Welcome to 2010
Mass Communication
Instructor: Jay Perkins
Office: Journalism 203 B
Phone: 388-2381
Email: jrperk@lsu.edu
Webpage: http://www.jour.lsu.edu/perkins
Office Hours: Monday
and Wednesday - 10:40 a.m.- 12 noon and Tuesday 1 p.m. -2 p.m. and
by appointment.
Requirement: You
must have a PAWS Account. Now. If you do not have one, get one before
you come back to this class. You will not be allowed to continue in
this class without a PAWS account. You won't be able to take any of
the exams or to store your writing assignments without these accounts.
Warning: This class
determines whether you will be allowed to take any other mass
communication classes. You must make a B or better in this class in
order to advance. That's not going to be easy. Monitor your progress
daily, don't skip class and don't blow off assignments. And, above
all, keep a close eye on the drop date.
Objective: To
learn how to research and organize information in print and
broadcast format. These are the two styles used by newspapers,
broadcast outlets and public relations professionals. We also will focus on
learning how to use electronic forms of communication for
research that can supplement basic interviews. At the end of this
course, the student should be able to (1.) recognize what is news and
how to use that knowledge to write a story for print or broadcast
outlets (2.) gather basic information needed for a story or a news
release (3.) Do it all in proper AP Style.
Word of Advice: In the immortal
words of Ms. Frizzle of Magic School Bus fame -- "take
chances, make mistakes, get dirty." It's
the only way to learn
Text and other requirements:
-
The AP Stylebook
by the editors of
the Associated Press.
-
You also will need a headset that can be plugged
into the back of a computer so that you can get sound (about $15
at Office Depot). Portable CD player headsets work fine usually so
long as the cord is long enough.
-
You also will be expected to keep up with current
events and to read USA Today and the New York Times daily on the
Internet. Both are free. However, the Times does require you to
register and to have an e-mail account in order to access it.
Keys to
passage: Clear writing, solid researching, accurate facts. Good
leads (those that catch the essence of the story and present it
clearly and in an interesting manner). An ability to navigate the
Internet and gather information to make your research stronger. An
ability to get people to talk. Meeting deadlines. In short, the same
skills and practices that will make you successful -- or a failure --
should you end up working in media.
Grading:
You will have outside class assignments and in-class assignments. These assignments
will account for 80
percent of your grade. Your final exam will count for 10 percent. You
also will have four exams on AP Style. These exams will total 10
percent of your grade. Most assignments will consist of covering events and writing news stories
for publication.
Assignments will be
graded on a 100 point scale with 90 to 100 representing an A, 80
to 89 representing a B and so forth. AP Style exams will be
graded on a 25 point basis. There is no curve in this class so what
you see is what you get.
You will take a standard grammar
test in the first week of class. This will not count toward your
grade. It is intended simply to give us an idea of your strength in
basic English grammar rules. You also will write a profile of
yourself. Again, this will not be graded but is intended to help us
understand who you are and what goals you have set.
In Class
Reading: You will be expected to read a variety of
articles and tip sheets relating to basic communication. These will be
linked to your syllabus so that you can call them up from any computer
that is connected to the Internet. I expect you to read the articles
prior to class. You may be tested on the material at the
start of a class.
Attendance:
It is important for you to attend every class meeting. Makeup quizzes
and assignments will not be allowed unless you can prove that you were
ill or that you had a death in the immediate family. Documentation
will be required.
Deadlines:
Late assignments will not be accepted. If
you have an excused absence, late assignments will be due the day
following your return to class.
Plagiarism:
Journalists get fired for it, the university suspends you for it, so
don't do it. Any assignment suspected of being plagiarized will be
turned over to the Dean of Students for prosecution.
________________________________________________
First
Week
June 6
Introduction
to the course, outline of requirements, introduction to the
computers and programs used in the class. Write personal essay.
June
7 - The Basics of Journalism
What is
News? How to define and find it.
Beginning
Thoughts
Everything
I know about Journalism
Second
Week
June 10-
The Basics of Effective Writing
Writing
Tips
Good
Leads
June
11- The Basics of Organization
Roundup
Pyramid
First
Assignment- Write a news story on how the weather is affecting LSU and
the people at LSU. You MUST HAVE at least one source who works for
LSU and who can speak with knowledge about the subject. You should
have other sources, including students, weather forecasts, rainfall
amounts, whatever, from any source. The more sources the better. The
story is due at the end of class.
June
12-Writing a basic news story
Second
Assignment: General News Story. This assignment will involve
developing a story concept, finding expert sources, talking to those
sources and writing a news story of interest to the LSU student audience.
June 13
- Basics of Interviewing
Interviewing
Sourcery
Nalder's Tips
First
AP Exam - A through E of the stylebook. This is a timed exercise and you will have 20 minutes.
June 14
- Rewriting and
polishing
Third Week
June 17- Basics
of Journalistic Research
-
Locating
Experts and
Two
Minute Guide
June 18
- Handling
speeches and similar subjects
AP
Exam #2. E through K of the Stylebook
Third
Assignment here:
Write a news story from the information provided. I want a summary
lead or a roundup lead with a quote in the 2nd or 3rd graf,
background following and then an explanation of the key points
organized in blocks.
June 19 -
Review, Rework and Reconnect
June 20 - Finding News II
- Iab assignment. The class will not meet today. Instead, you will use class time to:
Fourth
Assignment: Find a story of interest to the LSU campus community.
Research it by talking to at least two people in the administration or
to people who qualify as having some expertise in the matter. Research
it further by finding and quoting from at least two documents, either
from the Internet, the library, public relations handout, etc. You may
not quote your roommate or best friend for this story so don't even
try. This story should be 2 1/2 pages in length, typed and
doublespaced. Any name that is not spelled correctly will lose you one
letter grade automatically.
June 21-
In class assignment
Write in class the story you researched yesterday.
Fourth Week
june 24
-
In class
assignment
AP Exam #3 L
through R
Fifth Assignment: Write a roundup pyramid story based on the speech given
by Michael Crichton called Mediasaurus.
This story should have a mixture of 50 percent quote and 50 percent
paraphrase. It should be at least 3 to 4 pages in length typed and
double spaced. We will start this exercise in class and it is due at
the end of class Tuesday, June 20. The instructor will look over
your shoulder as you write to make sure you are on the right track.
June
25- Polishing the speech story - Lab Assignment:
Sixth
Assignment: Finish
Mediasaurus. This draft must incorporate comments made by the
instructor and must have no typos or incorrect spelling. It must
incorporate proper AP Style.
You will use class time to do this assignment. You must turn in your
assignment by the end of class.
June
26- Basics of covering a public meeting. June
27 - Covering a public meeting
Seventh
Assignment: to be announced. This assignment will involve covering a
public meeting, perhaps of local government, perhaps of state
government. You will be expected to attend the designated meeting,
to keep track of all the comments made and who made them, to follow
up after the meeting with any questions you had that were not
answered, and to write a 3 page typed double spaced story resulting
from your research.
June 28 - Lab Day
Fifth Week
July
1 -Critique and rework assignment six.
AP Exam #4 -
S through Z
July
2 - Writing for Radio and television July
3 - TBA
July 4 - Holiday July
5- Lab Day -
Eighth
Assignment: Report and write a script for a 10 minute newscast based
on criteria assigned by the instructor.
Sixth
Week
July
8 - Writing for television - style versus substance July 9- TBA July
10 - TBA July
11- Grammar
Exam.
This
exam will cover the basics of grammar and AP Style.
July
12- Review of course
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