JOU
310 awards two credits for writing, design and photo editors and
business/office managers of The Griffon News. Students enrolled in this
course must be members of the senior staff of the newspaper.
Instructor
Instructor: Dr. Bob Bergland
Email address: bergland@missouriwestern.edu
Personal Website http://staff.missouriwestern.edu/~bergland
Office: EDER 221A Phone: 271-4446 Home: 279-1699
Office Hours: M, F 10-12:30
Course Goals
Writing Editors
¥ To improve your writing skills
¥ To improve your editing skills
¥ To help you gain management experience
¥ To increase your portfolio size, diversity and quality
Business Staff
¥ To provide financial/sales experience
¥ To improve your communication skills
¥ To help you gain management experience
¥ To increase your understanding of newspaper operations and budgets
Photo/Design Editors
¥ To help you gain experience in your area of expertise
¥ To help you gain management experience
¥ To provide you with published work for your portfolio
Groundrules
¥ Attendance: Regular attendance is required. Much of the learning in this course will take place in class with your staffers and fellow editors. Because of this, absences will inhibit your learning and the learning of your staff members. Missing more than five meetings (including layout and Ed Board) will result in a one grade lowering for each subsequent absence. If there is a valid reason for your absence and you call/email me about it beforehand and document it afterward, I may excuse the absence.
¥ University Academic
Honesty Policy and Due Process
Academic
honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty
include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for anotherÕs
work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent
activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the
assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a
studentÕs grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be
reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty
Violation Report forms.
Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook
and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of
this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also
available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf
Plagiarism
or fabrication of quotes or information will get you fired in journalism. In this course, it gets you an F and
reported to the administration, along with firing.
¥ Disabilities--Students
with a disability that may affect their performance in this class should
contact me individually as soon as possible.
Grading
10 stories @10 points each
-no more than 3 opinion pieces can count for regular editors
-no more than 6 opinion pieces can count for opinion editor
-all writing editors must turn in at least one column or editorial
-10 graphics for graphics editor; 20 photos for photo editor
Deductions taken for name/factual errors (2 pts), having less than 3 sources (-1 pt for each source under), and missing deadline (5 points)
1 oral critique of the newspaper @10 points
20 points—Final portfolio and self evaluation
60 points editing and staff management (5 point deduction for not turning in weekly report sheet, 2 pt deduction for not having story ideas ready for ed board).
10 point mid-semester self-evaluation memo
Total: 200 Points
Grading Scale: 180-200 A 160-179 B 140-159 C 120-139 D