COURSE DESCRIPTION: Sharpens non-fiction writing skills in description, narration and exposition; requires journalistic standards of accuracy; gives a solid grounding in grammar and Associated Press style, introduces newswriting and copyediting; surveys newspaper, magazine and broadcast as areas of journalism; gives an overview of the school and the profession and prepares for the more specialized courses to come.
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the school
TEACHING METHOD: Once-a-week lectures (guest lecturers in weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) combined with once-a-week labs.
EVALUATION: Lecture grade (20%) based on a final exam, three grammar/style quizzes and six short paragraph assignments. Lab grade (80%) based on lab assignments.
READING LIST: The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, When Words Collide by Lauren Kessler and Duncan McDonald.
Dick Schwarzlose
Editorial C02-0
HISTORY OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 204B
Phone: 491-2066
Expected enrollment: 30 per section
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of the history of print and broadcast journalism -- its institutions, practices, principles and ethics -- primarily in the United States. The course also emphasizes contemporary media issues and their historical development. MAIN OBJECTIVES: First, to provide an understanding of journalism's history in the United States; second, to encourage students to discuss some of the issues confronting journalism today; and third, to conduct research and make judgments about a journalism topic of the student's choosing.
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing. P/N not allowed.
EVALUATION: The students final grade is based on three exams and a research project.
READING LIST: G.J. Baldasty, The Commercialization of News in the Nineteenth Century. J.L. Baughman, The Republic of Mass Culture. Handouts in class.
Mary Ann Weston
Editorial C02-0
HISTORY OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 204C
Phone: 491-4635
Expected enrollment: 30 per section
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of the history of print and broadcast journalism -- its institutions, practices, principles and philosophy -- primarily in the United States. The course also emphasizes contemporary media issues and their historical development.
MAIN OBJECTIVES: First, to provide an understanding of journalism's history in the United States; second, to encourage students to discuss some of the issues confronting journalism today; and third, to conduct research and make judgments about a journalism topic of the student's choosing.
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing. P/N not allowed.
EVALUATION: The students final grade is based on a midterm, a final exam, and a research project.
READING LIST:
G.J. Baldasty, The Commercialization of News in the
Nineteenth Century.
J.L. Baughman, The Republic of Mass Culture.
Handouts in class.
Charles Whitaker
Editorial C20-1
NEWSWRITING
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 304C
Phone: 491.3014
e-mail: c-whitaker@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of reporting with emphasis on news writing. Students should learn how to gather, verify, organize and present news for a mass audience.
PREREQUISITES: Basic Writing (Editorial B01-0)
EVALUATION: Grade based on ability to write clear news and feature stories, involving reporting, interviewing, research, etc. Progress is crucial and much depends on quality of work at end of quarter.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Reporting for the Print Media (5th Edition), Fred Fedler.
AP Style Book.
David Nelson
Editorial C20-1
NEWSWRITING
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 204D
Phone: 491.2087
e-mail: d-nelson@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of reporting with emphasis on news writing. Students should learn how to gather, verify, organize and present news for a mass audience.
PREREQUISITES: Basic Writing (Editorial B01-0)
EVALUATION: Grade based on ability to write clear news and feature stories, involving reporting, interviewing, research, etc. Progress is crucial and much depends on quality of work at end of quarter.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Reporting for the Print Media (5th Edition), Fred Fedler.
AP Style Book.
George Harmon
Editorial C20-1
NEWSWRITING
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 310
Phone: 491.2092
e-mail:g-harmon@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of news reporting with emphasis on writing. Students learn how to gather, verify, organize and present news for a mass audience.
PREREQUISITES: Basic Writing (Editorial B01-0)
EVALUATION: Graded papers, tests.
REQUIRED TEXTS: M. Mencher, "News Reporting & Writing." AP Stylebook
John Kupetz
Editorial C20-1
NEWSWRITING
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 106
Phone: 491.4442
e-mail: j-kupetz@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of reporting with emphasis on news writing. Students should learn how to gather, verify, organize and present news for a mass audience.
PREREQUISITES: Basic Writing (Editorial B01-0)
EVALUATION: Grade based on ability to write clear news and feature stories, involving reporting, interviewing, research, etc. Progress is crucial and much depends on quality of work at end of quarter.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Reporting for the Print Media (5th Edition), Fred Fedler. AP Style Book.
Mary Ann Weston
Editorial C20-1
NEWSWRITING
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 204C
Phone: 491.4635
e-mail: m-a-weston@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of reporting with emphasis on news writing. Students should learn how to gather, verify, organize and present news for a mass audience.
PREREQUISITES: Basic Writing (Editorial B01-0)
EVALUATION: Grade based on ability to write clear news and feature stories, involving reporting, interviewing, research, etc. Progress is crucial and much depends on quality of work at end of quarter.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Reporting for the Print Media (5th Edition), Fred Fedler. AP Style Book.
Marda Dunsky
Editorial C21-1
EDITING I
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk B16A
Phone: 491-5904
Expected enrollment: 60
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Focus on quality writing through editing and compelling presentation of ideas. Language Skills: spelling, grammar, punctuation, style and usage. Copy editing and writing: editing a variety of news and feature stories, headlines, captions and refers. News judgment: the changing nature of news judgment; comparing your decisions with Chicago metros. Visual Communication: layout and design, use of color, photo editing and information graphics; increasing your "visual literacy."
PREREQUISITES: B01 Basic Writing, C20 Newswriting.
EVALUATION: Factors in determining grades: Language skills, ability to "catch" major errors in a story, line editing skills, headline writing skills, news judgment skills, layout and photo editing skills, and lecture/workshop quizzes. Final two labs are key.
REQUIRED STUFF:
B. Ryan and M. O'Donnell, "The Editor's Toolbox."
B. Ryan, "The Editor's Exercise Pack."
T. Harrower, "The Newspaper Designer's Handbook."
A 1994 almanac.
Recommended:
The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1993.
The Chicago Tribune's Chicagoland Map (Rand McNally).
The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.
A good dictionary.
Mindy Trossman
Editorial C24-0
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk B5
Phone: 708-491-7580
e-mail: m-trossman@northwestern.edu
expected enrollment: 20
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Examines the news media in their reformist role in public affairs reporting. Emphasizes the techniques of investigative journalism, and understanding the relationships that develop between crusading reporters and government officials. Covers the following topics: (1) The historical roots of "muckraking" journalism in the United States; (2) The societal forces that contributed to the resurgence of investigative reporting in the early 1970s; (3) The nature and techniques of contemporary investigative stories, including (a) the various decision-making factors that arise in their selection and preparation; (b) the use of documents, interviewing, data bases and other methods of investigative reporting; (4) The effects of investigative reporting on (a) public opinion formation, and (b) government policymaking.
In sum, the course will explore the historical sources, contemporary methods and societal impact of investigative reporting and other reform-minded journalistic enterprises.
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing.
EVALUATION: Class attendance and participation, critical review of a muckraking article from journals published between 1900-1910, personal profile, team reporting project.
REQUIRED TEXT: Protess, et al., "The Journalism of Outrage"
David Protess
Editorial C26-0
LAW AND ETHICS OF JOURNALISM
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 204A
Phone: (708) 491-2065
e-mail: d-protess@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 32
CLASS DESCRIPTION: Examines the legal framework that defines media freedoms and constraints and grapples with the ethical issues that effect the behavior of journalists. Explores historical contexts and focuses on the evolution of the Constitutional, statutory and judicial principles that give reporters their favored place in this country and keep them there. Includes discussion of landmark court decisions in the following areas: the legal implications of censorship, a reporter's right to protect sources, access to information, free press/fair trial controversies, libel and the right to privacy.
Detailed consideration will be given to the following questions:
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing.
EVALUATION: 2 papers; final exam; class attendance & participation.
REQUIRED TEXTS: (subject to change)
Holsinger, Ralph L. and Dilts, Jon Paul, "Media Law,"
Third Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Christians, Clifford G. et al., "Media Ethics," Fourth
Edition, New York: Longman, 1995.
Lewis, Anthony, "Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the
First Amendment," New York: Random House, 1991.
Ellen Bush
Editorial C26-0
LAW AND ETHICS OF JOURNALISM
Time: TBA
Office Address:
Phone: (708) 467-1770
e-mail: emb294@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 32
CLASS DESCRIPTION: Examines the legal framework that defines media freedoms and constraints and grapples with the ethical issues that effect the behavior of journalists. Explores historical contexts and focuses on the evolution of the Constitutional, statutory and judicial principles that give reporters their favored place in this country and keep them there. Includes discussion of landmark court decisions in the following areas: the legal implications of censorship, a reporter's right to protect sources, access to information, free press/fair trial controversies, libel and the right to privacy.
Detailed consideration will be given to the following questions:
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing.
EVALUATION: 2 papers; final exam; class attendance & participation.
REQUIRED TEXTS: (subject to change)
Holsinger, Ralph L. and Dilts, Jon Paul, "Media Law,"
Third Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Christians, Clifford G. et al., "Media Ethics," Fourth
Edition, New York: Longman, 1995.
Lewis, Anthony, "Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the
First Amendment," New York: Random House, 1991.
Neil Chase
Editorial C28
NEWSPAPERS TODAY AND TOMORROW
Time: TBA
Office Address:
Phone: 467-3153
Expected enrollment: 15
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to help students succeed in newsroom careers over the next decade. A student equipped with strong writing and editing skills who is also competent in the new methods of news publishing will be valuable in newsrooms of the present and future. Students will report one or more stories, creating complete packages that include stories, photos, graphics and other story- telling tools. They will tell those stories using a variety of methods: Newspaper pages, magazine pages, Internet (World Wide Web) pages, CD-ROM presentations, fax newsletters, online bulletin boards and other new media. Visual communication skills will be emphasized. Students will also study the management issues involved in these new media techniques.
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing.
EVALUATION: Finished work, in the form of stories published in several different ways, will form a large part of the grade. Participation, discussion, ability to meet deadlines, ability to work as a team member and attention to detail will be important factors.
Patricia Dean, Ava Greenwell, Larry Stuelpnagel
Editorial C60-1
BROADCAST WRITING
Time: TBA (One 4-hour lab per week)
Office Address: Fisk Hall, 210 (Dean), 204E (Greenwell) and
Kresge 326A (Stuelpnagel)
Phone: 491-2060 (Dean),
467-2579 (Greenwell),
467-2645 (Stuelpnagel)
e-mail: p-dean@northwestern.edu; a-greenwell@northwestern.edu;
Expected enrollment: 15 per section
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Writing television news stories that are accurate, clear, concise and conversational; writing to CNN video; becoming proficient in the use of the Newstar computer system; and editing videotape in our state-of-the-art broadcast newsroom.
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing. C20-1 Newswriting.
EVALUATION: Final, Midterm, lab exercises, homework, quizzes, class participation and attendance.
REQUIRED TEXT: AP Broadcast News Handbook
Ava Greenwell
Editorial C60-2
TEACHING TELEVISION
Time: Student spends quarter in the field.
Office Address: Fisk 204E
Phone: 708.467.2579
e-mail: a-greenwell@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Learning by doing, student works full- time in TV newsroom for 11 weeks contributing to daily newscasts by writing, reporting, editing, and performing other production tasks; supervised by news director, executive producer or another staff member and monitored by Medill faculty.
MAIN OBJECTIVE: Student receives first-hand experience of TV newsroom operations including: market orientation, assignment desk, field reporting, producing script writing, videotape editing.
PREREQUISITES:
EVALUATION: Combined evaluation by TTV coordinator at Medill, the faculty monitor who will visit the station mid- quarter and the supervisor at the station.
REQUIRED TEXT: NA
Bob McClory
Editorial C80-1
MAGAZINE WRITING I
Time: TBA
Office Address: Fisk 304D
Phone: 491.3952
e-mail: r-mcclory@northwestern.edu
Expected enrollment: 20
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Exposes students to the world of magazine-style feature writing and helps develop skills in reporting, writing and editing. Emphasis on gathering information, interviewing and thinking clearly.
PREQUISITES: Basic Writing, Newswriting, and Copyediting or permission of instructor.
EVALUATION: Students produce four major stories, the last of which is a 2,500-3,500 magazine piece designed for a specific publication. Grade depends on quality of work, improvement and effort demonstrated in course.
REQUIRED TEXTS: None. Articles supplied by instructor.