Journalism 1130 – Spring Semester 2007
Instructor: Professor
Cathy Stablein
Class meeting – SRC 3611
–
Office
hours – Before class –
Instructor office: SRC
1560
Instructor e-mail: stablein@cod.edu
Instructor VoiceMail:
630-942-2650
Course
description:
Introduction to principles and techniques of electronic
editing, information management, and publication design. Emphasizes editing of body copy and display type for maximum
clarity and impact. Students learn and apply Associated Press standard
style for mass media publication writing. This course is intended to transfer
as an undergraduate major course in journalism and mass communication
curriculum at most upper division educational institutions in Illinois
and nationwide.
Course
materials:
1.
The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook with CD, 5th
Edition, by Tim Harrower (Required)
2. The
Associated Press Style and Libel Manual – newest edition (Suggested)
3.
Blackboard course management system - bb.cod.edu
4.
Campus Cruiser student e-mail at MyCOD – access from www.cod.edu
Information for e-mail access mailed to student homes.
Course
and college policies:
Students
should familiarize themselves with plagiarism and other policies listed in the
College Catalog that apply to this class. Students are
expected to arrive and leave class on time, use college equipment properly,
adhere to good classroom discussion standards, and generally act in good faith
regarding their desire to learn and apply information that is presented by
fellow students and their instructor. Students are expected to complete all
assignments, exercises and exams to the best of their ability. The instructor
will assign grades based on individual student performance.
Grading
Policy:
A =
90-100 percent
B =
80-89 percent
C =
70-79 percent
D =
60-69 percent
F = 59
to below
S =
Satisfactory Grade requires instructor permission and notification by May 1.
Some receiving institutions will not grant credit for “S” grades. “S” grades
are not counted in a grade point average at COD. Students are limited in the
number of “S” grades that will count toward an associate degree.
W =
Students may withdraw without instructor permission until midterm. Afterward,
students must get instructor approval to withdraw. A grade of “W” could be
interpreted by a receiving institution as an “F.” Excessive numbers of “W”
grades on a student’s transcript may lead to a need for college intervention
for lack of persistence in academic work. At present, COD doesn’t count “W”
grades in the overall grade point average.
General
Course Objectives:
1. Compose
stories in accordance with Associated Press writing style
2. Apply
proper editing techniques to stories to avoid distortion
3. Compose
headlines and captions effectively
4. Demonstrate
basic knowledge of typography
5. Demonstrate
the basics of publication design and the logic of packaging
6. Apply
Associated Press stylebook rules
General
Topical Outline:
1. Journalistic
editing for taste and fairness
2. Style
editing for specialized stories and publications
3. Proofreading
and copyediting for print publications
4. Content
editing to avoid libel
5. Headline
writing for newspapers
6. Headline
writing for magazines
7. Wire or
syndicated editing to match Associated Press style
8. Photo
editing for newspapers
9. Photo
editing for other publications
10. Caption writing for print
publications
11. Current design practices for print
media
12. Current design practices for
magazine and specialty publications
13. Current
design practices for new media
Methods
of Evaluating Students:
Students
will be evaluated by as follows:
(1) 100
points - Comprehensive portfolio composed of lecture/discussion notes, both
print and online examples of style issue discussed in class and/or detailed in
the text. Up to 25 points toward the overall 100 points will be awarded at
monthly checkpoints: Feb. 20, March 22, April 19 and May 17. Portfolios are
expected to be in presentation format. Neatness, creativity and accuracy will
be assessed.
(2) 100
points - Research project appropriate to the course objectives and outline of
this course. Content will include a thesis, historical context, original
research, comparison/contrast, analysis, summary and
oral presentation to the class. Materials used should be presented in a
portfolio and proper research paper documentation in MLA style format. The
final paper should be a minimum of 10 pages, but no longer than 20 pages,
excluding original charts, tables, photos and examples needed to support the
research.
(3) 100
points - Midterm exam examining information presented in the first half of the
class
(4) 100
points - Final exam examining information presented in the last half of the
class
Final
Exam/Culminating Activities:
The
last regular class will be May 10. Students will take a 2-hour final exam from