Journalism 100: Professional Orientation

Fall 2006 / 2:00 to 2:50 p.m. Mondays / Shoemaker 2102

 

Course Web page: www.courses.umd.edu

 

 

Your professor, Norman Lewis

E-mail (preferred): nlewis@jmail.umd.edu Messages returned within 24 hours.

Cell: 301-642-4769 (phone is usually on silent)

Office hours: By appointment

 

I am a part-time financial desk copy editor at the Washington Post while pursuing a doctorate in journalism. I have 25 years of newspaper experience, including 15 as editor in chief of three daily newspapers in the West, and three years as a publisher. What that experience means to you is I know what a hiring editor looks for, and can help you achieve what it takes to land a job.

 

 

Teaching assistants

The TAs are not merely assisting the professor. They are also here for you, to help answer your questions about journalism at Maryland or the profession. Contact any one of the three with questions.

 

Alex Baldinger

alex.baldinger@gmail.com

Alex is a fifth-year senior finishing up his journalism degree this semester. He is currently a news aide on the metro desk of The Washington Post.

 

Heather Keels

HKeels@umd.edu

Heather, a senior on the print journalism track, is currently assignment editor at The Diamondback, where she has worked since her freshman year. She has interned at The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, Md., and The Times-Tribune in Scranton, Pa. She is double majoring in linguistics and enjoys backpacking and recording audiobooks in her (rare moments of) spare time.

 

Natalie Scurto

nscurto@umd.edu

Natalie is a junior broadcast journalism and Spanish major. She volunteers at UMTV, WMUC radio and WMAR, a Baltimore news station. She plans to study in Spain next semester.

 

 

About the course

Journalism 100 acquaints you with journalism as a profession and as a major at the University of Maryland.

 

Journalism is demanding and challenging. The UM program, one of the nation’s best, has high standards. Each term, bright students get their first-ever “F,” for turning in a paper with a single error. The pace is fast. Yet for students willing to work hard, journalism at Maryland offers access to the nation’s finest news organizations. The department is relatively small, and students learn from one of the most acclaimed faculties in the nation. This course is the only lecture class you’ll have. Other classes are smaller and more personal.

 

As a career, journalism can be immensely rewarding. Journalism is so vital to democracy that it is the only profession mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Now, at a time of huge shifts in technology and global change, good journalism is more critical than ever. There has never been a better time to be a journalist.

 

 

Course objectives

 

 

Professor commitments

 

 

Student commitments

Demonstrate respect during class by:

 

 

Textbooks

Your only “textbook” is the Washington Post. (See quiz section for more details.) You can read it either online or in print.

 

Online. You can read the paper for free online, at www.washingtonpost.com. Be sure to read the print edition. The default Web page is not the print edition. You must select the print edition option at the top of the page.

 

Note that the online version of the Metro section is usually the one published for District of Columbia subscribers. However, quizzes are drawn from the print edition delivered on campus, the Maryland edition. Sometimes major Maryland stories that appear on the cover of the Maryland edition will get bumped inside the section for the D.C. edition. So use some judgment with the Metro section, and look for major Maryland stories regardless of section front.

 

Print. Copies of the “dead-tree” edition have been available for free on campus during the past few semesters, at McKeldin Library, the Smith Business School and Tydings. You also can pay to have the paper delivered. The latest deal was 20 weeks for $36. You can subscribe online or by calling 202-334-6100. (No, I don’t get a cut!)

 

 

Other journalism sources

Begin to immerse yourself in the language of journalism. I recommend that you do each of these at least once during the semester:

Choose a favorite link, and make it part of your Google personal page

 

 

Journalism organizations

These are good groups to join, with chapters on campus

Society of Professional Journalists, www.spj.org

Radio and Television News Directors Association, www.rtnda.org

 

These professional groups can acquaint you with journalism specialties:

American Copy Editors Society, www.copydesk.org

American Society of Newspaper Editors, www.asne.org

Investigative Reporters and Editors, www.ire.org

National Conference of Editorial Writers, www.ncew.org

National Press Photographers Association, www.nppa.org

Society for News Design, www.snd.org

Society of American Business Editors & Writers, www.sabew.org

Young magazine writers and editors, www.ed2010.com

 

These organizations are aimed at gender or ethic groups

Asian American Journalists Association, www.aaja.org

Journalism and Women Symposium, www.jaws.org

National Association of Black Journalists, www.nabj.org

National Association of Hispanic Journalists, www.nahj.org

National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association, www.nlgja.org

Native American Journalists Association, www.naja.com

South Asian Journalists Association, www.saja.org

 

 

Assignments, scoring and grading

News quizzes                                500 points

Essays                                          250 points

Participation                                  200 points

Four-year plan                                50 points

Total                                         1,000 points  

 

Allow for a week for quiz scores to be posted on the WebCT course page. Check scores for accuracy. Because the scores have to be entered on WebCT by hand, errors can happen. If you see an error, notify TA Natalie Scurto (nscurto@umd.edu) as soon as possible.

 

Points translated to grades. (Note: This is a firm scale, not a curve)

 

A+     1,000 to 970         B+   899 to 870            C+   799 to 770            D+    699 to 670

A          969 to 930         B     869 to 830            C     769 to 730            D      669 to 630

A-         929 to 900         B-    829 to 800            C-   729 to 700            D-     629 to 600

 

 

Absences

It is normal for students to miss a class or two for religious holidays, illnesses, athletic conflicts, funerals, family situations, etc. To accommodate those situations, students can miss two quizzes and lose no points (the two low scores are dropped). Beyond those two misses, no exceptions are granted except for a serious, documented medical situation that precludes you from attending school for more than two consecutive weeks.

 

If you are going to be absent when an essay is due, have someone else bring the essay to class, or turn it in ahead of the deadline (the start of class, 2 p.m., on the due date) to the journalism office, Room 1117 in the Journalism Building, and ask for it stamped with the date and time. E-mail is not accepted.

 

Deadlines are firm because the journalism profession works that way. The game is not delayed if the broadcasters get stuck in traffic. The evening news show is not cancelled if the anchor’s children get sick. Journalists who make deadlines succeed. Those who do not make deadlines find another line of work.

 

 

News quizzes

News quizzes, drawn from the Washington Post, will be given weekly. The purpose of the news quiz is to immerse you in journalism.

 

What’s on the quiz?

Stories that start on the front (and continue inside) from these five sections:

            Front page

            Metro (major stories involving Maryland)

            Sports (major stories, not routine games)

            Style

            Business

Quiz questions will be drawn from the Monday through Sunday edition, for the Monday quiz. For example, questions for the Sept. 18 quiz will come from the Post editions starting Monday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 17.

 

In general, the quiz has at least one question from each section, and at least one from each of the seven days covered. Be sure to read the entire story; some of the questions will be from paragraphs deep within the story,

 

Taking the quiz

Most of the time, the quiz will be administered at the start of class, 2:00 p.m. sharp. You will need to be in class before then to pick up a blank Scantron answer sheet. Have more than one No. 2 pencil ready in case one breaks.

 

Each quiz will have 10 multiple-choice questions. Each question will be flashed on screen for 30 seconds. You’ll get a taste for how it works with a sample quiz to be given the second week of class, on Sept. 18.

 

Scoring

Each correct answer is worth 5 points. Each quiz is worth 50 points. Ten quizzes are counted, for a total of 500 points, or half your grade.

 

Twelve quizzes will be given during the semester. The two low scores will be dropped.

 

 

Essays

You will write two essays during the semester, one at the beginning and one at the end. The purpose of these essays is to encourage introspection about journalism as an academic major and as a career.

 

Format

Each essay should be about two double-spaced pages, or 500 to 700 words. Use a stapler, not paper clips. The paper is due at the start of the class; anything else is a missed deadline, and no points are awarded. No e-mails accepted.

 

Points

The essays are not graded, so that you won’t worry about giving the “right” answer. As long as you give it a decent effort, you’ll get the full credit, or 125 points for each essay. I will read every essay, and if you request will be happy to speak with you about yours, but I will not return the essays.

 

Essay 1: Due Sept. 18

Describe how your personal and career goals intersect, and how that relates to journalism. Skip the platitudes. (This is not another college admission essay!) Instead, think introspectively about your life goals and reveal something about yourself.

 

Essay 2: Due Dec. 4

Describe how the course has affected your thoughts about your personal and career plans. What did you discover this semester than either affirms journalism as a good fit for you, or prompts you to think about a different path?

 

 

Class participation

To get the maximum 200 points in this category, you need to contribute to an online chat six times during the semester and attend one J100 Remix.

 

1. WebCT discussion board

Discussion questions will be posted weekly, usually on the evening after class. The questions will ask you to comment briefly on something discussed in class or a current issue in journalism. Each thoughtful contribution you post will earn you 25 points, up to a maximum of 150 points, or six responses. Deadline: the end of the semester, Dec. 12.

 

2. J100 Remix

To allow me to get to know each of you a little better and to provide a chance to ask questions, one-time gatherings are held in September called J100 Remix. You choose a session that fits in your schedule, with no more than 20 people at a time, for a 75-minute class. Attending and participating in one J100 Remix nets you 50 points. Each session meets in Journalism 1116, the conference room next to the office. Signup sheets will be available in class on Monday, Sept. 11, for you to choose one of these nine sessions:

 

            Friday, Sept. 15                   10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

            Friday, Sept. 15                   1:00 to 2:15 p.m.

 

            Monday, Sept. 18                7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

            Wednesday, Sept. 20           7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

            Thursday, Sept. 21               7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

            Friday, Sept. 22                   10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

            Friday, Sept. 22                   1:00 to 2:15 p.m.

 

            Monday, Sept. 25                7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

            Wednesday, Sept. 27           7:15 to 8:30 p.m.

 

If none of these times work, e-mail me with times that work by the end of the day on Monday, Sept. 11. If you become ill on the time you pick, e-mail me immediately so we can try to squeeze you into one of the other times listed above.

 

 

Four-year plan

Submitting the four-year plan required by the College of Journalism at the start of class on Oct. 9 nets you up to 50 points, if you follow the directions. Instructions are available at www.journalism.umd.edu/undergrad

 

 

Extra credit

A news story published (not just submitted) during the semester in a campus newspaper, or significant participation in a campus TV or radio news broadcast aired during the semester, counts for extra credit. The published story must involve one or more interviews; letters to the editor or opinion columns do not count. What counts for participation in a broadcast segment depends on the judgment of the faculty involved.

 

Each is worth 25 points, up to three clips/participations, for a total of 75 possible points. Evidence of publication or participation in UMTV is due by the last day of class, Dec. 11. To get your extra credit points, submit evidence of clips or UMTV signoff sheets as appropriate in person to TA Heather Keels by the final class of the semester, Dec. 11. Heather determines what qualifies for extra credit.

 

A copy of the UMTV signoff sheet for you to print and have signed at the station is at the end of this syllabus, on page 9. You need a separate sheet for each “shift” worked.

 

 

Schedule

Here is the semester schedule, subject to change

 

Date

Topic

Guests

Sept. 11

Introduction

 

Sept. 18

What it takes

 

Sept. 25

Campus journalism

Student editors

Oct. 2

The dean’s view

Dean Tom Kunkel

Oct. 9

Will there be a job for me?

 

Oct. 16

Broadcasting

Cassandra Clayton

Oct. 23

Newspaper

January Payne

Oct. 30

Planning classes & CNS

Marchelle Payne, Steve Crane

Nov. 6

Professional integrity

 

Nov. 13

Online journalism

Chris Harvey

Nov. 20

Internships

Penny Bender Fuchs

Nov. 27

Behind-the-scenes journalism

Andy Salsman, Emeri O’Brien

Dec. 4

Reaching the top

Haynes Johnson

Dec. 11

Why journalism matters

 

 

 

 

Students with disabilities

Students with a specific disability (permanent or temporary, physical or learning) who need special accommodations during the semester should make consult with the instructor immediately.

 

 

Academic integrity

Along with certain rights, students also have the responsibility to behave honorably in an academic environment. Academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism and facilitating academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.

 

Adhering to a high ethical standard is of special importance in the world of journalism, where reliability and credibility are the cornerstones of the field. Therefore, the college has a zero-tolerance policy on academic dishonesty.

 

Any abridgment of the university’s academic integrity standards in a College of Journalism course will be referred directly to the dean. The dean will send all confirmed cases to the university's Office of Judicial Affairs with a recommendation of expulsion from the university for any violation of the code.

 

To ensure this is understood, all students will be required to sign an academic integrity pledge at the beginning of the semester that will cover all assignments in the course.

 

The Student Honor Code: www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html

 

 

 

 

MD Newsline Volunteer

Fall 2006

Extra credit for Journalism 100

Completed form due to TA Heather Keels in class by Dec. 11

Use a separate sheet for each volunteer session

 

 

 

Student’s name (please print neatly)

 

 

 

 

 

Date worked

 

 

 

 

 

Production position

 

 

 

 

 

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