JOURNALISM 3233 – News Editing and Copy Reading
Spring
2002 – 3 credits Room B 114 Fain Fine Arts Center
Tuesday,
Thursday – 12:30 p.m.
Dr.
Jim Sernoe Office: B 110 Fain Fine Arts Center
Office
Telephone: 397-4391
E-Mail: jim.sernoe@mwsu.edu
Office
Hours: Monday – 3-4:30 p.m.;
Tuesday
– 9-11 a.m.; Wednesday
– 1-4:30 p.m.;
Thursday
– 9-11 a.m.; Friday –
1-2 p.m.
Also
by appointment
Course Objectives
·
This course
emphasizes skills needed to edit various publications, and students’
writing should improve as well.
·
Students will also
learn the basics of publication design and may have the opportunity to learn
the basics of using design applications.
·
Students will also
examine personnel management strategies.
Books
Required:
The
Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual
Brooks, Pinson and Wilson – Working with
Words: A Handbook for
Media Writers and Editors
Any
paperback dictionary
Recommended
(strongly):
Strunk and White – The Elements Of Style
Any thesaurus
An
excellent resource on the Internet:
The Grammar Lady Online – www.grammarlady.com
These
materials will be supplemented by numerous handouts over
the course of the semester.
Grading
Final grades will be based on copy editing
assignments, a copy editing exam, a personnel management essay and a final
project. There will not be a final
exam. Because journalism is a
discipline that lives and dies by the clock, missed deadlines will be SEVERELY penalized. Details on all
assignments will be given as the semester progresses.
Copy Editing Exercises – 60 percent: You will have a variety of in-class,
timed assignments to do. You will
also have several homework assignments.
Copy Editing Exam – 10 percent.
Personnel Management Essay – 10 percent: You will be required to write an essay
detailing how you would handle a personnel situation.
Final Project – 20 percent: You will be asked to write an essay
that incorporates all aspects of the course. This
essay will be due on the day scheduled for the final exam, Thursday, May 9,
2002, at 11 a.m. In lieu of a written final exam, we
will spend the final exam period in May discussing your essays.
Quizzes:
There will not be any news quizzes as in past semesters, but we will
discuss the news (in terms of how to deal with certain events), and if
I sense that students have no idea what the news
is, there will be unannounced quizzes that will count toward your final
grade. In addition,
if I sense that students are not keeping up with
the assignments or attendance is poor, unannounced quizzes will be given and
they also will count toward your final grade.
Attendance: Attendance does not constitute a
specific part of your grade, but perfect attendance is required.
In the absence of a required textbook, attendance is critical, and I
will go to great lengths to attain full attendance (see note above re. quizzes,
for example). In light of the fact
that you will hand in work at the end of almost every class session, being here
to do the work is equally critical (see also the Missed Assignments Policy). If you have to miss a class or a
deadline for any reason, please call me at
397-4391
IN ADVANCE to let me know. CALLING
IN ADVANCE DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY EXCUSE AN ABSENCE, but it is a lot better than calling after the
fact. If you fail to contact me
before the next class period to explain an absence, it will be very difficult
for me to excuse the absence.
Please note that work, non-emergency medical and dental appointments,
hangovers, intramural games, visitors from out of town, fixing your
roommate’s computer, fraternity/sorority events, arguments with
boyfriends/girlfriends and studying for other classes do NOT constitute excused absences.
If
you need to miss class due to a religious holiday, please see me as far in
advance as possible.
If
you need to miss class due to university-sponsored events such as field trips
and sports, please see me as far in advance as possible. You will be required to complete the
assigned work before the due date, and you will be required to submit an
official form from the university before your absence.
As
one of my former colleagues says, in the “real world,” you can not
do your job if you are not present to do it. Employers do not generally tolerate such behavior, and
employees who offer weak, irritating excuses frequently find themselves
unemployed and unemployable. The
same rules apply in this course. I
don’t judge anyone who chooses to make attending classes a secondary (or
lower) priority. However, this
choice is not without consequences.
If
you cannot make it a priority to attend every class session, please drop now so
another student, who is more serious, can have your spot.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE ME IF YOU MISS CLASS. I will not chase
students around the city.
A
related note: You are required to
be on time and I have little tolerance for those who are continually late. Constant tardiness will be noted and
could lower your final grade. I am
not above embarrassing students who walk in late.
Missed
Assignments Policy: If you miss any assignments
without being excused, you will fail the course.
I
reserve the right to determine whether an absence will be excused.
In-class
assignments may be excused at my discretion; however, all outside assignments
must be completed within a reasonable time frame after your absence – no
exceptions. In addition, I reserve
the right to determine what, exactly, is a “reasonable time frame.” In sum: This is a zero-tolerance policy. I have no time or patience for those who are not going to
take this class seriously; thus, “three strikes and you’re
out” does not apply.
“ONE strike and you’re out” is more applicable. Some
past students have flunked the course for this reason. In any case,
I
tend to be cynical about making up missed assignments, but if you have a
legitimate problem, alternate arrangements can be made at my discretion.
If
you cannot make it a priority to complete every assignment, on time, please
drop now so another student, who is more serious, can have your spot.
By accepting this
syllabus, you are indicating that you understand the Missed Assignments Policy.
Attitude:
Because this is an upper-level course, corresponding attitudes and work
ethics are required. This is not
the type of course in which you can read a chapter, attend few class sessions,
take a test . .
. and end up with an A
for the semester despite very little effort. Skills courses like editing require your time, attention and
effort. I realize this course requires a lot for the three credits you earn, but
every assignment is designed so you will move that much further with your
skills. Although there is no set
percentage for this component, it will play a big role if you are on the “borderline”
at the end of the semester.
If you cannot make it a priority to have a good attitude,
please drop now so another student, who is more serious, can have your spot. See
also the Missed Assignments Policy.
A related note: Cellular phones, pagers and other similar devices will not
be tolerated. In my mind, they are
a sign of a bad attitude. I will
not tolerate annoying jingles and beeps.
If you must use such a device, turn it off, put it on vibrate or somehow
make sure it doesn’t make any noise while I am trying to conduct class
– better yet, leave it at home or in your car. If your other commitments are so pressing that they can not
wait until the end of the class session, it may be in your best interests to
reconsider the priority you place on being here. Students whose beepers/phones/pagers make noise during class
will be asked to leave immediately.
By accepting this
syllabus, you are indicating that you understand my expectations for students
concerning attitude and work ethic.
I
reserve the right to drop any student with an F if he/she has excessive
absences or missed assignments, engages in disruptive behavior, has a poor
attitude, or in any other way is clearly not taking the class seriously.
Class
Participation: This component is
included not because I am a fanatic about class participation, but because
being quiet when one has the chance to talk or ask questions is not an asset in
any area of journalism. And once
again, there is no set percentage for this component, but it will play a big
role if you are on the “borderline” at the end of the semester.
Although your grade does not
contain an ethics component like some other courses, I require COMPLETE honesty in producing your
work. Journalists are often encouraged to confer with
their colleagues on strategies and wordings, but there is a difference between
advice and blatant plagiarism.
I also realize it will be
very easy to confer with colleagues on take-home assignments, but you should
realize that instructors can usually identify when students have worked
together. I also realize that the
Internet provides a convenient source of information, but students need to be
aware that proper citation will be required. Past students will tell you I take this issue very seriously
and have not hesitated to confront them.
A slightly higher grade on an assignment is not worth the extremely
unpleasant experience of taking an accusation of academic dishonesty through
the university hierarchy. Please
don’t force me to do it.
By accepting this
syllabus, you are indicating that you understand the seriousness of academic
dishonesty and realize I will impose the harshest sanctions possible if I can
prove you have engaged in academic dishonesty. You are also indicating that you understand what constitutes
academic dishonesty; I will not tolerate the excuse that the student did not
know he/she was engaging in academic dishonesty.
I
reserve the right to drop any student with an F if he/she engages in any
form of academic dishonesty. I
further reserve the right to recommend other sanctions as may be
appropriate. Students are also
encouraged to see pages 23-24 and 33-35 of the 2000-2002 MSU Undergraduate
Bulletin and pages 39-40, 43-44, 57-59, 60-63 and 67-77 of the 2002-2003 MSU
Student Handbook for additional discussion of students’ rights and
responsibilities regarding cheating, attendance and general conduct.
Materials
Each
day you should bring the following to class: the AP Stylebook, your pocket dictionary, Working
with Words, your thesaurus, a large supply of pens or pencils and an extra
supply of sanity for the days you leave feeling as if you have none left.
Some Advice
1.
Attend
regularly. This cannot be stressed
enough.
2.
Note the Missed
Assignments Policy and know that it is enforced.
3.
Note the Academic
Dishonesty Policy and know that it is enforced.
4. Read
at least one regional newspaper a day and watch or listen to at
least
one local and one national newscast a day. Keeping up with the
news
will help you learn the writing styles and learn about news
judgment.
1.
Attend regularly. This cannot be stressed enough.
2. Note
the Missed Assignments Policy and know that it is enforced.
3. Note
the Academic Dishonesty Policy and know that it is enforced.
5. Keep a log of your errors and pay careful attention to the comments you
receive with each assignment. Finding trends in my comments will help
you identify and eliminate your errors, thus strengthening your skills.
1. Attend
regularly. This cannot be stressed
enough.
2. Note
the Missed Assignments Policy and know that it is enforced.
3. Note
the Academic Dishonesty Policy and know that it is enforced.
6. Get
as much experience outside of class as you can. It doesn’t matter if
you’re
interested in newspapers, broadcasting, the Internet, public
relations
or advertising – a potential employer will want to see a
portfolio
of your work. Nothing can
substitute for the experience of
getting
out there.
1. Attend
regularly. This cannot be stressed
enough.
2. Note
the Missed Assignments Policy and know that it is enforced.
3. Note
the Academic Dishonesty Policy and know that it is enforced.
7. Take
my words about ethics and attitude to heart.
1. Attend
regularly. This cannot be stressed
enough.
2. Note
the Missed Assignments Policy and know that it is enforced.
3. Note
the Academic Dishonesty Policy and know that it is enforced.
Special
Accommodations
Students
with disabilities or who are in need of special arrangements should see me as
early as possible in the semester.
I will do what I can within reason to accommodate your needs. Please note that in order to qualify
for consideration of special accommodations, you must be registered with the
MSU Office of Disability Services, and I must have a memo on file from that
office, along with the Special Accommodations Request form.
Course
Organization and Schedule
As
you can learn to edit only by actually editing, the bulk of our time will be
spent on copy editing exercises. I
will have minimal lecture.
This
is the TENTATIVE course
schedule. Due to storms,
last-minute changes, extended class discussions and my frequent inability to
stick to the agenda I set at the beginning of the course, this schedule is
likely to change. I reserve the
right to change the class schedule if circumstances make it necessary. Chances are good that you will receive at least
one revised schedule before the semester is over. If deadlines
change, I will tell you well in advance.
Please note that the reading and general workloads vary considerably
from week to week.
You
will receive a detailed schedule for the copy editing portion of this course
after I have determined which types of exercises the class needs.
Date
(s) Topic
(s) Reading
1/15,
1/17, 1/22 Introduction;
The Editing Handouts
Profession;
Review of
Editing Marks and AP Style
1/24
– 3/12 Copy
Editing
3/14 Copy
Editing Exam
3/18 – 3/22 Spring
Break – Classes Canceled
3/26 Personnel
Management Handouts
3/28 – 3/29 Easter
Break – Classes Canceled
4/2
– 4/11 More
Personnel Management Handouts
4/16,
4/18 Layout
and Design
4/18
at 12:30 p.m. Personnel
Management Essay Due
4/23,
4/25 More
Layout and Design
4/30, 5/2 Legal
and Ethical Problems Handouts
5/2 Final
Project Instructions
5/9
at 11 a.m. Final
Project Due
5/9 Final
Exam Session, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.