Sample Syllabus

This syllabus is offered as a sample only. Because the instructor may change the content of the syllabus or its order, the following is not to be considered authoritative. It will however help in gaining an understanding of course objectives, and time schedules, which will aid the student when making registration decisions.

Department of Communication
Utah State University
Winter 1995

COM 130-Newswriting
Professor Ted Pease
MWF 9:30-10:20 a.m.
Newsroom-302 Animal Science
Office: 310 Animal Science (797-3293; 753-3309 home)
Office Hours: MWF 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (& by appointment)


PREAMBLE:

"Why should freedom of speech and freedom of the press be allowed? Why
should a government which is doing what it believes to be right allow
itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons.
Ideas are much more fatal than guns."
- Nikolai Lenin, 1920

"Were it left to me to decide whether to have government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate to
prefer the latter."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1789

"Question Authority!"
- 1970s slogan

"Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the
right order, you can nudge the world a little."
- Tom Stoppard, "The Real Thing," 1967

"Writing is an important test of thinking. If you cannot express a point in
writing, you probably have not thought it through. A murky story is usually
a sign of muddy reasoning or, at best, a thought that is only half-formed."
- William L. Rivers, 1979

Prerequisites:
Minimum pass in Department of Communication English Proficiency Test and
basic typing test.

I. WHAT WE DO:
This is a writing course. It's a reporting course. So, we report, we write.
A lot. Write, write, write, write, write, write, write. Report, report,
report, report, report, report, report.

Make sense?

In COM 130, you are expected to learn just about everything there is to
know about what news is and how to write it-at least, you get all the
basics here. In fact, I'll say this: For those of you who are really
Communication majors, and who really will have careers in
communication-print and broadcast journalism, public relations and other
mass communication fields-if I do my job and you do yours, this will be the
most important course of your college career. "No brag, just fact." (Extra
points for those of you who can identify that quote by next class.)

A guarantee: Even if you hate what we're about to do, and never take
another journalism course again-if you do what I ask you to do during these
10 weeks, you'll find the rest of your college career (and your job career
later) will come easier. You'll gather information more efficiently. You'll
look at facts more critically. You'll sift and make sense of information
more quickly. You'll synthesize the most important elements more
incisively. And you'll write it down so it makes sense to those who read
it. You won't be smarter. But you'll have tools to make better use of the
smarts you have. No brag, just fact.

That means that the base we build together between now and March-critical
thinking, fact-gathering and writing-is pretty important to you, because
the habits and skills you develop here, good or bad, will stay with you. So
we'll write a lot, learning what news is and what newswriting is, learning
how to examine masses of information critically and make sense of it for
others who read what you write or hear what you say. Newswriting is a
strange beastie with quirks and characteristics all its own. Some of you may have to unlearn some things you've been taught about writing and
relearn journalistic methods for communicating information. It's not rocket
science, but there are some tricks to learn.

This syllabus should be considered a contract between you and me. We'll
finetune it as we go along, and some things will be rescheduled, subtracted or added. But, basically, this is it: If you do what I ask you to do, I'll
make you a better writer. Contract. If you don't do what I ask you to do,
your grades will reflect that. Contract. OK?
Since this is a news course, and this is a journalism and communication
department, I guess it's reasonable to expect you to keep up with the news.
To that end, I'll require that you read a newspaper every day, preferably
more than one. I'll expect that you've read closely both the Herald Journal
and the Cache Citizen, as well as statewide newspapers, and that you've
kept up with broadcast news-networks, NPR, CNN, etc.

II. REQUIRED BOOKS & WHATNOT:
* Fundamentals of News Reporting, by Izard, Culbertson & Lambert (5th edition).
* AP Stylebook.
* The Logan Herald Journal (subscription).
* RECOMMENDED: Every writer should own and read (& reread periodically) The
Elements of Style, by Strunk & White. Also highly recommended: On Writing
Well, by William Zinsser; Interviews That Work, by Shirley Biagi; When
Words Collide, by Duncan McDonald & Lauren Kessler; Creative Interviewing,
by Ken Metzler. For those interested, I have a list of other terrific
primers for writers.

Readings from the text will be assigned. Most of the text material may not appear specifically on exams, but I will pop quizzes on you if it seems you
are not familiar with stuff you should have read. The Stylebook should
become your writing and atylistic bible-we will have regular quizzes on
that stuff. You may also want to purchase a paperback dictionary if you're
not such a hot speller (you know who you are!). Edit all copy in pencil!

III. WHAT YOU GET:
A student who successfully completes this course-does everything that's
assigned on time-will be a better writer, a better critical thinker, a better synthesizer of information. Further, you will acquire an
understanding of and competence in the following:
* News & feature values: What is and what ain't news. And how to write both
so people will read it!
* News-gathering techniques: Where and how to develop and find the story,
how to find and use sources, how to obtain and confirm facts that are
essential to a complete news story.
* Newswriting techniques: Once you have the facts, what do you do with it?
Story structure & organization, writing clearly and concisely, interpreting
and presenting facts for the reader, news style, surviving deadline
pressure.
* Audiences: Who reads what you write and why? Targeting stories for the
audience.
* Editing & style: Mechanics of newswriting-copy editing symbols and AP style.
* Journalism ethics: Not an oxymoron anymore. (If you don't know what an
oxymoron is, look it up!)
* Libel law: Basics of mass comm law, including libel and privacy issues.

Most class periods will be devoted to writing news stories, critiquing what we just wrote and doing it again, or lectures and discussions of
journalistioc issues-there are many. In addition, we'll talks about current
events in the news and issues raised in the readings, we'll leave the
newsroom to cover breaking news events, and we'll write write write.
Reporting assignments may include covering speeches, meetings and news
conference; conducting interviews, and developing feature stories.

IV. GRADES & ASSIGNMENTS:
Grading in this course will be based on your production. Beginning next
week, you will write something in every class; sometimes, you'll cover outside events. Some of the writing assignments will be outside of class on
your own time. Unless otherwise announced, every writing assignment will
count.
All stories are graded on a 10-point scale, with each assignment weighted
equally unless otherwise advertised; a 10 is publishable now (and extremely
rare in this class), 9 is excellent (also rare), 7s & 8s are very good, 6
is OK but needs work, anything lower is below average and below my
expectations. Some stories may be rewritten with my permission. Final grades will be based on your story grade average, compared with the rest of
the class, and on your improvement over the quarter and progress toward meeting the professional standards expected of all journalists. The total
grade will also include quizzes and other assignments. Sometimes this class
will involve lectures, but often it will be hands-on or workshop, with
plenty of discussion, give-and-take between me (the editor), your
classmates (co-workers) and you (the reporter). We'll pick stories apart to
see what works and what doesn't.

V. GRADING SPECIFICS:
* Each assignment = 10 points
* Spelling (SP#!!) errors cost 1 point each.
* Punctuation (PUNCT!) errors cost 1/2-point each.
* AP Style (STYLE!) errors will cost you 1/2-point each after the fifth week.
* Factual errors (FE*!!!) are good for a pink slip in the real world-here
they'll get you a zero (0) for the assignment. A factual error is defined
as an error of fact (e.g.: a misspelling of a proper noun or name-Logan
Mayor Darlene Clarkson; Loggon Canyon; USU President George Emmart; Gov.
Michael Easton, etc.) or a glaring error of fact (i.e.: "The Utah Jazz has
twice won the NBA crown"; or "The Cache Valley is renown for its asparagus
crop," etc.). By mid-quarter, you will know AP style, so style errors
(STYLE!!) will cost 1 point each by Week 5. To avoid the pain that these
errors can inflict, be very careful about spelling and fact-checking. Use a
dictionary! Also, you are expected to use accepted copyediting symbols.
(see handouts and AP Stylebook) Obviously, deadlines are absolute. In the real world, missing deadlines
means you don't get in the paper; in COM 130, missing deadlines means zero
for the assignment. No exceptions.

VI. HOUSEKEEPING DETAILS
Some cautions, instructions and threats. Ask anyone; Pease is irascible and
tends to be testy at times. Here are some suggestions:
* Expect pop quizzes on anything from the news to geography.
* Attendance is mandatory.
* Bring your Stylebook to every class.
* If you're a lousy speller, bring a dictionary to class.
* Bring pencils, too. You may do quizzes in ink, but hard copy edited in
ink will not be accepted.
* Attendance: Regard this class as a professional commitment; I do. Be here
for every meeting and be here on time; tardiness is insulting. No makeups.
In the real world, you can't make up a missed assignment, so don't even ask
if you can here.  If you do have to miss class, let me know AHEAD OF TIME.
If I think you have a reasonable excuse, I'll let it go. After the second
unexcused absence (10 percent of all our class meetings), each missed class will lower your final grade by half a letter grade. In the real world,
excuses don't count for much and are unbecoming to a professional: If you
miss the story 10 percent of the time you may soon be out of work.
* Academic honesty: University policy is that cheaters and plagarizers face
course failure, eviction from the course, eviction from the department,
expulsion from the university or some combination of the above.

FINALLY, any rumors that you may have heard that Pease is a heartless,
obdurate, irritable, demanding, tough, pugnacious, unpleasant SOB probably
falls short (and wide) of the truth. The fact is that I will press you hard
this quarter. But if you're having a problem-with this class or anything
else-please feel free to find me in my office or at home for a talk, a
coke, a crying towel or whatever. Especially whatever.

VII. CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK 1
Jan. 4  OPENING DAY-Intros, instructions, typing exam
Jan. 6  READING: (Izard): Chs. 2 & 6 (News & Structure);
Be Prepared for Every Class! Read the Herald Journal, the Cache Citizen and
other state and national newspapers, and monitor TV and radio news-There
May Be A News Quiz!!!

WEEK 2
Jan. 9  READING: Chs. 3, 4, 5 (Tools, Language, Words); review "Style
Starters."
Jan 11  No Style, Man! Style Quiz #1. Read lead materials (handouts).
Jan. 13 Leads

WEEK 3
Jan. 16 No Class-Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday
Jan. 18 READING: Chs. 7 & 8 (Spot News & Rewrite); style quiz; lead exercise.
Jan. 20 More leads, style.

WEEK 4
Jan. 23 ACCIDENT!
Jan. 25 READING: Chs. 9 & 10 (Speeches & Interviewing) Jan. 27 Speech story. (Assignment)

WEEK 5
Jan. 30 FIRE!!! (Speech story due)
Feb. 1  Interviewing (Assign Interview Story)
Feb. 3  Interviewing (Discuss Interview Story)

WEEK 6
Feb. 6  NEWSFLASH! (Interviews due.)
Feb. 8  Debriefing
Feb. 10 READING: Chs. 11 & 12 (Beat & Specialist Reporting)

WEEK 7
Feb. 13 READING: Ch. 13 (Features) & readings: Features-spot v. process (Assign)
Feb. 15
Feb. 17 Reading: Chs. 15 & 16: Law and Ethics-What Can We Do and Why Should
We Do It

WEEK 8 Feb. 20 More Law & Ethics-John Milton, First Amendment, Hutchins, Kerner, etc.
Feb. 22 Feature Due.
Feb. 24

WEEK 9
Feb. 27 Discuss features.
Mar. 1
Mar. 3

WEEK 10
Mar. 6  Tour Herald Journal
Mar. 8
Mar. 10

WEEK 11
Mar. 13 Last Class!!!
Mar. 15, 7:30 a.m.      FINAL EXAM

UP to the USU Department of Communication Home Page