Course Description: During the course of the semester, students in this senior-level elective will refine the skills they learned in their respective sequences, delve more deeply into implementing those skills and learn cross-sequence skills and techniques as they form the staff of a multimedia online magazine. Students will collaborate with the Department of Communication’s top seniors to produce portfolio-quality material while learning and honing multi-media skills that will enhance their marketability and position themselves to compete successfully with graduates of other programs. Students will: write, edit and post stories; shoot, edit and post video reports; shoot, edit and post photographs; develop meaningful advertising based upon solid strategic planning; develop and implement public relations for the magazine using a variety of programming tools; design and produce web pages; and learn and engage in strong and positive interpersonal skills and internal communications while dealing with other talented and strong-willed personalities.

Learning Outcomes: In this class, students will learn how to report and write various types of news stories. The class will help students understand the newsgathering process at professional news organizations and help prepare them to become media industry professionals. Students also:

  • Will understand what news is, and how and why it goes from being an incident on the street to a front-page story in the next day’s paper.
  • Will refine their reporting, writing and editing skills.
  • Will understand and enact the communication processes related to organizational decision making, conflict, leadership and diversity in the workplace.
  • Will understand the various workflow concerns and task dependency among different media professions.
  • Will become skilled at shooting, editing and posting professional-quality videos online.
  • Will become proficient in shooting, editing and posting professional-quality photographs online.
  • Will become proficient at reporting, editing and posting professional-quality news stories conforming to Associated Press style online.
  • Will become adept at strategic communications and utilizing a variety of media and programming tools to implement successful advertising and public relations efforts.
  • Will design and produce web pages.

Required Texts and Other Course Materials: Journalism Next, Mark Briggs, CQ Press, 2010.The Associated Press Stylebook 2011. It’s also a smack-dab smashing idea to have a flash drive, and use it, so that you have back-up in case of computer crashes. As a technical matter, a computer crash is not a valid excuse for not turning in an assignment on time. I’m just saying….

Attendance Policy: This is not a distance-learning class. I expect students to come to every class, to be on time for every class and to come prepared to participate. It would be wicked awesome and downright fabulous if we could take this course in the comfort of our jammies or while lounging languorously at the pool. Too bad, so sad, however.If you are absent, it is your responsibility to talk to me about what you missed. Do not expect me to come to you and say, “Poor baby, you didn’t come to class Thursday, but no worries, here are the assignments from that day.” This is college, you’re adults and I’m not yo’ momma. An excused absence is an absence for:

  • A documented illness or injury;
  • Death of an immediate family member (none of this second cousin from a thrice removed aunt business);
  • Religious observations as recognized by UTA; and
  • Required attendance for an official UTA event, such as a UTA football game. JK.

An excused absence does not include having to work. I recognize that many of you have to work to pay for school or to ensure you’re drowning in appropriate and copious amounts of beer. Nevertheless, school meets whether you’re here or not and the University does not recognize working as an excused absence. Please note that frequent unexcused absences may result in an unacceptably low grade. And in the meantime, I’ll have No. 7 supersized with a Diet Coke. (I know the Diet Coke makes no sense with the half pound of fatty burger and the 1,500 calories in the French fries. Neither does missing class for work.)

Please note that having an excused absence does NOT mean that you are excused from doing the work of the day. It just means you have a week from your return to get that work in without penalty. Students with an excused absence may make up all assignments.

If you have an unexcused absence, you may make up everything except current events quizzes. However, I reserve the right to consider the work late and award it a letter grade lower than earned.

Please understand that attendance includes a punctuality quotient. Show up on time. If you’re more than 10 minutes late, I’m simply not going to allow you to take the quiz du jour, which will be administered at the beginning of class. And guys, zeros simply don’t average very well.

Description of major assignments and examinations with due dates:

We will have weekly quizzes over lecture and text readings every Thursday. We will have weekly current events quizzes every Tuesday.

Our primary focus, however, will be to build, produce, advertise and promote a multimedia online magazine covering the Department of Communication. Each student will have a primary area of responsibility that coincides with his or her expertise. However, each student will learn and undertake new responsibilities. For example, Comm Tech majors will be responsible for building our site, but will also produce content. Likewise, Comm Studies majors will ensure smooth internal communications and keep the group on task, but will also produce content. Journalism students will report, edit, write and post stories, but will also produce, edit and post video content. Public relations majors will be tasked primarily with promoting the online magazine, but will also produce content, and advertising majors will produce advertising for the magazine but also contribute editorial content. In other words, everyone will do a lot of some things, and at least a little bit of everything else. We will have deadlines throughout the course of the semester and I expect students to meet them.

With respect to the current events quizzes, I recommend that you read a newspaper daily. That having been said, read news online if you must, but pick credible sources. Please note that the current events quizzes are likely to include a mélange of local, national and international news.

If I ask you to write about a current event, I expect you to write in complete sentences. Note the use of the plural “sentences.” This is, after all, a senior-level capstone class, and I expect more than one sentence per current event. Don’t just say “Beyonce performed at UTA.” Your current event should be far more complete than that, and include details. That having been said, most current events quizzes will be given in multiple-guess format.

Grading Policy:

Attendance10 percent

Weekly quizzes30 percent

Magazine Duties/Participation40 percent

Meeting Deadlines20 percent

I will give students a daily attendance grade. Students will get a 100 for being on time. Students will receive a 75 if they arrive up to 10 minutes late. Students will receive a 50 if they are more than 10 minutes late. Students with excused absences will not be penalized. I also will give students grades for meeting deadlines. Students will earn a 100 for meeting deadline. Students will earn a 50 if they are up to one day late. I will subtract an additional 10 points for each subsequent day late.

Grading Breakdown:

70-100 percent = P

0-69 percent = F

A note about grades: This course is less about a grade than it is about honing our areas of expertise, gaining new skills and producing professional-quality, portfolio-worthy materials. This is not a class in which to loaf or coast. I expect students to roll up their sleeves and get busy. This is not to say we won’t have fun, because we will. You’ll be gaining real-life experience that will prepare you for the highly competitive world of professional communications. In that vein, please note that, if you consistently miss deadlines, show up whenever you feel like it and treat the course as a lark, you will earn yourself an F. While this won’t make me happy, understand that once you leave the sheltered walls of academia, much worse can happen. For this course to be successful, each student must give maximum effort and dedication. If each of you does that, by semester’s end you’ll have professional-quality, portfolio-worthy material to showcase to potential employers. That, and not a grade, is what will help separate you from other candidates.

Along the way, we’ll learn effective interpersonal skills to ensure we can fit in at any professional organization, become proficient at shooting, recording and posting professional-quality video and audio reports, become adept in using public relations and advertising tools: and become graceful writers, If you can write well, you can find lifelong employment regardless of your interests. My friends, good writing is sexy. Good writing is powerful. Good writing can change the course of history. Good writing can motivate a people to action. But if nothing else, again, good writing is sexy….

Drop Policy: Students are responsible for processing the official class drop and add forms. Faculty cannot drop students from class. Students must go their “major” department to drop a class. If you are a communication major, go to the Communication Department to drop the class.

Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 – The Rehabilitation act of 1973 as amended. With passage of federal legislation titled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide “reasonable accommodations” to students with disabilities so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty of his/her need for accommodation and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Information regarding specific diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining academic accommodations can be found at Also, you may visit the Office for Students with Disabilities in Room 102 of University Hall or call at 817-272-3364.

Bomb Threats: Don’t do it. It’s far better to take an F on an assignment than get prosecuted, which is exactly what will happen to you if you make a bomb threat. UTA will do everything within its power to trace the call and prosecute all responsible parties. Moreover, the University will make every effort to avoid cancelation of presentations/tests caused by bomb threats. Unannounced alternate sites may be available and I will let you know where to meet in the event our regular classroom is not available.

Academic Integrity: The University of Texas at Arlington considers academic dishonesty to be a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not tolerate it in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. According to the Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2:

“Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit for any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.”

I expect students to uphold the highest levels of ethical conduct as expected of media professionals.

Unacceptable conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Fabricating sources, information or quotes.
  • Failing to properly attribute quotes or ideas.
  • Asking someone to say you interviewed them when you didn’t.
  • Misrepresenting yourself to get information.
  • Copying quotes or information from other publications or fellow classmates.
  • Plagiarism of any kind.
  • Surreptitiously calling up the front page of The New York Times on your i-Phone because you forgot to study for the current events quiz.

At a minimum, violating rules of ethical conduct will result in a zero for the assignment. I am compelled to divulge that I will refer serious offenses to the Office of Judicial Affairs. And that’s a place you do not want to be.

Student Support Services Available: The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help students connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.

Another helpful resource for students is the Communication Department’s Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Lab. Please see me for hours. (Disclosure: I am one of the GSP Lab instructors.) And hey, you can find the lab on facebook (UTA Associated Press, Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Lab.)

Final Review Week: A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabi. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10 percent or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. Classes are held as scheduled during this week and instructors may give lectures and presentations.

Librarian to Contact: RafiaMirza, communication department liaison, or 817-272-7428.

E-Culture Policy:

The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University e-mail address as an official means of communication with students. Through the use of e-mail, UT-Arlington is able to provide students with relevant and timely information designed to facilitate student success. In particular, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills and graduation may be sent to students through e-mail. In addition, I will, from time-to-time, send you important class information via e-mail.

All students are assigned an e-mail account and information about activating and using it is available at New students (first semester at UTA) are able to activate their e-mail account 24 hours after registering for courses. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as the student is enrolled at UT-Arlington. Students are responsible for checking their e-mail regularly. And it’s a two-way street; I also will check e-mail regularly. In addition to the University e-mail address, students also may communicate with me via Facebook. Yes, I’m on Facebook!Checking e-mail a couple of times a day will go a long way toward making sure you don’t miss anything important, such as a last-minute class cancelation or an assignment due-date extension.  If you are one of the 99 percent of students who fret about grades, please note: If you want to ask a question about your grades via e-mail, you must write to me from your UTA e-mail address. I cannot and will not discuss grades when you write me from .

Please join the class facebook page, UTA COMM 4393 – Communication Topics. This page is an opportunity for further interaction, learning and sharing. Please also consider joining the facebook page for the Communication Department’s AP Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Lab. Find it at UTA Associated Press, Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Lab. Have a grammar or punctuation question? Post it for discussion and share the quest for knowledge.

We will also utilize Twitter in our endeavors, and each student should have a Twitter account. Our goal is to project a professional image, so if your account handle is 2Hot2Handle or Dreamboat or anything of that ilk, you’ll need to establish another account. I also will develop a Twitter account for our magazine, which all enrolled students will be asked to follow (and contribute to).

In addition, all students will be required to post to a blog associated with our online magazine.

Make-up Policy: