J310 Writing, Reporting & Ethics III
Syllabus
| j310_updated_syllabus.pdf |
| j310_updated_syllabus.rtf |
Assignments
1.Travel project (groups): Multimedia project can be done in groups of 2-3 (can be done alone with permission of instructor, but assignment expectations remain same): 30%
2. Profile (online): 20%
3. Review (online) 20%
4. In-class assignments 20% (includes maps, pimp your blog, how-to, curate the news, citizen journalism, free-lance writing research)* NUMBER AND CONTENT OF IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS MAY CHANGE. IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS CANNOT BE MADE UP.
5. Participation/Class citizenship 10% (On-time attendance, participation in class discussions, responding to reading assignments, respectful behavior toward professor and fellow students. Disruptive behavior will result overall grade -- not just participation -- severe grade deduction.) Additional notes on class conduct:
• Computers should only be turned on when professor asks the students to do so. Computers may not be used during class to complete homework for other classes, shop, chat, enjoy porn, break-up with boy/girlfriend, adopt a gerbil, etc.
• Cell phones etc. must be turned-off. No calls, no texting. Texting, instant messaging, taking calls, etc. during class can result in a “0” for that day’s in-class assignment regardless of whether you complete the day’s work.
• Rude, disrespectful or disruptive behavior can result in a lower overall grade or even a failing grade – no matter what your performance is on assignments – depending on the severity of the behavior.
Equipment check-out form
| equipment_checkout.pdf |
Readings
Week 1 (Aug. 25) First Day: “Powerful New Ways to Tell Stories”; class survey;
Week 2 (Sept. 1) Reviews: Traditional reviews and their components; world’s best reviewers and what makes them great; from Amazon to Yelp: Rise of online reviews. (Assignment: Review a parking garage, post on Yelp. Due Sept. 29)
Week 3 (Sept. 8): Google Maps: Ubiquity of online maps in 21st century newsrooms; using online maps; creating your own map; using a map as a story planning device.
Week 4 (Sept. 15): Video bootcamp. Review of newspaper websites’ use of video; basics of video editing; introduction to iMovie
Week 5 (Sept. 22): Video bootcamp (continued): Shooting video: basic techniques; interviewing with a camera; video story forms; why online newspaper videos are not TV
Week 6 (Sept. 29): Profiles & Free-lancing (REVIEWS DUE) Guest Speaker. query letters; researching a potential publisher for your work.
Reading:
Hearst student award profile stories
Week 7 (Oct. 6): Social Media (blogs, Twitter, etc.)
Week 8 (Oct. 13): Furlough day for Professor Wall pending approval
Students: Work on profile: research/background/interviews
Week 9 (Oct. 20): Travel writing – writing about place. Structure/form/tone
Readings:
places will be limited to the following:
*a neighborhood prone to wildfires (such as some in the hills near campus)
*a neighborhood prone to earthquakes
*a neighborhood with poor quality drinking water
*a neighborhood with mountain lions or other wildlife
*a neighborhood in the Hollywood or other hills that make getting emergency vehicles in difficult
*a neighborhood near the Rose Bowl or other similar venue (Dodger Stadium, Staples, etc) with lots of traffic and related problems
*a neighborhood near LAX (noise problems)
*a neighborhood in Hollywood (noise, etc)
* a neighborhood near a freeway (pollution/health problems)
*a neighborhood with schools that have high drop-out rates and/or low test scores
* a neighborhood next to a beach with poor quality water (such as some in Santa Monica or nearby)
* a neighborhood with a lot of "B" restaurants (usually seafood, sushi or other similar foods)
* a neighborhood in downtown LA
Any other ideas would have to be approved by me.
Week 10 (Oct. 27): (Profile due) Explanatory Journalism and its simpler cousin: How to stories
Week 11 (Nov. 3): Furlough day for Professor Wall pending approval
Students: Work on travel story: research/background and interviews
Week 12 (Nov. 10): Curate the news & link journalism
Week 13 (Nov.17): Citizen Media What it is? what is the history of it? Who does it? Where does it appear? What purpose does it serve? Pros and cons . What is the significance for professional journalism?
Reading:
The state of the news media: Citizen journalism
Week 14 (Nov. 24): Ethics/Legal: Creative Commons, etc.
Week 15 (Dec. 1): Travel projects: Final edits
Week 16 (Dec. 8): Last day (final project due)
Week 2 (Sept. 1) Reviews: Traditional reviews and their components; world’s best reviewers and what makes them great; from Amazon to Yelp: Rise of online reviews. (Assignment: Review a parking garage, post on Yelp. Due Sept. 29)
Week 3 (Sept. 8): Google Maps: Ubiquity of online maps in 21st century newsrooms; using online maps; creating your own map; using a map as a story planning device.
Week 4 (Sept. 15): Video bootcamp. Review of newspaper websites’ use of video; basics of video editing; introduction to iMovie
Week 5 (Sept. 22): Video bootcamp (continued): Shooting video: basic techniques; interviewing with a camera; video story forms; why online newspaper videos are not TV
Week 6 (Sept. 29): Profiles & Free-lancing (REVIEWS DUE) Guest Speaker. query letters; researching a potential publisher for your work.
Reading:
Hearst student award profile stories
Week 7 (Oct. 6): Social Media (blogs, Twitter, etc.)
Week 8 (Oct. 13): Furlough day for Professor Wall pending approval
Students: Work on profile: research/background/interviews
Week 9 (Oct. 20): Travel writing – writing about place. Structure/form/tone
Readings:
places will be limited to the following:
*a neighborhood prone to wildfires (such as some in the hills near campus)
*a neighborhood prone to earthquakes
*a neighborhood with poor quality drinking water
*a neighborhood with mountain lions or other wildlife
*a neighborhood in the Hollywood or other hills that make getting emergency vehicles in difficult
*a neighborhood near the Rose Bowl or other similar venue (Dodger Stadium, Staples, etc) with lots of traffic and related problems
*a neighborhood near LAX (noise problems)
*a neighborhood in Hollywood (noise, etc)
* a neighborhood near a freeway (pollution/health problems)
*a neighborhood with schools that have high drop-out rates and/or low test scores
* a neighborhood next to a beach with poor quality water (such as some in Santa Monica or nearby)
* a neighborhood with a lot of "B" restaurants (usually seafood, sushi or other similar foods)
* a neighborhood in downtown LA
Any other ideas would have to be approved by me.
Week 10 (Oct. 27): (Profile due) Explanatory Journalism and its simpler cousin: How to stories
Week 11 (Nov. 3): Furlough day for Professor Wall pending approval
Students: Work on travel story: research/background and interviews
Week 12 (Nov. 10): Curate the news & link journalism
Week 13 (Nov.17): Citizen Media What it is? what is the history of it? Who does it? Where does it appear? What purpose does it serve? Pros and cons . What is the significance for professional journalism?
Reading:
The state of the news media: Citizen journalism
Week 14 (Nov. 24): Ethics/Legal: Creative Commons, etc.
- Poynter Institute News University
Week 15 (Dec. 1): Travel projects: Final edits
Week 16 (Dec. 8): Last day (final project due)
Basics
Professor: Melissa Wall, Ph.D.
Office: 330 Manzanita Hall; Hours: T 12-1 p.m.; R 530:-7 p.m.
Contact: melissawall[at]gmail.com 818/677-3135
About the Prof: www.melissawall.wordpress.com
Prerequisite: A grade of "C" or better in Journalism 210 or its equivalent
Course description: J310 assumes you already have basic news reporting and writing skills. We will further develop these with a range of reporting assignments – from multimedia features to more in-depth reporting on social/political issues. We will consider both classic and newer forms of storytelling. Your work in J310 will make you more marketable to employers.
Readings: All readings are online, no textbook. See schedule to find the day’s reading. Please use your AP Stylebook
Equipment policies. During the course of the semester, you will be using department equipment. In order to use this equipment, you will need to read the check-out policies form and sign on the first day of class. The form covers the entire semester. You agree to pay for or replace any lost/damaged/stolen equipment or have your final grade withheld and other possible disciplinary procedures. At the office housing the equipment, you will be asked to sign additional forms.
Plagiarism: All work must be based on original reporting. The Journalism Dept. is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are not tolerated. Anyone caught cheating automatically will receive a failing grade in the course and be reported to the University for possible further disciplinary action. For further explanation of the behavior defined as cheating, and a more details regarding disciplinary procedures, consult the current CSUN catalog. Please also note that much of the information on the Internet is protected by U.S. copyright laws. Passing this information off as your own violates CSUN's plagiarism policy and carries the penalties outlined above.
Diversity: Students in this course are strongly encouraged to broaden their journalistic experiences, with the instructor's help, by including in their work people from ethnic, racial and religious minorities; the elderly, disabled and poor; gay men and lesbians; and other similar groups. This is to ensure that student work reflects the diversity of the community.
Office: 330 Manzanita Hall; Hours: T 12-1 p.m.; R 530:-7 p.m.
Contact: melissawall[at]gmail.com 818/677-3135
About the Prof: www.melissawall.wordpress.com
Prerequisite: A grade of "C" or better in Journalism 210 or its equivalent
Course description: J310 assumes you already have basic news reporting and writing skills. We will further develop these with a range of reporting assignments – from multimedia features to more in-depth reporting on social/political issues. We will consider both classic and newer forms of storytelling. Your work in J310 will make you more marketable to employers.
Readings: All readings are online, no textbook. See schedule to find the day’s reading. Please use your AP Stylebook
Equipment policies. During the course of the semester, you will be using department equipment. In order to use this equipment, you will need to read the check-out policies form and sign on the first day of class. The form covers the entire semester. You agree to pay for or replace any lost/damaged/stolen equipment or have your final grade withheld and other possible disciplinary procedures. At the office housing the equipment, you will be asked to sign additional forms.
Plagiarism: All work must be based on original reporting. The Journalism Dept. is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are not tolerated. Anyone caught cheating automatically will receive a failing grade in the course and be reported to the University for possible further disciplinary action. For further explanation of the behavior defined as cheating, and a more details regarding disciplinary procedures, consult the current CSUN catalog. Please also note that much of the information on the Internet is protected by U.S. copyright laws. Passing this information off as your own violates CSUN's plagiarism policy and carries the penalties outlined above.
Diversity: Students in this course are strongly encouraged to broaden their journalistic experiences, with the instructor's help, by including in their work people from ethnic, racial and religious minorities; the elderly, disabled and poor; gay men and lesbians; and other similar groups. This is to ensure that student work reflects the diversity of the community.
Survey
1. Have you ever shot video?
2. Ever edited video? With which software (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut, etc.)
3. Ever uploaded a video to the internet (Facebook, YouTube, etc.)
4. Ever uploaded a still image to the internet?
5. Do you own a cellphone or similar device that can shoot video that can be transferred to computer?
6. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
7. Do you own a cellphone or similar device that can shoot stills that can be transferred to computer?
8. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
9. Do you own a digital audio recorder that can be transferred to computer?
10. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
11. Have you ever edited audio on a computer? If so, which software did you use?
12. Have you ever edited a still photo on a computer? If so, which software did you use?
13. Have you ever written an online review? If so, where did you post it?
14. Have you ever ranked something online? If so, give an example.
15. Have you ever submitted a photo, video or other content to a an news outlet online?
16. Do you use Google maps?
17. Have you ever created a map in Google?
2. Ever edited video? With which software (iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Final Cut, etc.)
3. Ever uploaded a video to the internet (Facebook, YouTube, etc.)
4. Ever uploaded a still image to the internet?
5. Do you own a cellphone or similar device that can shoot video that can be transferred to computer?
6. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
7. Do you own a cellphone or similar device that can shoot stills that can be transferred to computer?
8. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
9. Do you own a digital audio recorder that can be transferred to computer?
10. If yes, have you ever transferred this content to the computer?
11. Have you ever edited audio on a computer? If so, which software did you use?
12. Have you ever edited a still photo on a computer? If so, which software did you use?
13. Have you ever written an online review? If so, where did you post it?
14. Have you ever ranked something online? If so, give an example.
15. Have you ever submitted a photo, video or other content to a an news outlet online?
16. Do you use Google maps?
17. Have you ever created a map in Google?