Writing for Communication Careers
COMMUNICATION 111
WRITING FOR COMMUNICATION CAREERS
Summer 2007
Professor:Ward Hicks
Office:Spori 231
Telephone:Office: 496-3047
E-mail:
Offices Hrs:Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 12 noon and by appointment
Classroom:Spori 137
Class Time: Section # 1 - 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., M – W – F (Lab on Fridays in Spori 107)
Section # 2 - 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.., M – W – F (Lab on Fridays in Spori 107)
COURSE OBJECTIVES
- Help students prepare for writing in college and the communication field by developing fluency and confidence.
- Help students with the writing process: gathering, prewriting, drafting and revising (including rewriting, editing and proofreading).
- Help students learn the basic elements of good writing, such as idea development, introductions, leads, organization, support, transitions and conclusions.
- Help students learn fundamental library and research skills and integrate resources in writing.
- Help students review the basic elements of grammar and mechanics which make communication easier and clearer.
- Help students stay abreast of current events and develop critical reading skills.
PREREQUISITES
To register for Communication 111, students must be proficient in English grammar, usage, spelling and punctuation, and be able to type at least 35 words per minute.
REQUIRED BOOKS AND MATERIALS
* Reaching Audiences by Jan Johnson Yopp and Katherine C. McAdams
* The Associated Press Stylebook, New York: The Associated Press (latest edition)
* The Post Register (students will sign-up for a subscription during class)
* The Scroll
* Red ink pens (five percent deduction on assignments if red ink is not used)
* Stapler
* Highlight markers
CLASS POLICIES
Attendance
Attendance and promptnessare a must. You should be in class on time unless you are ill. Dental appointments, part-time job obligations, travel plans, etc., are NOT valid reasons for missing class. Do not send an e-mail indicating, “I won’t be in class today. Is there anything I need to know?” Find out from your classmates. I will not repeat an hour lecture for students who miss class. All work is due and students are accountable even if they are not in class. Students will not be allowed to make up quizzes and other in-class activities they have missed.For BYU-I absences, bring me the official form PRIOR to being absent, so that you can be prepared to turn in materials on time.
No Late Work
Complete all work on time. Communication professionals work in an environment of constant deadlines. This class demands deadlines as well. Work handed in after deadline will receive an “F” to reinforce the sanctity of deadlines. (No exceptions to this, so please don’t ask!)
Be Informed
Communication students must strive to be aware of both local and national news and how that news is reported to the public. Read and listen to the news around you! Observe. Think. Question. Form opinions. At the very least, come to class prepared to discuss news/editorials from The Scroll and The Post Register.
Good Insurance
Keep both electronic and hard copies of all your work. This policy just makes good sense, and protects both the instructor and the students from the, “My dog ate my homework,” scenario. Keep all graded assignments until the end of the semester.
Come prepared to class. Bring your textbook, stylebook, red pen and stapler to class.
Children in the Classroom
Children are not allowed to be present in BYU-Idaho classes due to space restrictions, fire code compliance, and the need to limit distractions. Students have the responsibility to arrange for the care of their children away from classrooms and study areas in order to preserve and enhance the learning opportunities for all students.
Cell Phones
All cell phones should be turned off during class hours. An exception may be made with prior approval for an emergency.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students who have disabilities that would prevent them from performing fairly on graded work in this course. Please see the instructor as early in the semester as possible to discuss your situation.
Honor Code, Plagiarism
All work completed in this class must be the original work of the students. Proper documentation is necessary for material cited from other sources and any such use must comply with fair use limitations under existing copyright laws. Any plagiarism violations will result in substantial punishment, including a zero on the assignment, and—depending on the circumstances—more severe punitive action such as failing the class and/or referral to the Dean’s office.
ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES/EXAM
Weekly Writing Assignments
These assignments are due at the beginning of class on the dates indicated on the syllabus. Edit your work carefully before handing it in. Mechanical writing errors—such as spelling, punctuation, sentence structure or usage—will significantly hurt your grade.
Lab Assignments
All assignments are completed during lab and handed in at that time. There will be 13 labs and you will be able to drop your lowest lab score.
In-Class Quizzes/Activities
Unannounced quizzes will typically cover current events, textbook material and class discussion. There will also be questions from the course syllabus. Short essays and other activities and assignments will be included. Students may be asked to clip articles from the newspaper and bring them to class for critique and discussion.
Final Profile or Feature Story
Each student is responsible for researching and writing a profile or feature news story. Detailed information on this assignment will be provided.
Classroom Presentation
Students will be divided into small groups. Each group will create a 15-minute presentation that will help teach a particular writing concept to the class. More information will be provided later.
Attendance and Academic Contribution
Your attendance and your academic contribution to the class are very important. Unexcused absences will result in a five percent deduction from your attendance grade for each class session missed. Developing a pattern for being late to class will also affect your attendance grade.
Exams
There will be a midterm and a final exam. Check class schedule for dates.
All assignments should be typed and formatted using the following guidelines:
- Use Times New Roman Font.
- Use type size 12.
- Double space all written documents unless advised to do differently.
- Margins should be at least one inch all around
- Papers should be left justified with a ragged right edge.
- Indent clearly the beginnings of all paragraphs.
- Staple all papers together with your assignment cover sheet on top.
- Following the cover sheet, your first typewritten page should include the following information in the upper left hand corner:
Name
Date
Class and Section Number
Assignment Name
- Always submit a hard copy. E-mailed assignments will not be accepted.
EVALUATION
Please note: An “A” does not stand for average. An “A” stands for AWESOME! An “A” student is outstanding, fills the assignment completely and gives extra effort. An “A” student is on time for class and has no late work. If class is missed, assignments are turned in ahead of time. Just because you hand in all the work does not mean you get an “A.” In general, the following yardstick will be used in evaluating writing assignments:
A – virtually ready for publication
B – ready for publication with minor editing
C – satisfactory, but requires significant changes and/or additional information
D – several changes needed; fundamental problems with writing and/or editing
F – assignment is late or unacceptable because of factual/writing/reporting error
ErrorScore Deduction
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence mechanics5%
Failure to follow AP Stylebook5%
Failure to follow format guidelines listed in syllabus5%
Misspelled proper name10%
Factual error30%
Make-up Work
You will not be allowed to make up weekly assignments or lab assignments.You will be allowed to drop one in-class quiz/activity score. You willalso be allowed to drop your lowest lab assignment.
OVERALL GRADING
The following is an approximate guide. The percentages attached to the assignments may change as the course progresses.
*12Weekly assignments 20%
*13Lab assignments (low score will be dropped)20%
*Final Profile or Feature Story20%
*In-class quizzes/activities (low score will be dropped)10%
*Attendance and Academic Contribution10%
*Class Presentation10%
*Midterm and Final Exam10%
GRADING SCALE
A = 93-100%
A- = 90-92%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 83-86%
B- = 80-82%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 73-76%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 67-69%
D = 63-66%
D- = 60-62%
F = 0-59%
THIS SYLLABUS MAY BE MODIFIED
AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR.