Fundamentals of Multimedia

SYLLABUS J321 - SUMMER 2011 CMA A4.308 M-F 10:00AM -- 11:00AM LAB: CMA A4.308 11:00pm – 2:30pm

Professor: Teaching Assistant: Homero Gil de Zúñiga, PhD. Oscar D. Gomez, M.A. Candidate Office Hours: Office Hours: by appt. Always available. Any day by appt. Email: [email protected] Office: CMA 5.112 Tel: (512) 471-6323 Email: [email protected]

Course description: The purpose of this course is to give journalism students a broad perspective and practical experience in the emergence of new forms of journalism based on the Internet and other digital platforms. We will examine the impact of Digital Media and the creation of a global Information Society, with a special focus on the effects these phenomena are having on journalism, such as Computer-Assisted Reporting in the area of newsgathering, and media convergence in the area of dissemination. As news companies adapt their operations from single distribution channels to a converged multiplatform and multichannel delivery systems, the new generation of must reflect on these ongoing transformative processes and prepare to work in the new media environment. The course is divided into two tracks. The first is dedicated to the study of Multimedia Journalism through readings, lectures and class discussions, covering issues such as:

• What is multimedia/online journalism? • History and the evolution of journalism; • The crisis of traditional media; • Writing and designing for the Web; • Best practices of multimedia journalism; • Animation and interactivity in a journalistic narrative; • The impact of video on the Web; • Online research and computer-assisted reporting; • Ethical and legal aspects of multimedia journalism; • User-generated content for news Web sites; • and the impact of ; • Business models for journalism on the Internet; • Jobs in online/multimedia journalism.

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The second track of the course is dedicated to the hands-on experience of producing journalistic pieces using multimedia elements, such as a combination of text, photos and audio production. During class time, projects will be planned, presented and evaluated. During lab time, students will learn some basic skills to produce such projects, such as: • HTML programming and design • Digital photo and production • Audio/video editing and production

Our main focus is on the understanding of the Internet phenomenon and its impact on journalism with special attention to the search for a new style of narrative - one that could take advantage of the simultaneous use of text, hypertext, photos, images in motion, audio and databases. We will produce multimedia projects that reflect this new genre of journalism. The text that will be part of those projects will follow the latest edition of AP Stylebook and Manual.

Objectives: The three main goals of this course are: 1. To prepare journalism students to work for news enterprises that use the Internet to reach the audiences through this new genre of journalism, and also to understand its repercussions in society; 2. To apply critical thinking on the analysis of this new journalistic genre, and to experiment with innovative storytelling techniques and writing styles that take advantage of the multimedia presentation capabilities of the World Wide Web; 3. To create conditions for the students to master or at least have a good knowledge of the software and other tools used to produce news for the Web.

Important Note: This class is not about computers or software, although it will focus on the ways journalists can use new technology. Thus, it is important that students acquire the basic tools of Internet publishing and multimedia journalism. Some elementary to intermediate software knowledge will be provided in class and lab sessions, including HTML, Photoshop, Soundslides, etc... Attendance to both classes and lab sessions is also mandatory and will count towards the grade as participation.

Assignments There are four assignments in this class – three hands-on multimedia journalism pieces and one that relates to critical analysis of the theory discussed in class: 1. A personal online résumé built in HTML. 2. Webzine story 1 (text & photography). 3. Webzine story 2 (audio-slideshow). 4. Final response paper.

The subjects of the stories and the papers will be discussed during class time and if necessary during professor’s office hours as well. The stories must be written following AP Style and the research papers must follow academic style. The stories will be turned in electronically, but hard copies will be necessary for the final paper.

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The final paper also must contain bibliography and reflect some of the issues covered during the class discussions.

Reading List • Briggs, Mark, Journalism2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, (2010) J-Lab and the Knight Citizen News Network (PDF version at: http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/journalism20.php. (Required) • Castro, Elizabeth, HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition, (2007), Peachpit Press. Berkeley, CA. (Optional) • Foust, James, Online Journalism - Principles and Practices of News for the Web, (2005), Holcomb Hathaway Publishers, Scottsdale, AZ. (Optional) • Kovach, Bill, and Rosenstiel, Tom, The Elements of Journalism : What newspeople should know and the public should expect (2001), Crown Publishers, New York, NY. (Optional) • Quinn, Stephen, Convergent Journalism: The Fundamentals of Multimedia Reporting, 2005, Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY. (Optional) • Stovall, James Glen, Web Journalism - Practice and Promise of a New Medium, (2004), Pearson Education, Boston, MA. (Optional)

Late Assignments and Attendance: Assignments for this course are challenging and fun, but the class moves very quickly, particularly in summer session, so you will not want to fall behind. Missed assignments or lab activities will receive a failing grade. No late assignments will be received. Attendance is mandatory for classes and lab sessions, and may affect the final grade (see grading section below). You can miss three classes “no questions asked”, after that your grade for attendance and participation will decrease. Because we cover so much ground in this class, it is no coincidence that the best projects historically have been turned in by the students with the best attendance. Students (and teachers, too) often learn best from one another, so an open environment is encouraged. Ask questions and help each other. It is important that you show up on time, as announcements tend to be made early, and you could miss valuable information. Supplies and Equipment: You will need a external hard drive or USB storage device to save a backup of your files. You will also receive access to a Transfer folder on the department server, but it is best to have a backup on disk. Options will be discussed in class. Equipment Checkout - We will have equipment available from IMC on the 5th floor of the CMA building for you to use throughout the summer session as you work on your projects. Exams & Grading Exams: There are no exams in this class. Grading: The final grade will be based on the following work: Attendance & Participation: 15% Topic discussant: 15% Final Paper (10 pages double spaced): 30% Skills projects: 40%

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- Resume (Bio) HTML - Webzine story 1 - Webzine story 2 (audio-slideshow)

The grade will be defined in accordance with the following table:

A = 94-100; A- = 90-93.9; B+ = 87-89.9; B = 84-86.9; B- = 80-83.9; C+ = 77-79.9; C = 74-76.9; C- =70-73.9; D+ = 67-69.9; D = 64-66.9; D- = 60-63.9; F = 0-59.9

To achieve a particular grade the total number of points MUST be within the aforementioned range, and grades will not be rounded up. That is, a 73.9, for instance, is a C- and it will not be considered to be a C. This class will follow University guidelines concerning scholastic misconduct and grievance procedures.

University Honor Code: All students are expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code, which reads: “The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.”

Academic Dishonesty: In this class, any form of academic dishonesty – including plagiarism and making up quotes, sources, or any other information – will result in an automatic grade of F. For your own sake, don't even think about it. The Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities at the University of Texas at Austin defines plagiarism as follows " 'Plagiarism' includes but is not limited to, the appropriation, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any other means another's work and the submission of it as one's own academic work offered for credit" [Section 11- 802(d)]. In other words, don't steal other people's work and pass it off as your own. Ways to avoid plagiarism: 1. Don't copy and paste stuff from the Web into your own work. 2. Attribute information that you get from others. 3. Use quotation marks and attribute when you are using the exact words of others. Important point: As a , you should be getting your own direct quotes through interviewing. Journalism means obtaining original materials. Taking quotations from the Web, even if you attribute them, is not really journalism. The Web is most useful to the journalist for verifying facts and spellings, getting background information on a current happening and gaining understanding of some complex topic (prior to an interview, for instance). Everything on most Web pages is copyrighted through common law copyright, whether or not there is a copyright notice. Most information from government sources is not copyrighted, but still should be attributed.

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