Class scheduleThis changes weekly as the class evolves and takes its own direction.
eGradebook. Your grades will be posted here as promptly as possible so you can chart your class progress.
Moodle. The Moodle site is where you will turn in work, find readings and participate in class discussions.
ePortfolio. All major projects will be saved on ePortfolio where you will reflect on what you learned in the assignment. For Writing Studies majors, these projects will become part of the portfolio you present in your Senior Capstone.
Class email: jour2101-1-f2010@d.umn.edu

Student work from Spring 2009. These are examples of the design projects done by students in last year's class and give you a sense of where we're going with all of this.

Professor: John Hatcher
Class No.: 54291
Section: 001
Tuesdays, Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 3:15
Classroom: Humanities 484 
Office: 104A Cina
Mailbox: 420 Humanities
e-mail: jhatcher@d.umn.edu
Office hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays by appointment.

Course description
This class begins and ends with words. Our primary goal is to gain a level of comfort working with them and to begin to develop the skills required to be an effective editor. Of course, in a dynamic and changing media environment words aren’t the only way to tell stories. Sometimes, pictures, audio and video may be more effective. This class is designed so we can acquire a shared set of skills but also be flexible enough to take those skills and use them in different ways based on our own interests.
We all want to do different things with journalism. Some may be interested in newspapering; others are drawn toward online media, magazines, book publishing and, well, you get the point. The course invites everyone to bring their ideas to the class and help us learn from one another.

Goals

1. Practice editing skills in a converged, multimedia environment
2. Become proficient in the use of AP style, grammar, spelling and punctuation
3. Practice the art of editing, including tightening and rewriting copy, editing for accuracy, fairness and balance
4. Write headlines, and cropping/sizing photos
5. Introduce students to layout principles for both print and Web publications
6. Expose students to typical newsroom editing pressures
7. Stress the role of an editor in a coaching and collaborative environment and explore the interpersonal skills necessary to work effectively with others

Class format and teaching philosophy
If we both do our part, this class will be challenging and fun. I enjoy journalism and working with passionate people. I tend to be silly and to tell really bad jokes. However, this style can be easily misinterpreted. I work hard and expect you to work hard. I expect you to come to class on time and be ready to learn. Miss deadlines, show up late or not at all and you will have a very difficult time surviving this course.
While we’ll be working on developing skills each week, toward the end of the semester we’ll also be working on a larger project that is designed to showcase all the skills we’ll acquire.

Computers and software
CLA students required to have laptop computers and you will be required to bring them to this class. We will do lots of work online as well as in-class writing assignments. Non-CLA students may check out laptops in the class, but need to arrive before the start of class to get those laptops.
Access to InDesign:
During the layout and design portion of this class, you will spend quite a bit of time working in a software program called InDesign. You can expect to need quite a bit of time outside of class to complete your project. You have lots of choices when it comes to places where you can work on the design software you'll use in this class:
- Our classroom : We will be working in a lab that has all the software required for this class and that room will be open for your use during lab hours that will be posted in that room.
- Free trial version: You may want to consider either downloading InDesign for a free 30-day trial period when we begin working on our client projects.
- Education version of Adobe Creative Suites: If you know you're going to do a lot of design work, you might consider buying CS3, which is sold at the bookstore for a discounted price.
- Full Access to ITSS computer labs: UMD has a number of labs that offer this software and are open much of the time. Unfortunately, these labs also require what's called a Full Access fee, which I'm not going to require you to pay. However, this is a pretty good deal and would allow you access to all the software you could ever need at all kinds of hours of the day, night and weekends for a pretty good price. You can even pay for a day pass ($6) or week or as needed, so keep it in mind.

Required books (you must bring these to every class):
"Think Like An Editor," by Steve Davis and Emilie Davis.
“The Associated Press Stylebook." Older editions are acceptable, though if something has been updated we will rely on the newer version (e.g. Web site versus website). For those with technology, there is also an AP Stylebook "app" and an online version of AP Style.
*Recommended: Webster’s New World Dictionary

Recommended design book:
"The Non-designer's Design Book," Robin Williams (About $25 used). *This book is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it.

Required reading:
Think Like An Editor: This is the blog that accompanies our book. We will read it and talk about the issues raised on the blog by authors Emilie and Steve Davis and others.
Grammar Girl: For the first third of the semester we will be working closely with words and will use this fun website to help us take on some of the sticky rules of our often illogical language.
The Statesman: Each week we will read the Statesman to discuss the editorial choices that were made and how you would have handled those situations. You are expected to come to class on Thursdays having read the Statesman and be ready to discuss what we find in its pages.
            NOTE: It's crucial to having an interesting class discussion that everyone complete each reading assignment before the class date on the syllabus.

Assignments
Grammar hunt: You can get points added to your quiz average if you bring in documented examples of grammatical errors that you spot in published news articles. You can't use these points to makeup quizzes you missed because you weren't in class.
The grammar hunt items you turn in must: identify the error, explain why it is wrong, say what the correct use would be. For these to count, I have to be able to read what you have written and your name has to be on the document.
Copy Editing Midterm: A test of knowledge for first thrid of semester. This will focus on your copy editing skills, working with AP style, grammar, usage and language.
In-class and take-home assignments: We will do in-class and take-home assignments on a regular basis.
Page design project: This page design project will incorporate editing, headline writing, layout and decision skills. This project will let you bring your own interests into this course by designing or redesigning magazine and newspaper pages of your own creation.
Multimedia project: This project will get you used to thinking about editing in an online media environment. You will conceive of your own online media product targeted toward a specific audience. It will include content relevant to this audience. The best of these will be published on UMD's Journalism website: LakeVoice.

Grading (These are estimates and will change)

Item	Points
Quizzes and in-class work	100
Copy Editing Midterm	100
Multimedia project	100
Page design project	100
Total	400

Grades

Percent	Grade
93	A
90	A-
87	B+
83	B
80	B-
77	C+
73	C
70	C-
67	D+
60	D

Note: Participation and attendance will affect grades. If you’re on the fence between two grades, this will be the deciding factor.                       

Deadlines
Deadlines are firm. I do not accept late work. Better to turn in something rough than nothing at all. If you’re running into problems with a project come see me immediately. I’ll be much more sympathetic if you visit me a week before deadline to tell me you’re feeling pressure than I will if you see me the day before deadline.

Class participation
Each week, you are expected to come to class having read the assignments that will be discussed that day. You are expected to contribute regularly to the dialogue of the class. That is easier for some than others. If you are shy or introverted and worry that you will have trouble adding your voice to the discussion, come see me so we can talk about ways to help you with this and other ways of contributing your ideas. I will also use other methods to gauge participation.

Attendance
You are expected to attend every lecture and I will make note of your attendance. Whether you attend class is your choice. If something else takes priority, that is your call. But missing class is like missing a day of work in the professional world, and you will not be allowed to make up the work. Do not look to the professor to tell you it is OK to miss class. The only exceptions to this policy are those addressed in the university's policy regarding excused absences.

Problems?
Life happens. If you run into unanticipated problems or feel like you are getting behind or just not getting it at all, please come see me so we can figure out how best to get you on track. I want you to work hard, but also to enjoy this class and feel like you've gotten something out of it.

About your professor
Since 1992, I have worked as a journalist, educator, newsroom trainer and writing coach.
I received my Ph.D. from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications in the fall of 2007. I taught journalism to graduate and undergraduate students at Syracuse from 2003 to 2006. Before that, I was education director at the Center for Community Journalism, based at the State University of New York at Oswego, where I taught a course that produced on online community newspaper. I have visited newspapers across the nation and conducted workshops at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and the American Press Institute. I still work as an independent consultant and freelance journalist. From 1992 to 2003, I worked for The Daily Messenger, a small daily newspaper in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. As a freelance writer, I have published articles in the American Journalism Review, the Columbia Journalism Review, Mother Jones and numerous online publications.
I am married and have three children, a cat and a dog. My passions are eating and any sport that involves being outside in any kind of weather.

Academic Integrity
I take issues of academic integrity very seriously. In journalism (and in life) all we have is our credibility. When it is gone, it cannot be recovered. To that end, we’ll talk early in this class about issues of plagiarism and honesty both in the classroom and in the industry, which has been traumatized by these issues of late. We will spend class time reviewing the policy in its entirety. You can expect that I will strictly follow the university’s procedures regarding violations of these rules.
If you find yourself in trouble or worried about a situation, come see me immediately and be honest. I will do all I can to help you out.
Prohibited Conduct (from Academic Integrity Policy):

1. submission of false records of academic achievement
2. cheating on assignments or examinations
3. submitting sentences or ideas as your own without proper acknowledgment or citation (plagiarizing)
4. altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record or forging the signature of any member of the University community
5. taking, acquiring, using, or circulating test materials without faculty permission
6. acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement
7. facilitating academic dishonesty by knowingly assisting another student to violate the Student Academic Integrity Policy, such as providing course work for another student to turn in as his or her own effort or taking an exam for another student
8. presenting as one’s own a plot, succession of ideas, or list/outline of another without proper acknowledgment
9. attending a class, completing an assignment, or taking a quiz/test in the name of another student
10. altering or viewing computer records, dispensing or releasing information gained via unauthorized access, modifying computer programs or systems, or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems or information (refer to UMD policy)
11. purchasing or otherwise presenting work as your own when it was done by another person
12. submitting the same paper or work (or generally similar papers or work) to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and consent of faculty
13. depriving another student of necessary study or research materials or in any way impeding another student’s work and pursuit of education
14. submitting falsified data, such as bibliographic resources and experimental data or altering graded academic work/quizzes/tests and resubmitting them in order to get a higher grade
15. use of electronic devices for the unauthorized assistance in academic work, quizzes, or tests

Student Conduct Code:
Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability to teach, or student learning, is prohibited. Student are expected adhere to Board of Regents Policy: Student Conduct Code: http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf

Students with disabilities:
It is the policy and practice of the University of Minnesota Duluth to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including students with disabilities. If there are aspects of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or your ability to meet course requirements – such as time limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos – please notify the instructor as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Resources to discuss and arrange reasonable accommodations. Please call 218-726-6130 or visit the DR website at www.d.umn.edu/access for more information.

Sexual Harassment
University policy prohibits sexual harassment as defined in the University Policy Statement (http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/humanresources/SexHarassment.html) adopted on December 11, 1998. Complaints about sexual harassment should be reported to the University Office of Equal Opportunity, 419 Morrill.

Teaching & Learning: Instructor and Student Responsibilities:
UMD is committed to providing a positive, safe, and inclusive place for all who study and work here. Instructors and students have mutual responsibility to insure that the environment in all of these settings supports teaching and learning, is respectful of the rights and freedoms of all members, and promotes a civil and open exchange of ideas. To reference the full policy please see: http://www.d.umn.edu/vcaa/TeachingLearning.html