COMM 337: Analytical blog ASSIGNMENTS

Emailed tonight to students in Communications 337 (advanced journalism).

Hi guys --

Ho ho ho. They're already playing Christmas carols in Best Buy -- no doubt in our other fine retail establishments as well -- Thanksgiving is next week, and the end of the semester is just around the corner.

All of which means we'd better start making up for lost time.

Here are the assignments for the four analytical pieces I want you to write and post to your blogs. Here's what the syllabus says about them: "Students will create a web Log (blog) and write analyses professional writing of 1,000 words each of: (a) a newspaper feature story, (b) a magazine feature, (c) a piece of public affairs reporting and (d) an opinion or op-ed piece on the blog." More detailed instructions are on The Mackerel Wrapper, and I'll link you to the assignments below.

In addition, you'll write: (1) a publishable magazine story; and (2) a query letter "selling" the story to an editor. (That would be me, in this case, but writing query letters pitching your free-lance stories is an important skill.) We've talked about your stories, and I feel like you're on track. So what you need to do now is finish the interviews and write the stories. I'll post directions for the query letter before Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, here are the analysis assignments:

No. 1. Public affairs reporting. Posted to The Mackerel Wrapper Oct. 16. Link here: http://mackerelwrapper.blogspot.com/2010/10/comm-337-assignment-for-your-1000-word.html

No. 2. Newspaper feature. Posted to The Mackerel Wrapper Oct. 28. Link here: http://mackerelwrapper.blogspot.com/2010/10/comm-337-2nd-analytical-blog-post.html

No. 3. Magazine feature. Posted to The Mackerel Wrapper Oct. 28. Link here: http://mackerelwrapper.blogspot.com/2010/10/comm-337-3rd-blog-post-magazine-feature.html

No. 4. Opinion (editorial) piece. Posted to The Mackerel Wrapper Oct. 28. Link here: http://mackerelwrapper.blogspot.com/2010/10/comm-337-4th-blog-post-opinion-piece.html

They're due any time you get to them. (How's that for fitting them into our busy schedules?) Just email me when you get them written and posted to your blog.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get back to me. If you don't want me to think you've died tragically and I need to send flowers somewhere, don't hesitate to get back to me! In fact, why don't you drop me an email message ASAPest just so we'll know you haven't gone Code Blue on me.

-- Doc