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ENG 1103: Introduction to Journalism
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Robert Smyth
Email: wordsmythy@gmail.com
Mobile: 06 30 391 0856
Office Hours: By Appointment
Course Overview: The goal of this course is to acquire and refine the tools needed to produce captivating and thought-provoking works of journalism. Participants in this course will "learn by doing", as the class will be organized to approximate the environment and functions of a news organization. Therefore, to try out working in the field, the classroom will be transformed into an editorial newsroom with students as journalists and the instructor as editor/coach. Students should see themselves as a news staff member, each with his/her own story assignment, but also as a member of a team that offers supportive criticism and encouragement to colleagues.
We will focus on developing reporting and writing skills and create different types of stories, as well as look at other applications of journalistic skills, such as PR (Public Relations) writing.
One of the aims of this course is to help students decide whether a career in journalism would be a good choice for them.
Required Text: The Elements of Journalism (Available at the bookstore)
By Bill Kovach & Tom Rosentiel
Grading:
Mid term – 20%, Final – 20%, Course assignments (minimum 4) – 40%, Class Participation – 10%
Attendance and lateness:
Participants are strongly advised to attend each class. Attendance counts for 15% of each final grade. Arrivals after the first 10 minutes will be marked absent. Three excused absences are permitted for such reasons as visits to embassies and immigration office, moving flats, etc. Prolonged absence due to documented illness or injury may also be excused.
Grades begin to drop after three absences, followed by a letter grade per absence over the three-absence limit. Students are advised not to use up' their absences early in the semester. Attendance is expected from the moment a student is enrolled in a course; if, for example, a student has registered for a given course but is not present during the first week of the semester, then those missed classes will count as absences. Appeals for excused absences can only be made to the Director of Academic Affairs. For such an appeal, medical certificates, stamped doctor' s notes, and other documents are expected. Students are responsible for making arrangements to make up for missed work.
Honor code
You are expected without question to adhere completely to the McDaniel College academic honor code. Any violation will result in a zero for the given assignment or exam, and other possible sanctions. Your attention is drawn in particular to plagiarism. Copying and pasting text without proper citation and use will result in a zero for the assignment. We will discuss how to cite sources during the semester.
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Week
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Sep 5
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The 4Cs of reporting and writing.
Form editorial team.
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No class due to instructor' s absence. Class will be given at a later mutually-agreed date.
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Sep 12/14
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Qualities of news stories. Generating story ideas. Basic story structure. Hard News vs. Soft News.
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How to pitch a story idea to editors. Finding a hook.
Chapter 1 review
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Sep 19/21
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Story structure: the inverted pyramid.
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Chapter 2 review
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Sep 26/28
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Finding new angles.
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The opinion piece.
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Oct 3/5
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Practice.
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Broadsheet vs. tabloid.
Chapter 3 review.
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Oct 10/12
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Working with press releases.
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Practice. Chapter 4 review.
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Oct 17/19
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Revision.
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Mid-term
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Oct 24/26
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No class
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Feature writing
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Nov 1/3
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No class
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Practice. Chapter 5 review.
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Nov 7/9
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Q&A techniques – the art of interviewing.
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No class due to instructor' s absence. Class will be given at a later mutually-agreed date.
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Nov 14/16
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Chapter 6 review.
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Practice.
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Nov 21/23
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Writing music reviews
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Practice. Chapter 7 review.
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Nov 28/30
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No class
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Chapter 8 review.
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Dec 5/ 7
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Practice
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Hand in final articles
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Dec 12/14
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Revision
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Final
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