Jay Rochlin
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(ver: 1-13-10) Syllabus Professor: Jay M. Rochlin, Ph.D. Welcome to Journalism 411/511, Feature Writing Welcome to what I hope will be an enriching, challenging, and fulfilling course for you. This class will involve a lot of reading, writing, and talking. I hope to help you to develop the skills necessary to write and evaluate feature stories for magazines, newspapers, and online publication. By the last day of class you should have written four feature stories that are good enough to publish. Hopefully you will grow as both a writer and a reader and enjoy doing both. At the same time, this class is time consuming. There is a lot of required reading and writing. Because it is so important to “tune your ear” you will spend a lot of time reading and sharing what you have learned with your classmates. The required reading includes six Pulitzer-winning feature stories, four current feature stories of your choice and one book about writing non-fiction. And, you will write. Between the beginning and end of the semester, you have 19 deadlines. Most assignments are short, about 300 words. The four feature stories will range from 850 to 1800 words and will require significant research and reporting. I look forward to sharing an excellent semester with you. Goals Develop competency in: 1. Writing feature stories for magazines, newspapers, and online publications. 2. Evaluating potential feature stories. 3. Evaluating feature stories written by others. 4. Selling feature stories to editors. Four Feature Stories You are required to write four feature stories. The specific assignments are yours to propose, however they must fit each of these four categories:
Each feature writing assignment has three parts:
Deadlines for this part of the course are: Things
Places
People
Ideas/Issues
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Features I have selected six winners from the Pulitzer Prize Features category for you to read, analyze, and discuss. The readings might take you several hours each plus the time you will spend analyzing and writing about them. I suggest you get a head start on this part of the course by diving into the stories early. These stories represent some of the best writing by working American journalists. If you are going to be a professional in this field, you need to be familiar with these stories and develop a feel for what makes a feature story great. By each deadline (below) you should have read the story, be prepared to discuss it, and by the beginning of class, turn in a 250 word (or longer) memo about the story. We will discuss the format for the memos in class These stories are all available on line at the Pulitzer Prizes site. If you prefer, you can click on the links below to go to the individual stories. Required reading and deadlines:
A Book About Writing I have purposely chosen not to require a textbook for this course. There are hundreds of books about writing. Many are excellent. Some aren’t. Because you have unique interests, approaches, and ambitions, some would be very valuable to read and others would be a waste of time. There isn’t any single book that does it all. At the same time, it is important for you to know that these books exist and spend enough time with at least one of them to know that some very successful writers have a lot to teach you. Please link to a short list of books that I think might be worth your time. You may pick one of these or find another one that might be more suited to your own needs or interests. After you have read the book, you will write a 250 word summary of the author’s main points, suggestions, and recommended techniques. You will also lead a discussion in class about the book you read and how others might benefit from using some of the techniques described. We will begin book presentations on February 1 and continue through April 26. Deadlines The deadline is the beginning of class (hard copy). Please don't ask for extensions. You have the entire semester's set of deadlines now. I will accept assignments early. Being out of town or the printer in the reading room not working are not excuses. The are 19 deadlines for this class. Most are minor, but some are major and will require many hours of work both in the field and at home or in a computer lab. Some of the deadlines overlap so it is important to keep track of exactly when assignments are due. A missed deadline will result in no credit for that assignment. I am happy to accept assignments early. I encourage you to try to get ahead by doing that. From an editor’s point of view, a “good enough” story on time is better than an excellent story late. Of course, an excellent story, on time, is the best, and will inspire editors to give you the best assignments. Involvement/Attendance/Participation Because we are fortunate enough to have such a small class, we will spend a lot of time examining each other’s work at various stages from concept to final execution. We will read, discuss, and evaluate each other other’s proposals and read and evaluate classmates’ critiques. Your attendance and full engagement are important and mandatory. I take attendance. Every absence will be noted and could, according to department policy, result in lowering of a final grade or your being dropped from the course. The journalism school's’s attendance policy: “Attendance in journalism classes is mandatory. Unexcused absences will have a major impact on your grade, because in most cases, you will not be permitted to make up missed assignments. Three unexcused absences (from a class that meets three times a week) could result in your being dropped from the class. After the deadline for administrative drops, you may receive an "E" for the course. “Excused absences are granted only for valid, documented reasons (serious illness, jury duty, religious observance, or military reserve obligation), and only if the reason makes your presence at the scheduled class time impossible. If you have a reason for missing class that you think is legitimate, ask your instructor ahead of time if at all possible. “Absence excuses are subject to verification. Presenting a false excuse will be considered a violation of the academic integrity rules. “Examples of unexcused absences include events such as long-planned family reunions/weddings, plane reservations for semester breaks, concert tickets, or plans to attend a non-school related conference. Please plan your semester accordingly.” Therefore: Three excused absences will be allowed although assignments need to be turned in and other commitments met on time or early. Four excused absences may result in an administrative drop early in the semester or your grade being lowered later in the semester. Three unexcused absences may result in your grade being lowered by a point (A to B, or B to C, etc.). Four unexcused absences may result in an E for the course. Grading Grades will be based on a possible 1000 points.
Points will be awarded as follows:
Features total possible: 500
Proposals total possible: 100
Theme Features Analysis total possible: 60
Pulitzer Features Analysis total possible: 190 Book discussion/summary 50 Class Participation/Contribution/Participation: 100 Grading criteria for feature stories:
Extra Credit I encourage you to publish your work. If your story is published (or accepted for publication) by an outside news publication or Web site before the last day of class, your grade for that assignment will be adjusted up to the maximum number of points possible. If your article is accepted for publication in an outside non-news publication or Web site or one of our own publications, El Independiente or the Tombstone Epitaph, or Arizona News Service, you will be awarded an additional 10 points up to the maximum for the assignment. Plagiarism The rule about plagiarism is simple: NEVER! Not even once. Not even barely. And not because you don’t know what plagiarism is. As a journalism senior and an about-to-be professional journalist, your plagiarism radar should be so finely tuned that when you see or smell it, it should feel like scratching your fingernails on a blackboard. Plagiarism is bad for journalism, for the school and university, for the press generally, and for you. This department does not tolerate plagiarism or fabrication of facts (or, in simple English, stealing or lying). Plagiarism and/or fabrication will likely earn an automatic E for the class and possible expulsion. There is absolutely no excuse for stealing someone else’s work or making up quotes or “facts.” If you are unsure about what you might see as a fuzzy area, ask before you turn the assignment in. We are here to help you get this right. At the same time, this department and no legitimate magazine, newspaper, broadcast outlet, or web site, has any tolerance for plagiarism or for fabrication of quotes or information. Indiana University prepared a very brief tutorial and online quiz that will help you clear up any misunderstandings you might have about plagiarism. Please take a few moments, go to the site, read their material, take the quiz, and if you still have questions, bring them up. Sources Please identify all sources. When you turn in your final draft, you must also include the names and contact information for all of your sources, even those who are not identified in your story. If you don't, 10 points will be deducted from that assignment's grade. Formatting: Please submit all stories both electronically and in hard copy. Print your stories in Times New Roman, 12 point, double spaced. Place page numbers bottom centered. Please include the following information in the upper left hand corner of the first page:
Academic integrity and the code of conduct Possible sanctions for violations of the Code include a warning, a reduction in grade for the assignment or the class involved, a failing grade for the class, or a recommendation of suspension or expulsion from the university. The Code provides procedures to assure the integrity of academic work while protecting the rights of any parties involved in matters arising under the Code. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the University of Arizona's Code of Academic Integrity. Discrimination policy “University of Arizona and journalism school policy prohibits faculty, staff, and students from discriminating against any person on the basis or age, ethnicity, gender, disability, color, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.” Accommodation for students with disabilities “The school is very willing to make any reasonable accommodation to assist all disabled students to succeed in our classes. To be eligible, your special needs must be confirmed by the Disability Resource Center and you must report them privately to me at the beginning of the semester. Students who might require special accommodations are also urged to visit with Professor Susan Knight before the semester begins.” Student accountability “The journalism school goes to great length to inform students of its policies and procedures. This information comes to you through class syllabi, your instructors, the school Listserv, our bulletin boards, and the advisors. We make a special effort to put the most important instructions in writing. Because of these multiple communication channels, we feel it is only reasonable to assume that students are fully aware of the information and will act on it accordingly. For that reason, “I didn’t know . . .” is not considered a valid excuse.” |