COM 2300 WRITING FOR COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONS

Instructor: Dr. Hua-Hsin Wan

Office:210Quinn Hall

Phone:747-8401

E-mail:

Office hours:T, R4:20-5:20, W 1:00-3:00, or by appointment.

TEXTS

Public Relations Writing: The Essentials of Style and Format, 5th ed., by Thomas H. Bivins.

The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual

A Writer's Reference, 4th ed., by Diana Hacker.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

In this course you will learn to develop writing skills appropriate for public relations and mass communications practice in both print and electronic media. The course will be specifically focusing on strategies of crafting and delivering a PR message. You will demonstrate how effective public relations writing is largely dependent on thorough research of your target audience and good writing skills.

Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to the instructor (confidentially), or to contact the Office of Disability Services.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

You are responsible for all readings, activities, materials and information discussed/distributed in class. In addition, you are strongly urged to read newspapers and to view/listen to local and national news programs daily. Since public relations writing is highly related to news writing, exposure to news regularly is considered essential in learning how to communicate with media effectively. You should be prepared to bring current issues of a local newspaper and discuss them in each class session. Although materials from the news media will not be on the tests, participation is counted in the evaluation.

Starting from the fourth week, you will be handing in your writing assignments. I will discuss some of your work in class. You should also be prepared to do peer evaluation on the assignments.

The final assignment--portfolio--is not the collection of all your previous assignments. You have to choose a new topic and design a press kit out of it. I strongly urge you to start working/planning on your final project early in the semester. Don't wait until the last minute as it may very likely affect the quality of your work and thus your grade as well.

COURSE POLICIES

  1. Attendance. You are expected to attend all classes and are responsible for all notes, handouts, assignments, etc. Missing classes without a legitimate excuse will have a negative impact on your final grade regardless of the grades received on exams and course assignments. If you are very ill or have personal problems which may prevent you from attending class for a certain period, you must notify me along with providing the written proof as early as possible. Failure to do so (including not providing me with appropriate proof/excuses soon enough) will be counted as missing classes without a legitimate excuse and thus negatively against your final grade. Please remember that leaving classes early without notifying me in advance will be counted two absences.Also, coming late three times equal one absence.
  2. Participation. Simply show up in class is not enough. You are expected to participate in class exercises and discussions as they contribute to your personal learning and to the learning of others. Please complete all readings and class assignments before you come to class, as that will prepare you for class discussions. In addition, there will be in-class assignments in which you may need to work out of your class time. In case of a group assignment, each group member should contribute his/her fair share to the assignment and be prepared to present to the class. Participation is absolutely essential and will definitely be included in the evaluation of your performance in this class.
  3. Assignments & Exams. Since this course takes a professional look at public relations, professional standards apply. Therefore, all assignments must be typed and handed in on time. The assignments are due at the beginning of the designated class session. I will then distribute all assignments to the class in order to do peer evaluation and collect the same assignments at the end of the class. Additional policies regarding assignments are listed in the handout “Regulations for Assignments”.

NO make-up exam or make-up work will be given for missing exams. It is your responsibility to know the exact date and time for any exam and to show up on time for taking the test. Make-up work for a missing exam may be given only if you have a legitimate excuse and notify me prior to the exam date.

  1. Integrity. You should maintain the highest standards of integrity throughout the course.

Academic dishonesty--which includes cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism--will not be tolerated and will result in failure of the course.

GRADING CRITERIA

AssignmentsPercentage of Grade

Assignments 1-5 50

Mid-term Examination10

Portfolio20

Portfolio Presentation10

Class Attendance & Participation10

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

WeekDatePossible Topics Texts

1. 1/17-1/19Introduction, Role of PR Writer Ch. 1

  1. 1/24-1/26Message Planning, Research Ch. 2

3. 1/31-2/2Persuasive Strategies, Media RelationsCh. 3,5

4.2/7-2/9News ReleasesCh.7, p.103-124

Assignment 1 (News Release) due on 2/9

  1. 2/14-2/16News Releases, Backgrounders Ch. 7, p.124-131
  2. 2/21-2/23Backgrounders, Annual Reports Ch.8

Assignment 2 (Backgrounder) due on 2/23

  1. 2/28-3/2Newsletters Ch. 9, p.154-169
  2. 3/7-3/9Newsletters, Feature Writing Ch. 9, p.169-179
  3. 3/14-3/16Spring Break (No Classes)
  4. 3/21-3/23Feature WritingCh. 9, p.179-195

Assignment 3 (Feature Writing) due on 3/23

  1. 3/28-3/30Brochures Ch.10

MIDTERM EXAMINATION on 3/30Ch. 1-10

12. 4/4-4/6Print Advertising, Writing for Television Ch. 11, 12

Assignment 4 (Brochure) due on 4/6

13. 4/11-4/13SpeechesCh. 13

14.4/18-4/20Desktop PublishingCh. 14

Assignment 5 (VNR) due on 4/18

15.4/25-4/27Computer Writing,Portfolio PresentationsCh. 15

Portfolio due on 4/27

16. 5/2-5/4Portfolio Presentations

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