Goucher College
Journalism Workshop
Fall, 2002
Tuesdays; 6:30pm-9:00pm
Van Meter 201
Professor Jonathan P. Decker
Office: Van
Meter 107
Office Hours: Before
Class and by appointment
Phone: (202) 237-0870
E-mail: JPDecker@aol.com
The main focus of this course is to give you
many of the tools of the craft of writing.
Writing is one of the most difficult crafts to master.
Even though it has rules and formats, there is no easy guidebook for how
to write well. Success comes
through trial and error.
You will be trained in the research, writing
and production of stories. You will
learn how the writing process works and strategies for effective news stories.
This course is a practical guide for students who want to acquire the
skills necessary for success in journalism and the media business.
INCOMING
COMPETENCY EXPECTED BY INSTRUCTOR
You should have completed all
prerequisites prior to attending this class.
In addition, you should have basic computer skills and be able to
research information.
Weekly readings will be assigned.
They will be drawn from the textbook and from other classroom
materials—and they are essential to the successful completion of writing
assignments.
You must stay abreast of all news-worthy
events; therefore the reading of a daily newspaper—The
Sun – is required. Reviewing
other newspapers—The Washington Post,
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA
Today – is also strongly recommended.
All assignments will be typed, double-spaced
and must comply with AP style.
Itule, Bruce D. and Anderson, Douglas A.
News Writing and Reporting for Today’s Media (5th
Edition).
Itule, Bruce D. and Anderson, Douglas A.
Workbook for News Writing and Reporting for Today’s Media (6th
Edition).
Golsteing, Norm, ed.
The Associated Press Stylebook and
Libel Manual.
Strunk, Jr., William and E.B. White.
The Elements of Style.
(Recommended)
Students will be evaluated in the following
manner:
Newspaper articles/writing assignments
100 points
Portfolio (four strong rewrites)
40 points
Class participation/attendance/preparation
20 points
CRITERIA
FOR GRADING
9-10:
A publishable work, meaning the article is clear, interesting and
well-written. It is accurate and well-organized. It is built upon a great lead and uses good quotes.
8:
Requiring some editing to be publishable, usually because of minor
spelling or grammar errors. The
information is accurate, the lead is good, and the body is well-organized and
logical.
7:
Requiring major editing to be publishable.
The lead is unclear or buried, or it fails to focus on the key elements
of the information. The body of the
article lacks organization or focus, and minor errors are evident.
6:
Needs a complete rewrite to be published. Facts are presented poorly, and
the article includes many errors, which should have been corrected before
presentation. Essentially, it’s a rough draft.
0-5:
Factual errors are prevalent; the focus of the piece is unclear or
non-existent. Overall, the piece is
so lacking that it cannot be properly rewritten or published.
You will submit rewrites of four of your
GRADED articles as a portfolio. This
is designed to demonstrate your improvement over the semester.
To get credit for completing a portfolio, you
must demonstrate that you have made suggested changes to your original articles.
All rewrites must show more than just a correction of the errors pointed
out by the instructor. A rewrite
means substantially rewriting and reworking the piece.
Portfolios must include the original copies of
the graded articles and must be turned in on the appropriate date.
All homework assignments are due at the
beginning of each class. Anything
handed in after that will drop one letter grade a day.
Roll will be taken at the beginning of each
class. Excessive absenteeism will
result in the lowering of the final grade.
All requests for missing class APPROVED IN
ADVANCE BY THE INSTRUCTOR. In
addition, lateness for class will not be tolerated.
Work you present as your own must at all times
be your own. Anything less
constitutes plagiarism and I will prosecute it in all ways possible.
9/3
Introduction—What’s news? Where
does it come from? What filters its
presentation? The role of a free
press in a democratic society. The
role of computers and 24-hour media coverage in our society.
For 9/10 – read Chapters1, 2 in textbook.
9/10
AP Style, Summary Leads, 5Ws and the H.
Complete workbook assignments in class.
For 9/17 – read Chapter 4 and complete workbook assignments.
9/17 Special Leads. Complete workbook assignments in class.
For 9/24 – read Chapter 5 and complete workbook assignments.
9/24
Organizing the Rest of the Story—Nut Graphs, Inverted Pyramids.
Complete workbook assignments in class.
For 10/1 – read Chapters 6-7 and complete workbook assignments.
10/1
Developing Stories, Quotes and Attributions. Complete workbook
assignments in class.
For 10/8 – read Chapter 8 and complete workbook assignments.
10/8
Qualities of Good Writing, Self-Editing and Revisions.
Complete workbook assignments in class.
For 10/15 -- read Chapter 9 and
complete workbook assignments.
10/15 Good Questions make Great Articles. Start homework in class.
For 10/22 -- read Chapter 10 and
complete workbook assignments.
10/22 The Role of Technology in Journalism.
Finding Information in New Ways.
Internet Searches.
For 10/29 -- read Chapters 12, 14, 15 and complete workbook assignments.
10/29
Stories of Death, Disasters and Press Releases.
Start homework in class.
For 11/5 -- read Chapters 17, 20, 21 and complete workbook assignments.
11/5
Broadcast Writing.
Covering the Cops and Courts.
Start homework in class.
For 11/12 -- read Chapters
22, 23, 24 and complete workbook assignments.
11/12
Sports.
The Business Beat and Following the Paper Trail for In-Depth Reporting.
Start homework in class.
For 11/19 -- read Chapter
25 and complete workbook assignments.
PREPARE PORTFOLIO FOR 11/19 SUBMISSION
11/19 The Law and Journalism – Play It Safe So You Aren’t Sorry
Portfolios Due
11/26
NO CLASS
12/3
Guest speaker; Review for Final Exam
12/10
Final exam in Class
*** ALL WORKBOOK ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE GIVEN IN CLASS
***
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR MODIFICATION AT THE DISCRETION OF THE
INSTRUCTOR.