J203, Media Writing
Assignments
Most of your graded work will be media writing assignments. For
several assignments, you will need to cover news events on campus or interview people for stories.
Format of assignments
Writing assignments must be done on a typewriter or word processor. Handwritten work will not be accepted. You may make legible corrections, within reason, on assignments. Keep a copy of each assignment. If your paper is lost after it is turned in and you can't produce a copy, the grade is 0.
Staple the pages (no paper clips). Double space, standard margins. Begin the assignment halfway down the first page, leaving room for remarks in the top half. Begin subsequent pages one inch from the top.
Here is an example of the format for a story called PROFILE.
Final project
There is a final writing project, which is due during the last week of classes. This will be a feature article of about four pages. It will require a brief proposal, which must be approved by your GTF. It will require one or more interviews. Work on this project should be done throughout the second half of the term, not during the last week. Additional details will follow.
There is no final exam. There will be an in-class quiz toward the end of the term on grammar, usage and punctuation. Questions on mechanics will be drawn from common mistakes made on the writing assignments. I often point out these problems during lectures.
Missed assignments
There will be no makeup for missed assignments, except in cases of unavoidable circumstances, such as serious illness or weather emergencies. You might be asked to prove that such circumstances were unavoidable, such as providing a note from a doctor.
Other syllabus information