Feature Writing

Instructor: Jay Perkins

Office Phone: 388-2381

E-Mail: jrperk@unix1.sncc.lsu.edu

Webpage: http://www.jour.lsu.edu or http://perkins.jour.lsu.edu

Office Location: 203B Journalism Bldg
Office Hours: Tuesday:  10 a.m. - 12 noon and 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
                       Wednesday: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
                        Also by appointment

Course Objective---- To learn how to turn words into pictures, boring life into something interesting, the trite into something of significance, puns into punditry, empty space into pages of copy, and words into money.

Students will be expected to know basic AP style and to turn in neatly typed assignments. Incorrectly spelled words
and grammatical mistakes will result in a lowering of your grade.

Required Text: Wilbur, Magazine Feature Writing. In addition, we will examine a variety of features available through the Internet.

Grading:  You will have seven outside assignments and a variety of  in-class assignments and exams. The outside assignments will account for 70 percent of your grade and the in-class work for 30 percent. You will be given  a letter grade on each assignment. Be sure and note that some outside assignments are worth more than others. All outside assignments and their weight are listed by the date due.

While you will receive a letter grade on the paper, the grade will be kept by the instructor as a numerical grade. In
other words, an A on a paper will be recorded by the instructor as a 4.0, a B as a 3.0, a C as a 2.0, etc. Pluses and
minuses will be weighted as .3 point. Thus, an A- is worth 3.7 and a B+ is worth 3.3.

Because deadlines are critical to the communication industry, severe penalties will be applied to late papers.
Late papers will be accepted as follows. If accompanied by a valid doctor's excuse or by documentation showing a
death in the immediate family, no penalty. If one day late, one letter grade reduction from the worth of the paper as
determined by the instructor (an "A" paper, for example, will be given a "B"). If two days late, a two letter grade
penalty will be imposed. If three days late, the penalty will be three letter grade reductions ("A"="D"). Papers that
are four days or more days late will earn an automatic "F" and thrown in the trash.

Obviously, the grading scale means that you must become a better journalist as the semester progresses or you will
not survive the course. Pay attention in class, apply the lessons you learn and NEVER miss a deadline. You can
survive a screwup at the start of the course. It's almost impossible to survive a screwup at the end.

There will be no exceptions to these grading rules. Asking for an exception will cost you one letter grade for the
insult.

Class attendance: I will not take roll in this class. However, it is almost impossible for you to pass the class if you do not attend. Be aware that since the in-class works accounts for 30 percent of your grade, it is very easy to find yourself shooting for a perfect score on outside assignments just to pull a "C" in the course. And there won't be very many perfect scores given in this class.

If you miss an assignment done in class, tough. There will be no makeup exams or assignments given
unless you have the documentation necessary to convince LSU your absence meets the requirements for excused
absences.

Classes will begin on time. If you are late, take a seat quietly. I will not repeat information already presented in class
simply because you were late to class. You may stop by during my office hours to ask those questions.

Unethical behavior:    Plagarism can get you expelled from LSU. Don't do it. Do not take information from another source, including your classmates and portray it as your own. Do not quote anyone as having told you something if they did not. Do not interview friends, roommates or others and portray them as experts when they are not. Do not  take the words of other reporters or information collected from media outlets as portray it as your own research. If  you must quote another reporter's work, attribute the information to that reporter.

    In cases of apparent plagarism, LSU policy requires the instructor to turn the matter over to the Dean of Students
for potential disciplinary action. The instructor cannot handle the infraction by simply giving you a bad grade.

    Bottom line: If in doubt, attribute it. That's a basic rule of journalism anyway.

 Assignment I - Due Feb. 2

Personality Profile--Write an indepth personality profile of someone of interest to the LSU community. This person may be a professor, an alumnus, or simply someone who is known on campus. This feature must have interviews with the person being profiled, interviews with family members and/or neighbors and others who know him/her well, background on their life and their connection to LSU, etc. The focus MUST be on what shaped the individual and on the factors that made the individual what he/she is today. In other words, what were the turning points in his/her life, what were the biggest influences, what makes them interesting today. It should be detailed enough that I would be able to recognize the person physically if he/she walked across the street in front of the journalism building. It should be at least 8 pages in length, typed and double spaced and must have at least 8 different sources. I expect dynamite quotes and strong writing. This assignment is worth 5 percent of your grade.

Assignment II - Due Feb. 11 Rewrite of your personality profile. Rewrite your personality profile, taking into account the instructions given you by the teacher. The final product should be ready to be printed-- that is, no typing errors, no omissions of fact, no problems of any kind. This assignment is worth 10 percent of your grade.
 

Assignment III- Due Feb. 18

Summary lede feature. This feature should focus on a topic that would be of interest to your target publication. This should be a light feature, maybe a little offbeat, certainly not serious. Because it is a summary lede feature, it will start with a summary lede (basic news lede approach) and use an inverted pyramid body. It can have a summary ending as well. This is your chance to show off your writing ability and your ability to make a dull story fascinating. It must have at least four sources. This assignment is worth 5 percent of your grade.

Assignment IV - Due March 11 Descriptive Lede feature.  This feature should be a slice of life. The reader should get the feeling that he is a fly on the wall and that the drama is unfolding in front of him. It should have a news peg (a reason for being) but it is pure feature. In other words, no descriptive features about your room in the dorm. We'll go over several descriptive features before you do this one. This assignment is worth 10 percent of your grade.

Assignment V - Due April 6 Social issue story. Find and write a feature on a business, social or economic issue that is of interest to your target publication. This story will use the Wall Street Journal format. It should be written in blocks with a narrative or descriptive lede. It must have a horizontal and a vertical axis. It must have a section dealing with one person's experience with the problem. This story must have at least 8 documented sources (quoted sources plus written documents) and should be at least six to eight pages in length. It will be deadly serious and will have a strong hard news peg written with a feature lede. This story is worth 20 percent of your grade.

Assignment VI - Due April 13 Another personality profile. Write a feature on a personality of interest to your target publication. Interview not only the subject but also his wife, daughters, sons, business partners, clergyman, next door neighbor and maybe even the family dog. This should be at least 10 pages in length and have at least five sources. This is worth 10 percent of your grade.

Assignment VII - Due May 4

Final draft of your social issue story. This draft will include suggestions and comments made by the instructor on how to improve your first draft. This is worth 10 percent of your grade. This will count as your final exam. No spelling mistakes will be tolerated. This should be semi-literate, free of factual errors, etc. In short, it should be ready to go into a newspaper or magazine tomorrow. Anything short of that standard will result in a grade reduction.