J3345002syllabusspr20111

JOUR 3345-002 News Editing Spring 2011

This syllabus is tentative and subject to change

1 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. Monday and Wednesday

FA Room 411A

Instructor: Kim Pewitt – Jones

Office information: FA 2120 (second floor balcony)817-272-7039

e-mail address:

Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Prerequisites: JOUR 2346 with a grade of C (2.0) or higher on a 4.0 grading scale and a firm grounding in English grammar, punctuation and AP style.

  • The UT Arlington Department of Communication requires students who began as a freshman or transferred from an out-of-state college to take and pass a grammar, spelling and punctuation test. This policy became effective for those students in fall 2008. Students who began taking classes at UTA or another Texas college before fall 2008 are not required to take the test.
  • Students must pass the test with at least a 70 percent score. The UTA Testing Center, 201 Davis Hall, will administer the test. Students need to contact the center at 817-272-2363 at least 24 hours before taking the exam. The cost is $20.
  • Students may attempt the test three times. If students do not pass after three attempts, they must wait a year before taking the test a fourth time.
  • Students who have not taken the test must take and pass it or they will be administratively dropped from the course—see a Communication Department adviser for the deadline.

Course Content:

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding ofthe function of an editor and a copy editor. The course content benefits all communication students. The course content includes building student’s skills through an extensive practice in newspaper page content and design, which are the basics in good page design for most publications; copy editing and headline writing.

In News Editing class, students will have the opportunity to further refine the journalistic skills learned in JOUR 1345 (Writing for Mass Media) and in JOUR 2346 (Reporting).

JOUR 1345 introduced students to the basics of media writing and JOUR 2346 provided more practice and depth into reporting and writing specific types of journalistic/media stories and documents. JOUR 3345 will help students sharpen their grammar, spelling, word usage, current event knowledge and AP style skills as well as gain additional skills needed in the ever- changing media industry. It will help students think like an editor, which leads to improved writing skills.

This course will provide information and practice in newspaper page design, which includes writing headlines and cutlines (photograph captions) and using design software such as Adobe InDesign.

This course will provide information concerning newspaper employees’ responsibilities and structure of a publication business with emphasis on the transitional newspaper business.

This course will further assist students to make accurate legal and ethical decisions concerning media matters, particularly concerning print media.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate a swift usage of and proficiency in AP style, grammar, spelling and word usage.

Demonstrate a sharp awareness of local, national and international current events.

Demonstrate ability to analyze and prioritize news events.

Explain and discuss legal and ethical issues pertinent to media and communication law.

Identify prominent people involved in governments and analyze news events involving them.

Demonstrate knowledge of world geography as it applies to current events.

Demonstrate ability to design newspaper pages for print and for the Web.

Demonstrate ability to write clear, effective, accurate headlines and cutlines to meet column-width and type-size requirements.

Evaluate and improve others’ copy thoroughly scanning it for inaccuracies, for comprehension, for writing quality and for errors in word usage, spelling, punctuation and AP style.

Evaluate, crop, size and place photographs effectively.

Required Texts and Tools

“Copy Editors’ Handbook for Newspapers,” by Anthony R. Fellow and Thomas Canin, third edition.

“The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law,” current edition.

“Working with Words” latest edition, by Brian S. Brooks, James L. Pinson, and Gaddy Wilson or “When Words Collide” latest edition, by Laura Kessler.

A zip disk, 512 MB thumb/flash drive or CD and enough room on your J drive to save work.

Access to daily newspapers.

MAVExpress ID

An attitude of success, the determination to attend all class meetings and the willingness to work hard with a positive mind-set.

Class Policies/Behavioral Expectations:

1. This class is an upside-down mouse and cell phone-on-silent class, which means that all computers will remain off and each attached mouse will remain turned upside down until the instructor indicates that it is time to use the computers.

  • This means no Web surfing, e-mail reading or writing, or any computer activity during lecture time, guest speaker presentations or discussions.
  • It also means that no one should use a cell phone orally, as a phone, video camera or to receive/send text messages during class.
  • Phones need to be turned off or in the “silent/meeting” position during class.
  • Failure to comply could result in the instructor asking the student to leave class.

2.For every classstudents will need to bring the AP Stylebook, the Copy Editor’s Handbook a thumb drive or disk to save work and your MavID to print work.

  • Problems with disks, saving and computer crashes will not count as an excuse for not turning in assignments on time.
  • You are responsible for having your work saved in different places in case of accidents.

3.Arrive on time for every class ready to participate.

  • Each student is responsible for signing the attendance/participation sheet during the first 15 minutes of each class meeting—it will not be available after that time—therefore participation grades will not be earned for that day, and participation is worth 25 percent of your grade.
  • Participation grades begin the first day of class.
  • AP style quizzes will be given at the beginning of class one day a week.
  • Students arriving after a quiz begins will only be allowed to participate for the rest of the time allotted for the quiz.

4.Good communication and attendance are crucial in this industry and will be expected for this class.

  • Class instructional lessons are comprised of material from many sources, not just the textbook and missing instructional time prohibits a student’s success.
  • It is your responsibility to contact a classmate concerning missed lecture notes and assignments given during an absence including students with excused absences.
  • College instructors are not responsible for compiling a list of missed and/or due assignments for any student—that is each student’s responsibility—including students with excused absences.
  • Students need to arrange schedules to be present for every test and quiz—makeups will not be allowed for out-of-town pleasure trips, vacations or other unexcused absences. Documented proof of excusedabsences will be required before a makeup test will be scheduled—Students should stay in touch with the instructor by e-mail or telephone concerning a possible absence.
  • An excused absence means you are seriously ill, there is an emergency such as a car accident, a serious illness in your immediate family, or a death in your immediate family. Immediate family means parent, sibling, spouse, grandparent and your children
  • Most situations will require you to bring authentic proofsuch as a doctor’s note, funeral program or police report.
  • Absences will be excused for required attendance of official UTA-sponsored events or activities and religious holidays recognized by UTA. Documentation will be required for these absences as well.

5.Respect: Communication professionals should show respect for others regardless of whether they share the same opinion as a coworker, supervisor, instructor or source.If someone should show disrespect in any way for a classmate, a guest speaker or me, I will address that person’s behavior appropriately—possibly asking the student to leave the classroom.

You can avoid problems by following these guidelines:

  • During class listen closely and disagree calmly with others’ opinions in discussions.
  • Please listen attentively when someone is speaking to the class.
  • Do not surf the Web, text and use other electronic devices (other than for typing notes) while someone is speaking during class including a classmate.

6.Authorized attendees: Only enrolled students are permitted to attend the class. Visitors such as family members, friends or children are not allowed in the classroom.

Work Expectations:

  • You will often be working on a project and/or homework assignments (including reading chapters) at the same time plus studyingfor quizzes.
  • Lectures cannot cover in sufficient depth everything you need to know about editing and page design, therefore…
  • You are expected to be prepared for class daily by reading the assigned textbook chapters and handouts.
  • You will need to begin projects in enough advance time to turn in quality work, and not start working on them the night before they are due.
  • If you are struggling with the material or workload, I expect you to come see me during office hours to discuss it. Do not wait until the last month of class —see me immediately when you sense a struggle.

Grading Policy

Grades are based on in-class assignments, homework assignments, group work, AP style/grammar/editing and current event quizzes, a major editing/layout project, a midterm and a final exam. The final grade will be determined by:

Major project* / 20 percent
AP style/editing quizzes / 15 percent
Participation+ / 25 percent
Current events quizzes / 15 percent
Exams (2) / 25 percent
Total / 100 percent

*The Major Project will involve creating well-designed, well-edited and accurate newspaper pages.

+Participation includes attendance, note-taking, discussion involvement, concept involvement, listening

involvement and class assignments.

90 percent and above is an A.

80 percent to 89 percent is a B.

70 percent to 79 percent is a C.

60 percent to 69 percent is a D.

59 percent and below is a F.

Late Work:

  • In-class assignments are due at by the end of class the day they are assigned unless otherwise specified.
  • Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class (within five minutes of the class start time).
  • Any assignment turned in later that the beginning of the class period on the day it is due,without prior approval, could be lowered one letter grade and will continue to receive point deductions for each day it is late. After one week it may not be accepted.
  • Approved late work due to illness or emergencies will not be approved without authentic documentation and must be turned in on the date specified by the instructor to avoid a grade penalty.

Extra Credit: Accepted only if all assignments are completed and turned in by their deadline.

1.*Working with a college or a professional newspaper/magazine:

1.If you get a story published in a major publication, The Shorthorn or another college newspaper or magazine this semester, you may receive as many as four points for each published article in the current event category of class. There is a limit of four published articles.

2.Articles published before the spring 2011 semester start date will not be accepted.

  1. Articles should be attached to a typed page with the article name and date published.
  2. This should be done in the typed format style to include your name, course and section number.

3.* If you work as an editor, page designer, photographer or advertising copywriter for a college or professional publication, you may receive as many as 16 points in the current event category of class during the fall semester as detailed below:

  1. Photographers should submit pages containing your published photographs.
  2. The publish date must be shown on the page.
  3. The photo credit line must be present with your name.
  4. The limit is four photos.
  5. Editors, designers and copywriters need to submit three different published pages with the staff box.
  6. The page must show the publish date and your name as staff.
  7. The pages cannot all be within the same week.
  8. The limit is four staff boxes.

2. * If you apply for and obtain an internship with a media company during this class, you could receive as many as 10 points in the major assignment category of the grading policy.Internships applied for and/or started before the spring 2011 semester start date are not eligible for the bonus points.A copy of the internship approval with the date on the organization’s letterhead is required before the last day of class (the week before final exams) for the semester.

3. * The first person to bring in a specific spelling, grammar, AP style or factual error from a professional newspaper, textbook or magazine, not a college or high school newspaper, will earn two points of extra credit for each error in the AP style category of the grading policy. The newspaper errors need to be in issues published during the spring 2011 semester. A maximum of eight points for finding errors may be earned during the semester.

  • To get extra credit for finding an error, use the typed format to include a one-sentence description of the mistake. Attach the article or a photocopy of the article with the error circled — just the page with the error on it — not an entire magazine or newspaper section.

* Extra credit points will not be given unless all assignments are completed and turned in by the deadlines specified by the instructor—no exceptions.

Current Event Quizzes:

Students are required to be aware of current events by reading the Fort WorthStar-Telegramand The Shorthorn. Both are available online. I prefer you read the print edition of both available on campus.

A printed copy of the weekly current event quiz will be due at the beginning of class most Mondays. This could become an online quiz—I will let you know. It will occur as a take-home quiz available usually on Thursday or Friday afternoons online (Blackboard).

It will consist of 10 questions based on local, national and world events happening within the week (seven days before the quiz) such as: Who is Mark Cuban and why is he in the news this week? Who is Rick Perry and why did he make headlines this week? Why did the U.N. place an embargo on Iran this week? Where is Tehran and why is it in the news this week? What significant event happened off the coast of Louisiana and why was it newsworthy?

It will also include some general knowledge questions that reporters need to know about.

Current event questions will be taken from the News section of the newspapers.

The questions will be about current news events, not editorials, briefs or columns.

Current Event questions should be answered by going to the two newspapers, and general knowledge questions should be answered by using reliable sources(not Wikipedia). Ask if you are unsure about a source.

Do your own work; do not collaborate with other students concerning the answers. You are on the honor system for these assignments.

The answers need to be in your own words, not cut and pasted from a source.

Correct grammar usage, as well as AP style, spelling and punctuation are to be used in all assignments including current events.

AP Style Quizzes:

Students are required to study the AP Stylebook as well as the AP style guide and the correct editing marks to be prepared for a weekly quiz.

For the first few weeks, we will review AP style specifics before each quiz and use the sources during the quiz.

The quiz will require students to identify and correct AP style mistakes using correct editing marks.

The quiz will be given on most Wednesdays.

Department, College and University Policies

Drop/Add Policy:

It is the responsibility of the student to process the official class drop and add forms. Faculty cannot drop students from any class. Students need to go to his/her "major" department to drop a class. For example, if you are a HISTORY MAJOR, and you want to drop a MATH class, you need to go to the HISTORY DEPARTMENT to drop your class. (This is a new rule as of summer 2006). The last drop date for this semester is April 1 (no kidding). Students can drop classes until 4 p.m. CST on that date.After classes are unavailable online, to add a course, you need to get the signature of an adviser in the department of your major AND then go to an adviser in the department of that course to add it (this is a new rule as of summer 2010).

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 the 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.