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Middlesex Community College Studies Center Initiative

Course: COM*116 Publications Workshop The following New Media course was modified as part of the New Center Initiative TAACCCT Grant

April 3, 2014

This project was funded by a grant awarded under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. © Middlesex Community College This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/.

COURSE OUTLINE

______COM* 116 Publications Workshop 3 Dept. No. Dept. Abbr. Course No. Course Title Credit(s)

Prepared by English Griffith/McNulty ______Department Faculty Program Coordinator Cluster Chairperson Date

Reviewed by ______Department Cluster Chairperson Dean Date

Course Description COM*116 3 Credits

This hands-on course is designed to train students to produce The Flying Horse, the student . Students will practice all aspects of production, including writing, , managing, layout and design, photography, proofreading, and pre-press work (including digital imaging). Students will learn to judge appropriate content, check facts, and investigate legal and ethical concerns. The course will also allow students to specialize in one or two supporting areas of newspaper production, including editing, layout and management. Advertising (sales and design) may also be part of this course.

Prerequisite: Completion of ENG 101 and a functional understanding of computers and Internet applications.

General Objectives of the Course Students will: 1. Learn how a newspaper operates; 2. Develop and deepen writing and reporting techniques; 3. Generate, research, refine, and revise stories for the student newspaper; 4. Demonstrate and proofreading skills; 5. Increase time management skills by meeting deadlines; 6. Examine press law and legal issues related to newspaper production; 7. Understand how editors oversee the publication; 8. Use photographs and graphics effectively; 9. Broaden their knowledge of ; 10. Plan, organize, and implement the layout of the newspaper; 11. Understand advertising and marketing concepts; 12. Publish three issues of the campus newspaper per semester.

Specific Objectives of Instructional Unit (The specific objectives reflect the behavioral outcomes, which include Unit Instructional Unit what the student will be able to do at the completion of the unit. Evaluation No is then to be based on the student's accomplishment of these objectives. Assume that each statement is prefixed with "The student will be able to:").

1 Understanding The Student will Be Able To: Newspaper Ø Understand the various aspects of newspaper production including Production the role of editors, writers, designers, graphic artists, photographers, and all pre-press work;

2 Journalistic The Student will Be Able To: Writing Ø Write a lead, maintain focus, and accurately quote and attribute; Ø Find story ideas; Ø Write hard news, features, interviews and reviews; Ø Refine and revise basic elements of a news story;

3 Research and The Student will Be Able To: Reporting Ø Broaden research skills; Ø Access public records, data bases, and online sources; Ø Evaluate and develop other credible sources;

4 Style and The Student will Be Able To: Grammar Ø Understand grammatical rules according to Associated Press Stylebook guidelines; Ø Practice effective proofreading of their work and of the work of their peers; Ø Practice effective copy editing;

5 Time Management The Student will Be Able To: and Organization Ø Meet deadlines as determined by the group; Ø Work as a team to create a realistic newsroom experience; Ø Understand how each person contributes to the success (or failure) of any newsroom, publication or general teamwork experience;

6 Ethical and Legal The Student will Be Able To: Issues in Ø Learn and apply the basic code of ethics in and its Journalism related fields, especially as this applies to plagiarism; Ø Understand the nature of the as well as its limitations; Ø Understand the importance of respecting personal privacy and avoiding conflicts of interest;

7 Editors and Other The Student will Be Able To: Newspaper Staff Ø Demonstrate knowledge of the editorial hierarchy; Ø Understand/enact the role of editor-in-chief, managing editor, copy editor, news editor, features editor, sports editor, op-ed editor, web editor, business manager, photography/graphics editor, circulation manager and office manager;

8 Photographs, The Student will Be Able To: Graphics, and Web Ø Develop an understanding of the relationship between Design photographs, graphics, and copy; Ø Perform basic photo editing; Ø Complete basic layout of print and web copy for newspaper, magazine or brochure;

9 Photojournalism The Student will Be Able To: and New Media Ø Understand and apply basic principles of photojournalism; Ø Understand the types of stories that may be best suited for photojournalism; Ø Understand the relationship between photojournalism and “print” journalism; Ø Understand how new media (such as and social networking services) impacts Internet journalism; Ø Apply basic techniques of new media (film clips, Flash animation etc.) to web versions of articles to enhance or deepen the written text;

10 Layout, Design, The Student will Be Able To: and Production Ø Apply layout and design concepts; Ø Demonstrate the ability to process and design photographs and illustrations; Ø Create page design and layout using Adobe InDesign and/or other programs (Quark Xpress, etc.) related to publication;

11 Advertising, The Student will Be Able To: Marketing, and Ø Investigate advertising possibilities for The Flying Horse; Distribution Ø Apply effective strategies to develop an advertising base for the paper; Ø Understand and apply basic concepts of print and web marketing, advertising and sales;

12 Publication of The The Student will Be Able To: Flying Horse Ø Produce a high quality student publication as a result of their collaborative and individual efforts; Ø Explore the world of newspaper publication through this hands-on, experiential course; Ø Develop a professional appreciation of journalism; Ø Explore journalism as a possible career through awareness of and application to internships.

Textbooks and Required Materials: ü Associated Press Stylebook (most recent edition) ü Notebook ü Computer Classroom with Adobe CS ü Flash Drive

Suggested Materials: Digital Camera

Other Information: ü The course will make use of guest lecturers from the field and the campus ü Course offered: Each Fall and Spring semester. Students would be able to take the course twice to earn up to six credits.

Transfer Options: ü CCSU as 100 level English, 3 credits, writing elective; ü SCSU as JRN 100, 3 credits, transfer elective; ü ECSU as COM 1xx, 3 credits, elective; ü WCSU as REG 100, 3 credits, free elective credits. Middlesex Community College COM 116 Publications Workshop 3 Credits Spring 2014

SYLLABUS Course Description:

This course is designed to teach students the practical skills of news and information production through hands-on practice in producing The Flying Horse, the MxCC student newspaper. Students will learn about all aspects of production, including writing, editing, managing, layout, design, photography, digital imaging, proofreading, and pre-press work. Students will also learn to judge appropriate news content, check facts, and investigate legal and ethical concerns. Each student will specialize in one or two of the specific areas of newspaper production indicated above. The course will also explore new evolving methods of production and distribution beyond traditional print, including video, electronic, web, mobile devices, and social networking.

Prerequisite: Completion of ENG 101 and a functional understanding of computers and Internet applications.

Specific Learning Objectives:

Ø Understand how a newspaper operates; Ø Develop and deepen writing and reporting techniques; Ø Generate, research, refine, and revise stories for the college newspaper; Ø Demonstrate copy editing and proofreading skills; Ø Practice time-management skills by meeting deadlines; Ø Examine press law and legal issues related to journalism; Ø Consider the relationship between traditional journalism and new media; Ø Understand how editors oversee the publication; Ø Use photographs and graphics effectively; Ø Understand the basic elements of photojournalism; Ø Plan, organize, and implement the newspaper’s layout; Ø Advertise, market, and distribute the publication; Ø Publish multiple editions of the campus newspaper.

Text and Resources:

The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law 2013, Basic Books, 2013. Available in the college bookstore, Amazon.com, and on reserve in the library. The AP Stylebook is mostly a reference guide that you should use when writing or editing articles. Selected sections will be assigned as required reading and incorporated in a take-home assignment at the beginning of the semester.

Students will also need either a Flash Drive or access to an on-line file sharing service, such as iCloud, Dropbox, GoogleDrive, Skydrive, etc., for storing and working on class files both in and out of class. Course Requirements and Grade Breakdown:

• Assignment on , Guidelines, and Media Law 10% • Portfolio of Work 65% • Class Participation & Production Contributions 25%

Assignment on News Values, Guidelines, and Media Law (10%) Due: Feb. 10

At the beginning of the semester, students will be asked to read (4) specific assigned sections in the text, AP Stylebook, (approximately 100 pages), that every should know. The assignment is designed to make students accountable for this reading material and selected sections in the reference section. Specific guidelines will be handed out the second week of classes. The (4) assigned reading sections include the following: • Guide to Punctuation (pp. 302- 313) • Statement of News Values (p. 314- 327) • Briefing On Media Law (pp. 328-368) • Social Media Guidelines (pp. 369- 398)

Portfolio of Work (65%) Due: May 12

Students will be graded via a portfolio of their work. 65%, or two-thirds of your final grade, will be based on this portfolio, which will be accumulated over the semester and submitted as a package at the end of the semester. This means you should save everything you work on. You may be assigned one area of focus for the class (writing, editing, layout, etc.), but you will have an opportunity to participate in many different parts of the production process.

“Work” means something you create or contribute to that becomes part of the paper or the news distribution systems we will be developing and using. This may include written articles, editorials, edited sections, photographs, videos, cartoons, graphics, pre-press layouts, web sites, mobile apps, etc. It is possible that you may create something that does NOT end up being used for publication, but it may still be included in your portfolio. Of course the goal is to create for publication. Because of this QUALITY and RELEVANCE is important and will be a major factor affecting your grade. Quality is usually achieved through a process of REVISION. All students should expect to go through a process of editing and revising their work. RELEVANCE is how useful your contribution is to the publication and its readers.

QUANITY also counts. We need a substantial amount of material for a viable publication. While the specific quantity of work will depend upon the type of contributions made, a general guideline is that each student should contribute the equivalent minimum of SIX full articles, approximately one every other week. This does not mean that all students are writing articles. Most should (because that’s the bread and butter of the publication), but some may not. What it means is that the measure of the quantity of your work will be determined by equating the amount of time and effort it would take to write, edit, and revise full articles and comparing that to what you are doing, if you are not writing articles.

Finally, DUE DATES are crucial to a publication. We will develop a schedule with deadlines and it is vitally important that you complete your contribution by the expected deadline.

Class Participation and Production Contributions: (25%)

Each class, student participation is required. Class participation will be graded on how much you contribute to the discussion and exercises.

You are also expected to contribute to the production of The Flying Horse, beyond just individual creative work. Publication Workshop

AP Stylebook Assignment Due Feb. 10

Read the (4) Assigned Sections:

• Guide to Punctuation (pp. 302- 313) • Statement of News Values (p. 314- 327) • Briefing On Media Law (pp. 328-368) • Social Media Guidelines (pp. 369- 398)

Part I - Reference Section (2 points each = 10 points) 1. Abbreviations and acronyms What are some general principles for using abbreviations and acronyms? 2. Dateline Explain what a “dateline” is and how and when it should be used. 3. Internet What are general guidelines for using Internet sources in a news story?

4. Numerals Explain a couple of instances when numerals should be spelled out and when they should be used as figures.

5. Obscenities When is it okay to use obscenities in a news story?

Part II - Assigned Sections (see above) For each section, identify five points that you think are most important and relevant to writing and editing The Flying Horse. Write at least one sentence why. (20 items worth 2 points each = 40 points)