don’t go into journalism as a career?  It doesn’t matter.  You won’t be one of the multitude who are mindlessly critical of newspaper reporters and who rank journalists just above used car salesmen – you’ll know what goes on in the newsroom and out on the beat and you’ll know when journalists really deserve that ranking and when they don’t.

The skills in journalism are the same skills you need for a successful liberal arts education: asking questions (of others and yourself), organizing information on paper, and thinking critically.

Objectives:

In five or ten years, I hope you’ll look back on this class and regard it as the place where you were introduced to the challenges of the professional world.  Even if you don’t remember taking it, I hope that it will have pushed you to begin thinking in new ways and to begin changing how you see the world.

At the end of the semester you will fill out an objectives assessment, evaluating how successful you were in achieving these goals.  As we proceed through the semester, you will also keep notes on what you’re learning on a nearly-daily basis – in the process you will keep track of your progress towards achieving the course objectives.

This year I will be emphasizing individual and small group conferencing during class time, more than I have in the past.  You will be expected to take notes on these sessions, entering them in your personal learning log (or whatever we decide to call your record of your personal learning).  If I’ve indicated your achievement of objectives, you can use that for your end-of-the-semester outcomes assessment.  However, in all cases you are expected to be able to provide evidence of achieving outcomes.  (For example, “Prof. Bush okayed my journalism in democracy objective after I described … [and then summarize the main points].”)

It is my goal to help all students get better at developing their journalism skills and their life success skills (those ones that help you do well in other courses and in the workplace).  It is my expectation that all students will take the course seriously and make improvements in all skill and objective areas.  However, I realize that some students may find that something that they can’t do.  They shouldn’t take this course.

Objective:

learn basic newswriting, the foundation of all journalism.

Why?  If you want to consider journalism as a career, it should be obvious.  But basic newswriting also involves disciplining your brain to look at and organize material in a systematic way, making sense of it.  The benefit will carry over to other classes that have nothing to do with Mass Comm.

Newswriting outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least two articles) that you can:

• write effective one-sentence summary leads
• interview and quote at least two subjects effectively
• use the inverted pyramid properly
• show a proper grasp of newsvalues

Objective:

practice effective newsgathering, without which newswriting is impossible.

Why?  If you don’t have solid facts, you don’t have a story.  Yet many professional journalists are criticized for “working the phones,” that is, not getting away from their desks to find the news.  Newsgathering is often the toughest part of a story, because you have to find a story – and the information that goes with it – before other people even recognize what’s going on.  It requires creativity and hard work.

Newsgathering outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of a legwork assignment and articles) that you can:

• find solid news stories on campus (ones that have strong news values) and gather the first round of facts and quotes on them.
• since the editors may not always accept your article ideas, you can also demonstrate this objective by keeping notes on good ideas that you contributed.

Objective:

understand the ethical underpinning of good journalism.

Why?  Well, without moral actions, what are we left with?  Journalism is one of the most important professions in America.  What tenets do good journalists adhere to, even when the pressure is on to do otherwise?  Knowing the answer to this will affect your ability to analyze the journalistic controversies that arise long into the future.

Ethics outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least two answers to ethics test questions) that you can:

• explain various elements (major and minor) of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) code of ethics
• apply elements of the SPJ code to ethical dilemmas and discuss how they can help lead to a course of action

Objective:

understand the role that journalist play in democracy.

Why?  If you have to ask that question, then you don’t know the importance of the role they play.  Without journalists, people in power will control information, which makes it easier to control people, and a democracy in which people are manipulated isn’t much of a democracy.

Journalism in democracy outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of an essay question answer or through meeting with me in individual conferences) that you can:

• articulate the role of journalists in democracy and explain why it is so important

Objective:

begin developing knowledge of basic style rules.

Why?  You won’t get a job in journalism if your writing is filled with basic errors.

Style rule outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one style rule test where you have gotten the majority of the questions right) that you:

• know some of the basic writing rules needed by beginning reporters.

Objective:

develop a sense of world geography and of world news.

Why?  Journalists are responsible for reporting what goes on in the world.  Journalists also know what’s going on in the news – it’s part of their profession.

World geography and news outcomes: By the time you complete this course you should have evidence (in the form of at least one successful geography and news test) that you can:

• identify a number of countries in a given geographical area
• demonstrate familiarity with ongoing news

Objective:

act professionally.

Why?  It’s essential practice for what’s to come in the rest of college and the rest of your life.  Taking on responsibility and successfully meeting it is a habit like any other.  You can’t turn it on after graduation like a light switch.  Meeting the standards that have been set for you – such as doing the reading and participating in class or online – can sometimes be a pain, but it always pays off.

Objective:

work with upper level journalism students.

Why?  Franklin Pierce offers a unique opportunity to work with Journalism 2 students, who will provide editorial feedback on your articles, and with Convergent Journalism students, who will evaluate your work for possible publication in The Exchange.  Working with them will add to the educational experience, and it will also provide a sense of what it’s like to work in an electronic newsroom.

Objective:

related to the preceding objective, you will also take responsibility for being self-directed: because of the emphasis on conferencing, etc. there will be times when I am not directing the class activities – you are expected to fill the time with legitimate learning activities and to keep notes on them. I will provide a list of suggested research areas; your notes will reflect how you did your research and what you learned.

Why?  The job market is too awful to allow otherwise: bosses take note of employees who are slacking or who can’t provide evidence that they can work without direct supervision.  These days, and for a long to come, employees who have to learn self-direcition on the job, won’t be on the job long.

Self-direction outcomes: You will have good notes that provide detailed evidence of your learning activities whenever I am not directing the class activities.  If you have been counseled about improving your self-direction, you will be able to show consistent achievement of the outcome from that point on.

Producing the Exchange:

We will be using a new program (WordPress) and a new site for the Exchange (www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange ).  Because we will no longer be tied to IT, we will be able to update the paper whenever we wish.  This means:

• • We will update three times a week: Sunday night, Tuesday night and Thursday, with the expectation that most readers will see it the next morning.
  • That means there will be a weekend shift, a Tuesday shift and a Thursday shift.
    • Each shift will require an assignment meeting and an editing/production meeting.
    • The assignment meeting for the Tuesday shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the Thursday shift will be the preceding Sunday night.
    • The assignment meeting for the weekend shift will be the preceding Thursday night.
      • It is important that everyone come to these meetings.  You cannot participate via email.
  • The opening five weeks of the class, the Exchange will be produced mostly during class time by the Advanced J and J2 classes.
  • Once the first five weeks of class are over, because of the class size it means that everyone will have to pull four Tuesday and Thursday shifts.  (We can arrange so that either you get the same shift or rotate the shifts.  We’ll decide in class.  However, I want you to pull it with regular partners.  You can convince me otherwise, but the standard of good quality material on time will always be your responsibility.)
  • Everyone will also have to pull two weekend shifts.  (While you do not have to pull the shift with your usual partners, it will be best if you do.  Screwing up the weekend shift because of miscommunication with a new partner will adversely affect my evaluation of you.)

Just as in the workplace, your performance will be judged on the basis of your initiative, commitment, effort, leadership and other indications of involvement.  So what that means, in part, is that if you don’t know a skill, you should arrange to learn it.  I want to hear “I can’t do that because I don’t know how” replaced with “I don’t know how to do that yet, but I’m learning.”  This is the sort of thing that will play a large part in my evaluation of you (a significant portion of your grade).

Standards and Expectations:

Core standards are listed at www.fpujournalism.org/classes.  Everyone is expected to understand and adhere to those standards.  What follows is an elaboration on some of them, as well as specific standards for this class.

I expect that every student in this class will do his or her best to achieve these goals and meet my expectations.  Anyone not willing to do this should not take this course.

I have high standards, because when we try to meet high standards we push ourselves to new levels.  Consequently, I don’t relax my standards.  (I don’t believe that consequences carry any lasting lessons if standards are relaxed, so if a student makes a choice that results in losing points – being absent, being unprofessional, missing a deadline, etc. – those points are gone.)

I expect all students to act professionally, just as they would in the first three or four months at a new job with a boss of my generation.  Just as one would never argue with, badmouth, whine to, complain about a job assignment, surf the web, carry on conversations while the boss is talking or anything of that general nature, I expect that it will not happen here.  Anything that detracts from the positive learning environment (discourages, disrupts or undermines it) will be considered unprofessional.

This standard may require some students to reflect on how they have acted in other classes or in other settings and evaluate whether or not those behaviors will meet my expectations – which is to say, there’s no excuse for unprofessional behavior.

Points will be deducted for unprofessional behavior.  At the most, I will say, “That’s unprofessional,” to indicate that points have been lost.  Professionalism also extends to behavior towards classmates, and to taking feedback to heart and acting on it.

Some behavior may result in a student being told to leave for the day, which will be counted as an absence, or being told to leave until such time as he or she has met with ResLife, Academic Services or another appropriate service and that office informs that a productive meeting has taken place aimed at understanding and addressing that behavior.   Absences will accrue until I receive such a notice.  If that office feels that multiple meetings are necessary, the failure to attend those meetings will result in absences until such time as productive meetings take place again.

Students who lose all professionalism points will receive an F for the class.  Grossly unprofessional conduct will result in an immediate F.

Plagiarism is the height of unprofessional conduct.  It is passing someone else’s work off as your own.  This includes copying the work of another student.  Either failure constitutes an act of plagiarism.  A student who commits any act of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, who keeps a record of plagiarism, and will suffer appropriate consequences ranging from loss of points to immediately flunking the course.  (Note: fictionalizing quotes or facts in articles will result in the same consequences.  As you’ll learn later in the course, plagiarism and fictionalizing are among the worst crimes a journalist can commit.)

Students with documented learning disabilities should approach me out of class, and I will make every accommodation that I reasonably can.

Folders:

You will keep your notes on self-directed learning, on achievement of goals, and on conferencing with me in a folder.  You will also need to keep copies of articles, reflection papers – in short anything that you hand in.  Do not put material that is due to be graded in these folders – I won’t see it and you won’t be graded.

Other Fundamentals:

Regularly checking your e-mail is a must.  We will use your FPC account, so make sure your mailbox is empty.  (Two instances of being told to empty your mailbox will be considered unprofessional.)  Saying “I didn’t get that” or “I didn’t read that” is not an acceptable reason whether a student is in this class or at work.

• If I ask for a response from students to an e-mail I’ve sent, failure to respond in 36 hours will cost points.

Regularly visit the class site at www.fpujournalism.org/classes

Regularly read The Exchange at www.fpujournalism.org/theexchange

Regularly check in WebCT.  (If we adopt a new system, such as Google notebooks, check that.)  That’s where everyone will post electronic copies of legwork assignments, drafts, final articles and other material.  (If all goes as planned, the J2 class will be providing feedback on your drafts, while the Exchange staff will be considering your final articles for publication.)

No food in the classroom.  Drinks in covered containers are OK.

Never, ever surf to a non-classwork-related site.  It is unprofessional and will result in the immediate loss of points.

Read the syllabus at least once a week and consult the rubrics before and while you’re working on an assignment.

An idiosyncrasy of mine:

I don’t mind answering questions twice, since I know that sometimes there are reasons for having missed an answer.  However, being asked the same question three times drives me up the wall.  It suggests to me the student doesn’t respect what’s going on in class enough to pay attention.  To be honest, I’m also not real super with students who need reassurance that what’s in the syllabus is what has to be done – I put a lot of effort into the syllabus and if it’s here, I don’t expect to repeat it.

Earning Points:

The key to earning points is providing clear, demonstrable evidence that you are doing the things below or are reaching the highest levels of the grading rubrics.  (If there is any doubt about having clearly reached goals, etc., there will be no arguments: I will be fair, but I am the final judge.)

Class managing editor                            5

Legwork, newsbriefs, &                         5

other assignments

Assignment & editing meetings           16 (although this will also factor into my

professional evaluation, this is intended to make a point that strong performance

here is important)

Articles & learning statements             28

Professionalism                          3

Various tests/quizzes/etc.                     17

Outcomes self-analysis                          2

Reflection papers                                    4 (2 each)

My professional evaluation of you       20

Presence, participation, self directed learning & log  (all factor into your

professional evaluation)

• My professional evaluation will include such things as participation and presence, how seriously the student took the course, how consistently the student put in effort (someone who kicks into gear in the final weeks of class isn’t going to impress me very much), if the student ever put in extra effort, etc.
  • More than four absences, missed shift meetings, a “slacker” attitude or making excuses, inconsistent participation, inadequate self-direction, weak learning statements and logs, etc. will adversely affect my evaluation, dragging it down even though there have been positive actions.
  • A student who grossly falls below basic expectations with excessive absences, missed shift meetings, poor participation, inadequate self-direction, lousy attitude, failure to improve after counseling, or any action that detracts from class or individual learning will have more points taken off.
  • Conversely, any student who is truly outstanding for consistently superior attitude, work, etc. may get additional points at my discretion.
    • One caveat to that: someone who over-participates, by which I mean talks to so much that others don’t have a chance to contribute, cannot get extra points.
• The rubrics below are intended as guidelines.  If work looks like it was done at the last minute, that automatically moves it into a lower category.
• I don’t grade your assignments by letters; I’ll use the rubrics below.  For ease of calculation, when it comes to the rubrics I keep track of how many points are lost and at the end of the semester I simply subtract that number from 100.  You can do the same thing to keep track of how you’re doing.
• I’ll be glad to discuss your grade with you up until Apr. 15.  After that, improving your grade will be best served by concentrating on your final assignments.
• Since we’re using a new system of shifts, etc., I reserve the prerogative to assign a “bump” upwards in grade points at the end of the semester.  However, I will not give the bump to students with excessive absences, missed shift meetings, poor self-directed learning, poor participation – you get the picture.
• I do not give extra credit assignments, but I will give extra points for work that I consider particularly impressive.

Managing editor/in lieu of:

The managing editor (ME) acts as the traffic cop at a publication, keeping everything functioning.  In class, the ME will be responsible for staying on top of the assignment schedule and the syllabus, reminding the class (and me) about assignments and deadlines, which includes emailing everyone as many times as there are shifts.

A good managing editor will coordinate with the Advanced J class as necessary, letting them know how to contact you, being ready to pass on information, etc.  The ME is also responsible for answering questions about the syllabus, about how to prepare articles/drafts/reader responses/cover sheets/etc. for turn-in, etc.

Since there will be a limited number of ME positions, anyone who can’t sign up will have an as-yet-to-be-determined activity of equivalent degree to perform..

The ME should always include me in emails in order to get credit.

Legwork:

The legwork assignment will require you to physically visit offices, departments, etc. on campus.  You’ll get information about possible stories that have good newsvalues along with the contact information for your sources.  The form requires you to get the signature of your source.  This assignment can be done in a two-person team, but you must both be present to get information.

Newsbrief:

The newsbrief assignment is intended as a warm-up, a chance to write a three to five sentence mini-article with a quote about something happening on campus (or nearby).  I want it to be more than a Ravenflash.  It can be about a club about to hold a meeting, some student group’s plan for the semester, what happened in your dorm, something special that some professor is planning to do, etc.  If you can, get a quote from someone involved in the subject (identify them properly).  Remember, the key to news is something new that is happening or that has happened: give your readers information that they can use or that they probably didn’t know.

Articles:

Journalists don’t miss deadlines.  Late articles will have a detrimental effect on your professional evaluation.

You’ll be divided into 4 groups, and groups will be assigned to shifts that either rotate between Tuesday and Thursday or are fixed (Tuesday only, Thursday only).  Remember that shifts require an assignment meeting and editing/production meeting – these are face-to-face rather than electronic meetings.

At assignment meetings you are expected to have at least one news story idea ready.  (You can work with your shift members in our class to generate ideas.)  However, it is up to the AdvancedJ editors to make the final decision as to what assignments will be made.  (If you have several good ideas and the editors use them by assigning them to others, you should encourage them to credit you with that when they write their informal evaluations.)

• • You will have a draft of your article due the morning of the editing meeting.  Upperclass students will email you suggestions for revision – if they don’t, you should let me know.
  • When you interview sources for your article, make sure you get a phone number and let them know you’ll be calling during lunch or whenever you have free time on the due date.  Even the 10 minutes between classes will be enough.  Leave a phone number where the source can leave a message, if necessary.
  • In class you will have 10 or 15 minutes to make changes, but don’t plan on conducting interviews then.  (Unless I give special permission, it will adversely affect your professional evaluation if you do.)
  • Post your revised draft to WebCT no later than the start of the editing session.  The editors will re-read your piece and may suggest more changes, which you’ll make during the editing meeting.  (I would prefer to have your revised draft at the end of class, but if you choose to keep working on it you can, just be sure it’s in by the start of the meeting.)
    • I will evaluate your revised draft.  If the editors mess it up somehow later, it won’t affect my evaluation, which is why I have to see the revised draft.
  • The final step in the shift will be to write a minimum 3 paragraph (5 sentences each) statement about how the whole process went and what you learned or have to learn.  This is where you can include what you learned from talking with the editors during the editing meetings.
    • Write this up in the last 5 or 10 minutes of your participation in the editing meeting.
    • Turn this learning statement in at the start of the next class period.

(Theoretically, electronic meetings can be effective, but only after team cohesion has been built; however, our meetings are also avenues for learning from upperclass students and are also necessary for upperclass students to have a chance to develop leadership skills.)

The article grading is structured so that my expectations rise: I expect you to get better and better through the semester (unless you start out really great).  That means I’ll be more inclined to cut you slack in the early articles.  This is also why I allow the first article to be team-reported and –written.

Article length:

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll call the Tuesday-Thursday shifts the weekday shifts, as opposed to the weenend shifts.

Weekday shifts:

#1  250 words, 2 sources quoted

#2  250 words, 2 sources

#3  300 words, 2 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

#4  350 words, 3 sources (incl. 1 non-student official)

Weekend shifts:

Both: at least 250-350 words, at least 2-3 sources quoted.  (This is where, if you do more than the minimum, you want to bring it to my attention, because extra effort – especially at inconvenient times like weekends will factor into my professional evaluation of you.)

You may not quote a roommate, classmate or friend unless they play an active role in the story.

Your first article, whether weekday or weekend, can be done with a J1 partner from your shift team, if you wish (all others must be done individually).

Revised draft:

Interviewing & fact gathering/presentation:

Learning statement:

Self-directed learning and log:

Whenever I am conferencing with students or you are not taking part in reader responses or class activities, you are expected to be doing self-directed learning.  This usually means choosing a research topic from the list I’ll provide, researching it on the internet and taking notes.  At the end of the class period, you’ll need to write a summary of what you did and what you learned (step back from the actual note-taking on the subject and reflect on how you would explain to someone else, like me).  As part of our conferencing, I will check on what you’ve learned, which means that at a later date you will be expected to describe your knowledge of the topic without consulting your notes.

Taking a leading part in participation:

What is good participation?  Speaking up without being called upon; answering questions about the reading; taking an energetic part in a discussion – in essence, good participation is anything that helps make the class better.  Good participation is seldom a one-shot deal – expect to speak up more than once.

Taking a leading part in discussion means speaking up in the first half of class.  Experience shows that’s when students provide evidence of having done the reading and demonstrate their active engagement.  Speaking up later often entails responding to the comments of others, which, while useful, is not as demanding.

Presence:

Since illness might strike you unexpectedly, I strongly recommend that students avoid any absences that might be due to oversleeping, hangovers, etc.

• Be aware that I consider two lates to equal an absence.
• At 4 consecutive absences or 8 absences total, I will in all likelihood drop the offending student from the course.

Professionalism:

Professionalism, as described above, is preparation for the rest of your college education as well as for the work world.  Since this is a college class with high standards, many of the behaviors that are common in high school classrooms will not be acceptable here.  When in doubt, a student should ask about a behavior before exhibiting it – anything that detracts from learning and a positive atmosphere is definitely unprofessional.

• Anyone earning zero professionalism points will be dropped from the course with an F.
• Any act that is grossly unprofessional – that would get a new employee fired in the work world – will result in an F.

Various tests/quizzes:

The tests and quizzes may be done during conferencing or in class.  Among the items that will be tested will be mastery of: journalism in democracy concepts, ethics, newsvalues/5 Ws/inverted pyramid, map knowledge, news knowledge, etc.

Reflection papers:

Twice during the course you’ll write a three page (complete to the bottom of the 3^rd page) reflection on how the course has gone for you up till that point.  Strong reflections will refer to the goals and objectives of the course.

Outcomes self-analysis:

Near the end of the semester I’ll give you a form to fill out, concretely describing how you have achieved the course outcomes: listing specific articles, etc.

Texts:

Harrower, Inside Reporting, 2^nd edition.

We will be using the SPJ code of ethics (available at www.spj.org).

Schedule:

The reading schedule is attached.  It contains a shift schedule that is based on a fixed rotation (an oxymoron) so your team will always have the same workday shift.  If the class decides that you can cope with rotating between Tuesday and Thursday shifts, we can change accordingly.

You must sign up for two weekend shifts during the course of the semester.

Draft due dates vary based on shifts, so pay attention.

It is up to you to keep track of your shifts and when your drafts and final articles are due.  You should also keep track of who the class ME is (we’ll have a roster, but writing it on your syllabus might be a good idea).  Ditto for who the Advanced J students are.

The schedule may change in order to take advantage of learning opportunities (campus speakers, etc.), recent events in journalism, etc.  The changes will be announced via e-mail, if not in class – another reason to regularly check your e-mail.