Communication 3505

Media Communications

3 credits

Spring 2008

Class Meetings: 6:00-8:50 p.m.., 425 A.B. Anderson Hall

Professor: Dr. D.S. Petersen-Perlman

Office: 407 A.B. Anderson Hall

Phone: 726-7528 (direct line & 24 hour message line via voice mail)

Fax: 726-7505 (this is the Human Resources fax number, but I will get it if you address it to me in a prominent place on the document)

email: dpeters1@d.umn.edu (please note: I read email M-F during business hours only; this means I may not see your message until the next business day if you write your message at night or on the weekends).

Class alias: comm3505-90-s2008@d.umn.edu

Hours: Tuesdays 1:30-2:30/Thursdays 1:30-3:30 p.m. in 407 ABAH, and by appointment.

 

Text: Yopp, Jan Johnson and Katherine C. McAdams (2006). Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing, 4th Ed. Needham Hts., MA: Allyn & Bacon. You are expected to purchase and read this text as assigned. Your quizzes are based on your reading of the assigned text.

I strongly encourage you to purchase the Associated Press Style Manual.

 

Course Description: This course will introduce critical, journalistic, public relations and advertising writing techniques. In-class exercises will include critical analysis, fact gathering, selection and editing of newsletters, news-editorial content of newspapers, reporting and editing news, and practical application of public relations principles and advertising styles.

 

Course Objectives:

●           Students will learn basic media criticism and journalistic writing principles and techniques; they will learn how to write in different styles for various audiences.

●           Students will improve the accuracy of their writing.

●           Students will improve their English language usage.

●           Students will improve the completeness of their writing.

●           Students will improve the conciseness of their writing.

●           The University system as a whole is committed to diversity. We will be addressing race, gender and class issues related to writing for the media as we move through the semester. In the course of lecture, discussion, assignments and activities I intend to bring up other points of view, and I hope that you will too.

 

Explanation of grading principles: If you do everything identified in any given assignment description you will receive a C. If it is not acceptable, it will receive a lower grade depending on the problems contained within the submission.

Basic acceptability means that you have met all of the requirements of the assignment.

Non-acceptability means that you have not met the requirements of the assignment as articulated in the assignment description.

A grade of B will be assigned to those submissions which have met and exceeded the assignment requirements, or to those which may be deficient in a requirement but demonstrate innovativeness or creativity.

A grade of A is reserved for those assignments which meet and exceed all assignment requirements and demonstrate innovativeness and creativity.

Please note that the process of grading writing assignments is always a combination of objective and subjective assessments.

Grading scale: I use a standard grading scale, but grade point values may be adjusted depending on class performance.

 

A	94-100; 386-400 points
A-	90-93; 366-385 points
B+	87-89; 321-365 points
B	84-86; 286-320 points
B-	80-83; 266-285 points
C+	77-79; 221-265 points
C	74-76; 186-220 points
C-	70-73; 166-185 points
D+	67-69; 121-165 points
D	60-66; 86-120 points
F	59 or below; 85 points or fewer

Assignments: We will have a number of ungraded, but credited, in-class exercises which will be completed over the term. You will receive credit for doing them if: 1) You are in class to complete the in-class work; and 2) You make a good faith effort to meet the requirements of the assignments (that means coming to class prepared with work for peer review, for example). Some of these assignments are listed in the Required Reading and Assignment Calendar, but I reserve the right to add in-class assignments when appropriate. These assignments may include (but are not limited to) the following:

 Beginning writing exercise

 Writing diagnostic test

 Statement of Personal Goals for the class

 Headline writing exercise

 Lead writing exercise

 News structure exercise

 Style exercises

 Rewriting/Polishing exercises

 Copyediting exercises

 Public Relations preparation assignment

Ad copy writing assignments

 Other exercises as needed or appropriate

You will meet privately with Dr. Petersen-Perlman at least once during the semester to discuss your progress in the class and to review any concerns you have about your work in the class, individual assignments, etc. You must keep your appointment and be prepared with any assignments made prior to the scheduled meeting. Failure to do so will have an impact on your class participation grade. These meetings will be held at the mutual convenience of Dr. Petersen-Perlman and the student.

 

The in-class exercises, individual appointments, and other nongraded exercises will be worth a total of 7% (28 grade points) of your final grade. Your grade will be negatively affected by absences. You will not receive credit for class participation if you miss more than six class sessions.

 

You will complete four quizzes over the text, a grammar test and seven graded assignments which are described in more detail in assignment descriptions linked to this syllabus on my web page. The list of assignments and their weighted values appear below this text:

 

Grammar test----5% / 20 grade points

We will do a diagnostic test at the beginning of the semester to assess your grammatical proficiency. This first diagnostic test will be scored and it will receive credit as an in-class exercise, but I will not grade it. We will do a follow-up test (note: this will not be the same test, but another test based on the same principles) toward the end of the semester which will receive a grade. You should see improvement in your scores (and your usage).

 

You will need to provide a sample article from the publication for which you are aiming your various assignments when submitting the newsletter article, news article, movie review and feature article . The sample should be a photocopy and should be attached to your submission.

 

For every assignment submitted for a grade you will complete and attach a peer evaluation and will attach a copy of the grading template. A number of assignments will require a completed seven-stage writing process summary and a completed summary of your responses to the five questions on topic selection. Failure to submit these additional documents will result in point deductions from your assignment grade. All work submitted for a grade must be typed/word processed. Handwritten work will not be accepted.

 

This I Believe--5% / 20 grade points

For your first writing assignment, I would like for your to introduce yourselves to your classmates by writing a 500-word essay about what you believe (not to be confused with a religious statement), following the instructions provided in this link: This I Believe. You will be asked to present your Belief essay to the class. This assignment is worth 5% (20 grade points) of your final grade. Download and attach the Grading Template for this assignment to your submission. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

 

Newsletter article-10% / 40 grade points

You will write an 800-word newsletter article on a topic appropriate to a newsletter of your choice. These articles should be timely, informative and require a good knowledge of the audience for whom the newsletter is designed (which implies a good knowledge of the organization for which this newsletter is written), and of course, good knowledge of the subject for your article. You should take the approach of writing a piece based on your imagined position within the organization which publishes the newsletter. For example, you could imagine yourself as the Safety Manager, the Human Resources Director, or the Diversity Coordinator of the organization which publishes this newsletter. There are many other organizational positions which could serve as appropriate authors/contributors/originators for newsletter articles. Your goal is to provide information which would be useful to the members of the organization you've identified for this piece. In addition, you will be asked to complete a 7-Stage Writing Process Summary and responses to the 5-Question Topic Selection Test or this assignment. Here's a separate grading template you can download to attach to your submission. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

 

News reporting-10% / 40 grade points

This assignment asks that you write about a current event/topic of importance to the community of Duluth. This article should be newsworthy by definitions we'll discuss in class. Sports and entertainment stories are not appropriate for this assignment. Students may select a "beat" to cover by way of a standard news report. The easiest beats to select would be the school board (see meeting schedule at http://www.duluth.k12.mn.us/schoolboard/upcom.htm; they hold once a month meetings on Tuesday evenings) and the city council (see meeting schedule at http://www.ci.duluth.mn.us/city/council/schedule.html; they hold weekly meetings on Monday nights), but you may wish to cover a trial or some other news event. You will be responsible for writing a standard news story, complete with headline and sub-headline, and written in the inverted pyramid style. You must also include a by-line. This story must be formatted in columns. Your news story must be based on firsthand observation (not watching the event on television). You will include quotations from public comments and additional interviews you have conducted before or after the public meeting/event you attend/witness. You are expected to apply AP style and appropriate lead-writing skills. You will also offer responses to the five-question topic selection test and a completed 7-Stage Writing Template. I expect you to submit printed (hard) copies of your work. This article should be 900 words.Here’s a separate grading template to download and attach to your submission. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

Press release--5% / 20 grade points

You will be given a set of facts for a story or event for which you will prepare one press release and two related communication tools (we'll review these in class and you can read more suggestions in your text). I will act as your client. You should schedule a meeting with me to review facts to incorporate into the PR package. At that meeting we will discuss your ideas for communication tools. In a preface to the assignment identify the audience(s) you are trying to reach, what information your audience would need to make a decision whether or not to support the ideas contained within your press release, and the means by which you will identify the success of your efforts. You will also be asked to generate two additional communications tools (in addition to the press release) to accompany the press release. You will also complete a 7-Stage Writing Process Summary. Here is the grading template your press relesase assignment which should be downloaded and attached to your submission. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

 

 Advertisement copy--5%/ 20 grade points

You will select a product for which you will design a series of four ads for a particular, real and legitimate product, service or idea to run in the local newspaper in four succeeding weeks. Prior to developing the ads themselves, you will be asked to generate a single copy platform (please download for completion and attachment to your assignment submission). This copy platform will serve as the basis for your mini-campaign. I will provide you instructions on how to do that. Each ad should carry the same slogan (separate and apart from the subheadline and/or close) but have a different headline and body copy. Each block of body copy should be no fewer than 25 and no more than 50 words long. Each ad will have unique body copy, distinct from the other three ads. Each ad should be accompanied by an illustration (you must use a different illustration for each ad) which you can borrow from another source. At least one ad will have a subheadline (separate and apart from the slogan); and at least ad will have a close (separate and apart from the slogan). The illustrations selected for each ad might be photographic, clip art, graphs, charts, or some other relevant design element. If desired, I can provide a layout sheet which you can use for this assignment. Here’s the grading template for this assignment. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

 

Movie review-10% / 40 grade points

Select the movie of your choice (either currently in the theaters or on video/dvd) and write a movie review for publication consideration in a newspaper, magazine, or other published source with which you are familiar and for which you can research information about the audience. You will want to include information about the movie's rating, as well as your personal assessment about the movie and whether or not you believe the movie is worth watching. This assignment requires a good knowledge of the publication or program for which you are writing and that you have seen the film multiple times. You need to be sensitive to the audience for this publication or program as well as the intended audience for the movie under review. Additionally, you should be familiar with the style of a variety of movie reviews, particularly the style of the publication you have selected as the venue for your review. In addition, you will be asked to complete a 7-Stage Writing Process Summary and provide responses to the 5-Question Topic Selection Test for this assignment. This review should be no more than 900 words. Here is the movie review grading template. Peer evaluation will be worth 1% / 4 grade points.

 

Feature Article-20% / 80 grade points

Your Feature Article should be on a news-based topic that is of interest to you and to a well-defined audience for a specific publication. Make sure you have sufficient distance from the topic. You'll want to avoid personal stories and other conflicts of interest. I'm going to ask each of you make an appointment with me to "pitch" the story to me before you begin working on it. Writing about the topic you select will require extensive research including the use of documents and interviews. This piece should reflect your very best writing. Ideally, you should be able to publish this piece in a local newspaper. You will need to provide graphs, charts, pull-out quotations, photos, or some other illustrations to accompany your article. It should be approximately 2000 words long (no fewer than 1800, no more than 2500) and formatted in columns. I will also require the submission of a separate bibliography of documents, interviews and other evidence used in the preparation of this article (not to be part of the article, but rather an attachment for my use only). The Feature Article is a piece which you might want to submit for inclusion in your Portfolio. Here's your grading template. Peer evaluation will be worth 2% / 8 grade points.

 

Feature Article Presentation-5% / 20 grade points

You will also make an oral presentation of your Feature Article during the week before finals and during the Final Exam period (a five-to-nine-minute presentation-complete with a visual aid --NO distributed aids -wherein you will identify what you did (refer to the five question topic selection test), why you did it, how you did it (refer to the seven step writing process) and what you found). You should discuss what barriers you encountered and how you overcame those barriers. You should note what you would do differently if you could re-do the assignment, and you should note future directions for following up on this article in a subsequent article. You will NOT READ your article to us, but rather describe your writing process (go back to your notes and follow the five question topic selection process and review the seven step writing process).

 

Quizzes-10% / 40 grade points

You will have four quizzes covering the reading assignments from the text. The goal of these quizzes is to demonstrate that you have read and understood the material contained within the text. Your book is a valuable resource. By quizzing you over this material, I hope you will take it upon yourself to become familiar with the various techniques and strategies contained within the book. Good performance on these quizzes can make the difference between one grade and another. A number of students in the past have chosen not to read the text–to their detriment. These quizzes will be objective in format (true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching). Each quiz is identified on the class calendar at the end of the syllabus. We will reserve the last half-hour for quiz taking. Makeup quizzes will be composed of open-ended questions (short answer and essay) and are possible ONLY with advance notification of your inability to take the quiz due to a doctor verified illness, or verifiable personal emergency (other conflicting appointments are not viable excuses). Makeup quizzes will have an alternative format (essay) to that distributed during the regularly scheduled time. Makeup exams and quizzes will be scheduled during the Finals Week period.

 

Submission Policies: All work must be typed/word processed and completed by the beginning of the class period of the assigned deadline. Failure to make a submission on the assigned date at the beginning of the class period will result in a zero for that submission--no late work will be accepted.

 

General Class Policies and Expectations:

• Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform the instructor at the start of the semester. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required to provide for equitable participation.
• You must complete all work assigned, and attend at least 85% of the class sessions in order to receive a passing grade.
• Work is due at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date.
• No late work will be accepted.
• In addition to the copy of the assignment you submit for a grade, make sure you back up all of your work on a disk and in hard copy.
• As noted earlier, a makeup quiz is possible, but only on the basis of advanced personal consultation with the instructor, verified in writing. In those cases when advanced warning is not possible, every effort should be made to contact the instructor at the earliest possible opportunity. Verifiable illnesses and family emergencies are willingly excused; weddings and trips to the Bahamas (or fill in your favorite vacation destination) are not. Incompletes are rarely given because they are rarely completed.
• You are expected and encouraged to get ideas and information from articles and books that you read, and from discussions and exposure to movies and the electronic media, but that work must be used responsibly. If you use ideas obtained from another source (whether it is print, electronic, film, or another person), you must give clear credit in your submission (regardless of whether it is a video/audio tape, cd, dvd, an outline, an article, book, or a paper) in the form of an appropriate AP attribution. If you use the words of one of these sources--whether a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph or more--those works must be appropriately punctuated and attributed to their source, so as to distinguish them from your own. This is also true of paraphrasing another's words. Failure to do so is plagiarism. It is unethical to submit the same paper for more than one course--don't do it!
• The University Bulletin outlines the policy on scholastic misconduct. Cheating on assignments, examinations, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in a failing grade" for the class. I expect you to do your own assigned work.
• I expect that you will attend every class session. If you miss 30% or more of the assigned class periods, you will fail this class. Points will be deducted if you miss class.
• I expect that all work submitted for a grade will be typed or word processed. Handwritten work submitted for a grade will be returned without a grade. I expect you to assume professionalism in the completion of your assignments. That means that everything you submit for a grade must be typed/word processed and proofread. This is a writing class. Apply the highest standards to your written work for this class. That means you must avoid typographical, spelling and grammatical errors. If I have to mark more than five errors per page your grade will be negatively affected.
• I expect that you will come to class on time and be prepared with the day's assignments.
• I expect this class to be conducted in an open and respectful manner.
• I expect that you will give the class session your full attention. This means putting away materials not germane to class (newspapers, novels, magazines, work for other classes), turning off cell phones (do not take calls during class and do not text message during class–both activities are extremely rude), and ceasing use of headphones. I will ask you publically to put away such materials if I see you using them in class, so please save us both from such embarrassment.
• I expect you to seek academic help in a timely fashion. My office hours are available to you for that purpose.

Assumptions and Ground Rules to Guide us in Class Discussion: The following is based in part on suggestions made by Lynn Weber Cannon in "Fostering Positive Race, Class, and Gender Dynamics in the Classroom" which appeared in Women's Studies Quarterly, 1990: 1 & 2, 130-132.

We can assume that discrimination exists in many forms (e.g. sexism, racism, classism, ageism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, etc.). Any critical understanding of these various -isms means that we need to recognize that we have been taught misinformation about our own group as well as about members of other groups. This is true for both dominant (e.g., white, male, upper class, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc.) and non-dominant (e.g., people of color, women, poor, and working class, gay/lesbian, disabled, Jew, etc.) group members.

• Based on these assumptions then, let's agree that we cannot be blamed for the misinformation we have learned, but we are responsible when we repeat misinformation after we have learned otherwise. People and groups are not to be blamed for their non-dominant positions.
• Let's assume that people are always doing the best they can.
• Let's actively pursue information about our own groups and those of others. Let us share information about our own groups with other members of the class but never demean, devalue, or in any way put down people for their experiences. We each have an obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group cooperation and group gain. Let's create a safe atmosphere for open discussion.

 

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Reading and Assignment Calendar

1^st week (January 22): Syllabus and course review; Beginning writing exercises: #3, #4 or #5 on pp. 17 and 18; Chapter 1, "Writing for Today's Audiences"; Presentation on This I Believe essay. Here's a copy of a student information sheet I'd like for you to complete: 3505studentinformationsheet. You should keep a copy of this sheet to record your own grades, attendance, absences and extra credit work.

2^nd week (January 29): Chapter 2, "Tools for Writers: Spelling, Grammar, Style and Math"; Diagnostic Test (nongraded);

Quiz #1--2.5% : Chapters 1 & 2

This I Believe Peer evaluation--1%

3^rd week (February 5): Chapter 3, "Editing, Editing, Editing", and Chapter 4, "Guidelines for Good Writing"; Word Use and Editing exercises; Presentation on Writing the Newsletter Article.

This I Believe assignment--5%, February 5

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4^th week (February 12): Chapter 5, "Getting to the Point"; News Values, News Elements, Leads exercises;

Quiz #2--2.5% : Chapters 3, 4, 5

5^th week (February 19): Chapter 6, "Beyond the Lead: Writing the Message"; News Structure, Inverted Pyramid; Rewriting exercise; Presentation on Writing News Articles

Newsletter Peer evaluation--1% via email no later than Friday, February 15.

Newsletter article- 10%, February 19

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6^th week (February 26): "Interviewing, Quotes and Attribution"; Chapter 8, "Research and Observation",

Quiz #3--2.5%

News Story Peer evaluation--1% via email no later than Monday, February 25; in-class discussion February 26.

7^th week: Chapter 9 (March 4), Half-hour individual meetings with Dr. Petersen-Perlman. Presentation on Press Release Assignment.

News Writing Assignment- 10% March 4--10%;

8^th week (March 11): Chapter 13, "Public Relations Writing"; Chapter 11, "Legal and Ethical Issues"

Public Relations Peer Evaluation --1% via email no later than Monday, March 10; in-class discussion March 11.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 9^th week (March 25): Chapter 10, "Recognizing Bias and Stereotypes" and Cultural Sensitivity exercise.

Press Release Assignment --5%--due--5%, March 25,

10^th week (April 1): Presentation on Advertising Assignment, Chapter 14, "Advertising"

Quiz #4--2.5% : Chapters 10, 11, 13

Advertising Peer evaluation will take place via email no later than Monday, March 31; in-class disucssion April 1.

11^th week (April 8): Chapter 12, "Broadcast Media"; Advertising exercises. More advertising exercises.

Ad Copy Assignment due -10%, April 8.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12^th week (April 15): Chapter 7: Beyond Simple Formats; Presentation on Feature Assignment.

Movie Review Peer evaluation--1% will take place no later than Monday, April 14; in-class discussion April 15.

13^th week (April 22): Feature Writing exercises

Movie Review Assignment, due --10%, April 22.

14^th week (April 29): More Feature Exercises

Feature Article Peer evaluation--2% will take place via email no later than Monday, April 28; in-class discussion April 29.

Grammar test --5%

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15th week (May 6)

Feature Assignments due May 6–20%;

Feature Presentations--5% begin May 6, continue Tuesday, May 13.

 

FINALS WEEK (May 13):

Final Exam period 6:00-7:55 p.m..-- Presentation of Feature Articles, continued.

 

You are obligated to attend each of the final presentations by your classmates, including the final exam period. There are NO excused absences.

If you have holiday travel plans that conflict with our final exam schedule, now’s the time to drop.

 

A number of extra credit opportunities will occur throughout the semester. Students can receive five points (per paper) of extra credit each for no more than four short papers written about the extra credit opportunities they've attended. These papers should address:

• The publicity for the events they've attended.
• The size and composition of the audience.
• The interaction between the featured speakers/presenters of the event and the audience.
• Important points learned during the event/presentation.
• These papers are due no later than one week after the event.
• Attach a copy of the program, signed by the presenter/sponsor.
• No one is obligated to participate in these extra credit opportunities, but experience has shown that these short papers can make a difference between a higher or lower grade.

 

Events will be announced by way of the class alias: comm3505-90-s2008@d.umn.edu

 

Quick look at due dates (record these important dates in your planner):

Quiz #1 (chapters 1 & 2)	2.5%; 10 grade points	January 29
Peer Evaluation This I Believe	1%; 4 grade points 5%; 20 grade points	January 29 February 5
Quiz #2 (chapters 3 ,4, 5)	2.5%; 10 grade points	February 12
Peer Evaluation Newsletter article	1%; 4 grade points 10%; 40 grade points	February 15 February 19
Quiz #3 (chapters 6 ,8, 9)	2.5%; 10 grade points	February 26
Peer Evaluation News article	1%; 4 grade points 10%; 40 grade points	February 25, 26 March 4
Peer Evaluation Public Relations Package	1%; 4 grade points 5%; 20 grade points	March 10, 11 March 25
Quiz #4 (chapters 10, 11, 13)	2.5%; 10 grade points	April 1
Peer Evaluation Ad Package	1%; 4 grade points 5%; 20 grade points	March 31, April 1 April 8
Peer Evaluation Movie Review	1%; 4 grade points 10%; 40 grade points	April 14, 15 April 22
Grammar Test	5%; 20 grade points	April 29
Peer Evaluation Feature article	2%; 8 grade points 20%; 80 grade points	April 28, 29 May 6
Feature presentations	5%; 20 grade points	May 6, 13