COMM 150, 337: How an online class at SCI [and a reporter in New York City] reacted to 9/11

Everybody has his own memories of Sept. 11, 2001, as that day's terrorist attacks became the defining event of our new century, and this week's 10-year anniversary coverage can't help but trigger them. At Springfield College in Illinois, the predecessor school to Benedictine University at Springfield, the students in one of my classes used the then-new medium of an online message board to vent our feelings about it. And at the end of that school year, in May 2002, I collected some of the messages in a story about 9/11 in The Sleepy Weasel, SCI's campus literary magazine that I edited at the time.

What I remember most vividly 10 years later was the radio that Scott McCullar, now marketing director for BenU-Springfield, set up on a stool in the middle of the Presidents Room so everybody could hear it. The local station in Springfield had switched it over to a network feed from its affiliate in New York City, and it was broadcasting local news advisories ... which public schools were evacuating, which subway stations were closed. It had an immediacy that the television news lacked, the day-to-day reality of a city under attack.

But, of course, the TV news had pictures. So after a few minutes, we all watched the pictures.

Another thing I remember was the poor squirrel.

About mid-morning, some of the students who lived in housing across the 6th Street parking lot from Dawson Hall, came running into Dawson scared half to death because the power had just gone off in their apartments. The morning of Sept. 11, none of us knew the dimensions of what was happening. We were hearing the Illinois Capitol and the public buildings downtown were to be evacuated. And we didn't know why the power went off, although the lights - and, importantly, the TV - were still on in Dawson.

But it turned out the outage was caused by a squirrel. It didn't turn out very well for the squirrel - he was electrocuted - but I remember having a good laugh, and then being embarrassed because I was so relieved.

* * *

Student comments to the message board were pretty perceptive. I thought they reflected credit on our students at SCI, and that's why I collected them in the article. They speak for themselves, as you'll see if you read them.

* * *

My piece in The Sleepy Weasel also contains the most complete version of the news story on 9/11 that I liked the best, by Jimmy Breslin who was a columnist for Newsday at the time. I described him as "one of the last of the old-school, streetwise big city reporters." He was 71 at the time, and he'd been covering New York City for 40 years. His report wasn't elegant, but it was written fast. On deadline. By a guy who knew and loved the city. It's no longer available. I didn't save the complete version, and it was deadline writing, not the kind that wins you awards and gets you into anthologies. Just a newsman doing his job. Which is what I liked so much about it. But I can reconstruct parts of it from what I quoted in The Weasel. Here they are:

MANHATTAN SCENE
The War Comes Home
Jimmy Breslin

September 11, 2001

Always, all our wars were somewhere else. The one this time is here.

Suddenly Tuesday morning, in the smoke that covered the sun, and in the flames coming in red-orange tongues between the silvery panels of the high floors of the building, that is over a street of people who are looking up at the smoke and fire and sound a loud moan. They look at the building top as they start running away.

The windows of the building do not open and the stairwells inside the building have no effect on smoke except to let it rise at an extraordinary speed.

There is a rumble that shakes the sky and the street. Now there is screaming. Suddenly, the top of the World Trade Center south tower blows up. Twenty stories, thirty stories. The top of the tower blows up in fire and thick smoke. The top of the tower collapses into the smoke.

Debris comes out of the black smoke and is hanging in the air for an instant. Silvery pieces of the side of the building. Glass in shards. Then everything comes down and hits the street and starts flying like bullets you can see.

The World Trade Center Tower Two is no more. The cops and firefighters who are closest to the building are running. The people on the street are running. …

I wrote, "An old-fashioned newsman, Breslin left the commentary to others. He wrote of the fires engulfing the World Trade Center towers, of a man he saw 'dropping, dropping, dropping until he is no more,' of the blast, the debris and choking dust as the towers collapsed, of people running through the streets, ducking into buildings, running, running again. On the scene with a folded sheet of paper and a soft pencil, he caught details a TV anchor can't. And he wrote of a new spirit of resolve that began to emerge even as police were still directing survivors out of lower Manhattan." Then I quoted:

They walk to the shriek of sirens and with water bottles in their hands. They walk out of the last smoke and into hot sunlight. The streets are becoming more crowded as buildings empty and the war refugees of New York march to the north. The crowds were thick in front of St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center at 12th Street, where the sidewalk in front of the emergency room entrance is lined with gurneys and nurses and doctors and attendants and with screams the first ambulances are coming around the corner and cops rush and hands reach and ambulance doors fly open and the workers struggle to get the first injured onto the gurneys on the sidewalk.

"We're nurses who want to volunteer," a woman calls out from the crowd.

"You got ID?" a cop says.

Two nurses hand him paper.

He waves them on and they run to where the wounded are being unloaded.

In COMM 337, we've been reading about how reporting is the soul of journalistic writing. And Breslin, who is retired now, was a reporter's reporter.

COMM 150 and 337: Civility, in class and on line

I've added something to the syllabus in both classes ... here's an explanation of what it is and why I'm adding it.

As the semester gets fully under way and we start posting more often to my Web log and the blogs we're starting in Communications 337, we will be commenting on each other's posts and reacting to each other's ideas. I hope we'll be using the technology to form virtual communities, one in COMM 150 and one in COMM 337.

"A virtual community, according to Wikipedia, "is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. ... These virtual communities all encourage interaction, sometimes focusing around a particular interest, or sometimes just to communicate. Quality virtual communities do both. They allow users to interact over a shared passion, whether it be through message boards, chat rooms, social networking sites, or virtual worlds."

Adds Wikipedia, "Virtual communities resemble real life communities in the sense that they both provide support, information, friendship and acceptance between strangers." That's why we can call them communities.

I also try to maintain my classes as learning communities. That means, among other things, students can feel safe with each other. When I first began to move class discussion onto the internet 10 years ago, I developed a civility statement for a message board I used in my classes. I have revised it a little and posted it to the student blog directory on The Mackerel Wrapper. As revised, the civility reads as follows:

Web logs evaluated for course credit in my classes comprise a virtual community and an electronic extension of my classroom. In asking students to post to blogs, as in all of my classes, I encourage you to think for yourselves and try out new ideas; to do that safely, we have to respect and trust each other. Therefore, I must ask that we refrain from negative personal comments or "flame wars" on line. What sounds like friendly kidding when we're F2F (face-to-face) with each other can look hostile and intimidating in writing.

It applies to students in COMM 150 and 337 alike.

Please also note: When I was adding the civility statement, I also revised the COMM 337 syllabus to bring its language closer to the statement in COMM 150 asking students to "please be considerate and respectful of one another" and turn off cell phones, among other things. New language in each syllabus is underlined.

COMM 337: Using a blog to promote your business ... here's an example of how to do it

I mentioned CapitolFax.com the other day - it's a blog that Rich Miller uses to promote his newsletter Capitol Fax about Illinois politics and government. Miller has been covering state government since about 1990, and he has a daily newsletter that state officials, politicians and lobbyists can subscribe to for $350 a year. He's always made sophisticated use of technology - in the early 90s, he transmitted the newsletter by fax, which was cutting-edge high tech at the time - and he took to blogging as soon as it developed 10 and 12 years ago.

How does Miller use the blog? Essentially, to promote the newsletter. Here's an example this morning ... in a post headlined Quinn will threaten to close facilities, lay off workers" ... it begins with the lead-in to an extended quote from this morning's Chicago Tribune:

* I told subscribers about this late Friday morning…

Gov. Pat Quinn plans to issue layoff notices to thousands of state workers this week as he deals with a budget shortfall he pegs in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a state government source with knowledge of the situation told the Tribune.

The governor also intends to announce the closing of several state facilities, including a prison, juvenile detention center and homes for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled, sources confirmed. Without action, Quinn’s budget office says, several agencies would run out of money by the spring. ...

Miller has two links. One is to the story in this morning's Trib. The other is to the item he ran in Friday's blog:

Protected: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: This just in, Part 2… Friday, Sep 2, 2011
This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password: __________ Submit

- Posted by Rich Miller

Enter your password to view comments.

Like many business people, bloggers advertise their product by giving away samples. But the savvy ones also remind potential customers they can get more when they pay for the service.

COMM 337: Assignment for Thursday - reporting for surprise

Students please note: The assignment for Thursday has been updated and highlighted in red type.

Reporting is at the heart of a news story. Interviewing real people provides the meat of a good story -- quotes of what they said. Talking to people often leads to unexpected information that can take a story in a whole different direction. And people often tell wonderful stories, called anecdotes, to illustrate what they are talking about.

It is reporting that makes a news story so different from other forms of writing. And it is meeting people and learning surprising, unexpected -- and sometimes amazing -- things that makes reporting so rewarding. And any of those ingredients will make your news story interesting.

- Lawrence Surtees

Since our course is designed to develop your skills in selected "major styles of journalistic writing beyond newswriting," we have to begin with newswriting. And one of the best reviews of basic newswriting I've found anywhere is by Larry Surtees, communications research vice president of a Canadian consulting firm called International Data Corp. But before that, he was a reporter for 17 years on the Toronto Globe and Mail, arguably Canada's most prestigious newspaper. He wrote the tip sheet I'm assigning you to read for a distance learning program called SNN Newsroom.

It's called "How to Write a Great News Story" ... I've been been using in my journalism classes as long as I've been teaching them. I also look at it sometimes to help my own reporting when I feel like I need a reminder of basic skills and attitudes. It's that good.

Surtees' main point is the one quoted above - "Reporting is the heart of a news story." Substitute "advanced journalism" for "news," and you've got my basic attitude to COMM 337.

Your assignment for Thursday:

• Read Surtees' how-to piece.
  
  
• Think about it. (This step is essential. Don't leave it out!)
  
  
• Answer the questions below.
  
  
• Post your answers to your new blog.
  
  
• As you write your answers, ask yourself: Do these words sound like me? Are they in my voice? What do I mean when I say "my voice" anyway? What is my voice?

Don't be afraid to use the language to the best of your ability as you post to the blog. You don't have to sound like Shakespeare. You probably shouldn't even try! Be content to sound like yourself. (That's harder.) If you like clear and concise, go for clear and concise. If you like conversational, go for conversational. I think the best commercial writing is conversational. Clear, too. And concise. It's your blog, though, and I've only got two requirements insofar as tone and style of writing are concerned: (1) Be professional; and (2) don't use the blog to flame each other.

Here are the questions:

1. What's the difference between "hard news" and "soft news?" Give a couple of examples of each? Which would you rather write? Why? What does Surtees mean by the terms "hard lead" and "soft lead?" Which kind of *lede would you rather read? [See tangent below to see why I spell it differently from Surtees.]
   
   
2. How many different ways does Surtees say a good reporter likes to be surprised, and then surprises his reader? Do you like surprises?
   
   
3. Surtees quotes a guy named Don Murray. Have you heard that name before? BTW, have you ordered "the little green book that never goes away" yet?
   
   
4. What did you learn from reading Surtees' tip sheet that surprised you? Why? How can you use this to help find - or fine-tune - your own voice as a writer?

__________

* Tangent No. 1. In his section on the organization of a news story, Surtees says the "lead" of a news story is pronounced like the verb, "to lead." Then a couple of **grafs later, he says, "The inverted pyramid arose during the era of movable lead type." That's lead, like in the metal they used to cast type with, and it's pronounced like "led." Since the standard spelling is ambiguous, some newspaper oldtimers still spell it "lede" when they mean the first graf of a story and "lead" when they mean the metal used in typesetting - or just about anything else. Your instructor is one of those oldtimers.

** Tangent No 2. By now you've figured out what a "graf" is, right? In fact, you already knew if you've been around professional writers enough. It's short for "paragraph."

COMM 337: A basic story format, with links to stories about a food bank and a drag queen

This is also part of Thursday's assignment, and I've highlighted the questions in red below. Post your answers as comments to this post.

For Thursday. Read this post AFTER you read the piece on how to report and organize a news story by Larry Surtees above. It will give you a very useful way of how to write a "soft lede" on any story [don't worry - those terms will be defined in Surtees' piece - at least it's one I've found useful in my own writing.

This format, which I sometimes call a "quote-kebab" story for reasons that will become evident, is kind of a Jell-O mold approach - you take your story and pour it into the mold. And it works for almost anything from a 300-word brief to a five-volume book. Here are the elements of a story, the way I like to explain them:

1. The lede. Watch for what Surtees says about a "soft" lede - an attention-grabbing anecdote, a graphic bit of description, sometimes (but very rarely) a quote that sets the stage for ...
   
   
2. The "nut graf." A paragraph or two that gives the "nut" or kernel of a story. It does what a thesis statement did back in freshman English. Sometimes you'll find it strung out over a couple of grafs. It holds the story together. I never wrote a story worth reading that didn't have a nut graf.
   
   
3. The body. When I was reporting for newspapers, I'd go through my notes and find my best quote and put it as high in the story as I could get it. Sometimes before the nut graf, sometimes right after. Then I'd sprinkle quotes through the rest of the story as much as I could. People like reading quotes. Writing books, including Don Murray's have elaborate advice on how to organize a story. If it works for you, follow it! But, me, I'd just string the quotes together with some transition in between like a shish-kebab. Some of my students took to calling it a "quote-kebab" story.
   
   
4. A "kicker" at the end. See what Surtees says about conclusions. In a soft news story, I'd try to give them something to think about at the end, put a little twist on it. In hard news, I didn't have time.

Below are a couple of examples:

A piece on a Texas food bank in The Guardian a respected center-left newspaper in London, England. Excerpted below are the following elements:

1. The lede. Reporter Paul Harris begins with some colorful description:

They arrived before dawn to wait for the food truck. Middle-aged men, young women with children, the elderly and the retired, mixing with the low-paid on their way to work. As the sun rose high in a blue summer sky, several hundred people clustered in precious spots of shade in Dove Springs, a suburb of the Texan capital of Austin. Some brought garden chairs to sit on.

When the truck from the Capital Area Food Bank eventually came, each person patiently waited to pick up a box containing cans of spaghetti sauce, fruit juice, a few pounds of potatoes and some pears. Connie Gonzales, an Austin city official, watched the crowds of hungry and desperate people and said that they grew bigger each week. "It is the economy. It is bad. Any help these people can get, they really need it," she said.

It is not meant to be this way. Not in Texas. After all, this is governor Rick Perry's Lone Star state. This is the Texas whose record at job creation is at the centre of Perry's bid for the Republican presidential nomination. This is the state whose economic "miracle" is being hailed as a conservative blueprint for the future of America – "Texas exceptionalism" as rightwing columnist George Will glowingly called it. This is the state of low taxes and low regulation and which is so pro-business that corporations are booming here. It is the state that dodged recession and has roared back into recovery; an oasis of jobs in a devastated US economy.

2. A good quote. Here it's incorporated into the lede, in the second graf, "It is the economy. ..."

3. Nut graf. It follows right after the lede. You could almost say it's part ofa the lede.

Yet there is a dark side. It was on stark display in Dove Springs. This is the Texas of a collapsing education system that is failing to educate its children. This is the Texas where millions have no health insurance and a growing low-wage economy means having a job is not enough to provide the basics of life. This is the hungry Texas that the food bank serves.

4. Body (quote-kebab). Read the rest of it in the Guardian. See how it works? Quote + background + quote + background + kicker. There's more background and fewer quotes in this story than in many, but notice how many people the reporter talked with.

5. Kicker. It left me thinking at the end. Also: scroll back up to the lede, and notice how Harris laid the foundation for it in the first graf. See how it ties the story together? Things like that don't happen by accident.

Ellen Tucker, a 60-year-old whose job with a local school system was cut from full-time to part-time. "had a shift to do in a school nearby that started in a few minutes."

With a worried expression she approached an organiser and asked how long it would be for her turn to come. There were still 30 people ahead of her in the line. "People come here to start waiting at 6am," the organiser said.

"Tucker nodded, sadly, saying: "I will bear that in mind next time," and walked off to her car empty-handed. She was grim-faced. She could not wait any longer for the food handout. She had to go to work instead.

For another example, I posted this charming little story to the Mackerel Wrapper on Christmas Day in 2007. I picked it up on the Los Angeles Times' website. The Times hasn't archived it, but here's the story as it appeared on the MassCops bulletin board:

Santa in a G-string gets a DUI

A famous Hollywood location had a seasonally appropriate visitor Sunday night. But when the man got out of his car in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, it was clear this was anything but a standard visit from Santa Claus.

The driver -- 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds -- was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, in this case a misdemeanor, police said. In addition to a red Santa hat, he wore a blond wig, red lace camisole, purple G-string, black leg warmers and black shoes.

"We are pretty sure this is not the Santa Claus," Deputy Chief Ken Garner said.

Police identified the man as Rick Carroll, 53, of Long Beach. Officers administered a Breathalyzer test at the scene, and Carroll's blood-alcohol level measured just above the legal limit of .08%, Garner said.

Carroll told police he had consumed two rum and Cokes two hours before he was arrested at 9:30 p.m., Garner said. He was later released on $5,000 bail and could not be reached for comment. His 2008 Chevy Impala was towed to an impound yard, police said.

"There was no Mel Gibson treatment for him," Garner said, referring to the help the actor received from Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies after his drunk driving arrest last year. "He had to sober up and find his own reindeer."

Identify: (1) the lede, (2) the really good quote, (3) the nut graf, (4) the body, aka the quote-kebab, and (5) the kicker? What do the quotes add to the story? POST YOUR ANSWERS AND COMMENTS BELOW.

COMM 337: Some blogs by and for free-lancers

Here are some blogs I looked up after class - by doing a Google search on keywords "freelance writer" and "blog." I'm interested in them because they suggest different ways that several writers, who all seem to be in their 20s or early 30s, are using the blog medium to advance their careers. A couple of tentative conclusions:

1. The people linked below are using the blog as a marketing tool. For the most part, they seem to be out in the marketplace as consultants - "writing coaches." I suspect they either have day jobs - or wish they did!
2. Since they're using the blogs for promotional purposes, be warned: Exercise the same caution you use when you read anybody else's sales pitch. You don't have to sign up for anything! By linking to a commercial website, I am not endorsing the product.

Read them, and see if they give you any ideas for how you might use blogging in your future careers:

• "20 Must-Read Blogs For Freelance Writers" on Freelance Folder blog. By Abhijeet Mukherjee. He describes himself as "a blogger and freelance writer. He is a regular contributor for many blogs notably including DumbLittleMan.com and MakeUseOf.com. He also maintains his own blog about tech tips, productivity hacks and blogging tips - Jeet Blog [see next item below].
  
• Jeet Blog - "Abhijeet's musings on technology, internet, blogging, productivity, new media, marketing and life in general." Located in Delhi, in India. "Abhijeet Mukherjee is a blogger & web publisher. This is his personal blog about blogging, productivity, internet marketing, social media and other random stuff."
  
• Freelancedom - "from bunny slippers to business plans." By Steph Auteri, a freelance writer and editor based in New York City. Some of her publication credits are kind of out there, but she has some sensible advice. Check out "Having Trouble Defining Your Specialty? How To Determine What Makes You An Original."
  
• Aliventures. By Ali Luke, free-lancer and writing coach of Oxford, in the UK. "I write fiction and non-fiction, and cover both on the blog. I’m also interested in topics like why we have great intentions but don’t act on them, why we get motivated and fired up for new projects only to abandon them days later, why we struggle to change even when we really want to."
  
• The Savvy Freelancer. Created by Alexis Rodrigo, a freelance copywriter and online marketing consultant. - "TheSavvyFreelancer.com is a blog created to provide resources on how to freelance – not just any kind of freelancing, but the SAVVY kind. What – or who – is a savvy freelancer? / A savvy freelancer is somebody who is not only skilled in his or her field, but is also a savvy entrepreneur."

COMM 337: Your assignment for Tuesday, Sept. __

Here's what the assignment boils down to: Find and read some blogs about something you're interested in [it can be a career, a particular type of business, a sport, a hobby or anything else you happen to think of], and write a post to your blog answering these questions:

• How do people in your field [or: people sharing your interest in ___________] use blogs to communicate with different publics?
  
  
• How can you use blogs in your career, your hobby or just life in general?

Open your blog [or find your old blog if you already have one], and post your thoughts on blogging as your first post to the new [or newly reopened] blog.

FIRST, SOME BACKGROUND ... Follow the links at the top of The Mackerel Wrapper, and you'll see examples of student blogs from COMM 337 last year and a link to earlier blogs in COMM 207 and other courses. There's also a link to a basic on-line feature on blogging by "Robin Good." [Ha ha - Robin Good rhymes with Robin Hood - laugh, I thought I'd die! OK, OK, it isn't that funny. But it has some good here's-how-to-get-started type information.

Then find some blogs you're interested in. I'd do a Google keyword search - for example "blog" and "aardvarks" if I were interested in aardvarks - and visit a couple of the sites. See how they do it.

You can Google up blogs with keywords like "baseball" or "Chicago Cubs" ... anything from aardvarks to zebras. Well, we already talked about aardvarks. Anteaters to zebras, then. I think you'll find the best blogs are used as marketing tools, often in conjunction with social media. Professional services people like to use them to give away a little sample product - tips on marketing or home repair, etc. - and entice surfers and and first-time page-clickers (hey, I just made up a word) to become customers.

Enough examples and chitchat. You get the idea. See what you can find out there ...

Then answer the questions above. Until you're comfortable with the blogging software, I think you might want to compose it in Microsoft Word and dump it into the blogger. That way you won't lose it if you hit the wrong key and it vanishes into thin air.

As an example, I'll link below to some blogs I consult. I'm not going to pretend they're the most important blogs out there. They're just a couple that I think present their material effectively. If there's

Illinois state government. Rich Miller runs a newsletter called Capitol Fax on state government and politics. It costs $350 a year, and its subscribers are elected officials, government agencies, lobbyists and other people who work with the state Legislature and the agencies. He also has a blog called CapitolFax.com with samples of his product - and a very interesting Comment field that has some of the most informed commentary on state government anywhere. Click here to read a typical post on something the newspapers that cover state government missed. And something else that one of Miller's readers, a longtime budget official named Schnorf, corrected. Surf around the Cap Fax website and look for paid ads and features marked SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. By all accounts, Miller makes a decent living.

U.S. Supreme Court. SCOTUSblog is sponsored by Goldstein Howe & Russell law firm of Washington, D.C. Its name is an acronym for the Supreme Court of the U.S. Its reporter Lyle Denniston is considered one of the most knowledgeable guys in athe field, and when a decision is handed down I go to SCOTUSblog first to know what the legal issues were. All too often they don't even get mentioned in the mainstream media. Denniston isn't an attorney, by the way, but he's been a courthouse reporter since 1948. When newspapers started downsizing in the 1980s and 90s, the courthouse beat was one of the first to go. Now we go to blogs.

Old-time music. Here's a blog from something called the Canaan Institute in upstate New York. I found it when I was looking for information on an old-time band that I like, and I was impressed by its notices of upcoming events. A lot of performers have blogs, too, although they tend to not keep them up if they're on the road a lot.

My other blog. It's called Hogfiddle, and I'll link you to my about page which tells you what a "hogfiddle" is and what the blog is about. Warning: A lot of the stuff on my blog is pretty obscure, but that's the kind of stuff I'm getting published these days. It started out as a student blog - a lot like this one - for cultural studies classes I used to teach. Now it's mostly a research blog, and a place for me to post sound files of songs I want to learn. But I also keep an updated resume on the blog, which I use as a marketing tool.

COMM 150: Communication theory - another diagram and a couple of cigarette ads

Here's a better explanation of what happens when we communicate - transfer information from a "sender" to a receiver - in a handout on Message Systems and Communication Theory by David L. Simpson, an instructor at Chicago's DePaul University.

Simpson has a more elaborate version of the two-part transaction I drew on the board:

1. SENDER ---> (message) ---> RECEIVER
          <---------- (feedback) <---------

Simpson adds two extra features. One is noise - which we can define as the competing messages that might distort a sender's message - and the other is the receiver's intrepretation of the message. Both are important.

Let's look at Simpson's model and apply his theory to a couple of vintage cigarette ads in a feature headlined "Light up! 25 Great Cigarette Ads Through the Years" on a website called 10 Times One:

The first is an ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes that appeared in Life magazine, a mass-market news magazine that specialized in photojournalism, in 1935. Cigarette ads are always interesting, because they're designed to sell a product that people know that causes a range of fatal diseases. Even before the linkage between smoking and lung cancer was established, people knew it was bad for them. So cigarette ads have always specialized in hidden messages and mixed messages. Let's look at the ad for Luckies. Ask yourself:

1. Who's the sender? It's the company that made Lucky Strikes, right? If you want, you can read about them here, but you wona't have to for the purposes of this class discussion.

2. What's the message? Ads are fun to analyze, because the messages aren't always on the surface. Are there any beneath-the-surface "subliminal" messages here? (HINT: Do you recognize the guy with the red suit and fur hat?

3. Is there any noise? There doesn't have to be. In fact, a successful ad will have little or none. Our job as mass communications professionals is to minimize noise.

4. Who are the receivers? There can be more than one. Primary receivers here would be readers of Life magazine in 1935? As we look at it 75 years later, we're a secondary audience.

5. How would readers have interpreted the ad in 1935? How are our interpretations different? (If you look at other ads in the 10 Times One feature, you'll see ads that were supposed to be sexy back in the day, but now they're more likely to strike us as silly - or insulting.

6. Any feedback? Traditionally, feedback has been a problem. You can track sales, but you don't know if they go up or down because of the ad. This semester we'll study how the internet is changing that.



Here's another one, for a Russian brand of cigarettes called Kryte Papyroshi, and it's a very fine example of Soviet-era socialist realism design. But for us as secondary receivers, there's some noise here if we don't know Russian. One of the jobs of media professionals is to overcome noise. How much of the ad's message gets across to us in spite of the language? How much is lost?


Finally, if we get to it ... link here for an ad for a Japanese mobile telephone. It's subtle. It's creative. But does it communicate? The text is in a foreign language, but there's not much text. And it went viral worldwide. How does it communicate across language barriers? What does it communicate about the company that made the ad?

COMM 337: 'Working the edges of the story' and the 9/11 anniversary

Please note: There are some questions at the end of this post. I've put them in red so you'll see them. Think about the questions as we watch the video in class, and post your answers as comments to this blog post.

Somebody - I forget who - told me when I started reporting for newspapers I'd get the best stories by "working the edges of the crowd" at an event. I think it was an older, more experienced reporter, or it may have been the editor of the county-seat weekly that published my first city council meeting writeups. The idea was simple: Journalists hunt in packs, and if you want your stories to stand out you've got to follow the pack ... but you can keep a little distance, too, so you can spot somebody on the edge of the crowd who's got a story to tell that relates to the main story but is just a little bit different. Sometimes it'll give you a fresh slant on the main story that everybody else is slapping out with the same old who-what-where-when routine, and sometimes it'll give you a sidebar.

Linked below is a perfect example.

In all the coverage of the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11, there's a little jewel of a Yahoo! Studios story with text by *New Yorker Stacy Curtin on the owner of a shoe shop that was located in the World Trade Center. Curtin and Peter Gorenstein were producers of the video, which as shot by Grace Brailsford-Cato, and edited by Marjoe Aguiling and Martin Goetz. Link here:

http://news.yahoo.com/shop-owner-battles-back-after-9-11-destroys-business-brings-400-000-debt.html

Ask yourself: How does this sidebar about the Greek-American shop owner tell the story of 9-11? What does it suggest about the American way of life? The American dream? How would you tell the guy's story? Post your answers as comments to this post.

______________

* Here's why I say Stacy Curtin is a New Yorker: Toward the end of the story, she says the shoe shop's "customers come from all over the city and the outer boroughs." That's the way people in New York City talk. Manhattan is "the city," and the other four boroughs - Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island - are collectively known as the outer boroughs. She's originally from Wisconsin, but she's got a good ear for the local dialect in New York City. It's pitch-perfect in this story. See what you can learn about Curtin and what it tells you about the kinds of careers people find today in the communications industry.

COMM 337: In-class journal -

What is a mackerel wrapper? Tell me, explain a little and attribute your source(s). How does that information relate to your career in mass communications?

-- If it does, why does it?

-- If not, why not?

I don't care what you say, but I do care how you say it. Show me how well you can write.

Write about a page and email it to me - I'll put the address on another screen so I don't get spammed to death.

COMM 337: Getting started, free-lance writing, opening a blog

COMM 337 is designed to actually put money in your pocket. If it works the way I hope it will, you'll learn how to write and market a publishable free-lance story. You'll learn how to do it by doing it: The main writing assignment in COMM 337 is a 1,500-word publishable story. So you want to get started on it *ASAPest.

[*Translation: "ASAP" means as soon as possible. "ASAPer" means even sooner. And "ASAPest" means soonest of all, like really, really soon. Like right now.]

That means you should start thinking what you'd like to write about and who you can interview for it. I follow the old newspaperman's rule: No interview, no story. So the interviews are important, and they can take forever to line up. Believe me.

When you've written the story, you'll write a query letter. That's the sales pitch you give an editor. It's as important as the story. More important, in fact. Click here to see an example of a query letter that sold an article for me.

It's all in the syllabus, which I have posted to The Mackerel Wrapper below. Link here or just scroll down a couple of posts.

Your textbooks are (1) Donald M. Murray, "Writing to Deadline" [ISBN 978-0325002255]; and (2) "The Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" [ISBN 978-1582973340]. They're cheap, and you can get them from BenU or any other online book sellers.

A word or two about blogs --

You'll also start a writer's blog. We'll look at some blogs that professional writers use for their research notes, trying out ideas before committing them to print and, sometimes, communicating with their audiences. But mostly you'll blog about four types of journalistic writing that are listed in the course description, and you'll write the publishable free-lance story.

Link here for some tips on how to start a blog from Robin Good's MasterNewMedia.org website.

Some very good advice for student writers is available from Lesley Smith and Dean Taciuch, who taught a textual media course (English 343) in 2002 at George Mason University.

"OK," they told their students, "we can hear your hearts sinking right now....maybe even a few foreheads are beating on desks in despair.

"But professional writers and professional designers use creative journals all the time. (They may not call them journals. But that's what they are). In their journals they capture:

-- ideas
-- responses to reading (not just 'assigned stuff')
-- half-formed thoughts that might one day jell into 'something'
-- aspirations for projects
-- frustrations with projects
-- new discoveries
-- new techniques
-- revelations ... Smith and Taciuch also threw out some ideas for their students, things they could blog about in their journals. They boiled down to "ideas" - the content of their reading - and "techniques" - the how-to-do-it stuff. They included a final category, which they called "rants (if you must)."

Let's not ago there.

We've got bigger - and better - fish to fry in class.

But writing your way through frustrations - see "aspirations" and "frustrations" with projects above - is a good way to think your way through problems. Sometimes I'll start out with a rant and end up with an action plan as the discipline of getting words on paper (well, up on a computer screen) start to make the gearwheels go around in my mind.

How is that different from a rant? Darned if I know. But part of it has to do with the element of surprise - if I'm surprised by what I'm writing, I've learned to pay attention to whatever it is. It just might be important.

Watch for it. Don Murray, author of one of our textbooks, has a lot to say about surprise. Pay attention to it.

(Besides - it might be on some of your assignment sheets. Do I make my meaning clear?)

In COMM 337, we'll use the blogs mostly to log your reading in Murray's "Writing to Deadline" (sometimes known as the little green book that never goes away for reasons you'll come to understand later). I'll post questions to The Mackerel Wrapper, and you'll post answers to your blogs.

COMM 150: In-class journal question, first day

What do you hope to learn in COMM 150? What are your career aspirations? (How you going to make your first million dollars?) Have you taken classes in journalism, done public relations for a school event, etc.? How do mass media affect your daily life?

COMM 150: How could this mess have been avoided? Discuss ... first day of class

This is a good example of the way things work ... we didn't get to this in class, because we didn't have the student login code. Which is why I struck out "discuss, first day of class." But we can do it later. Or not ... let's see if we can get to it in class Wednesday. If we don't, you can still answer the questions for extra credit.

On the OMG! website, this example of a celebrity guest editor getting into an ethical problem that could have been avoided if somebody - who? - had shown a little professionalism. The lede, in a Reuters story, sets it up nicely:

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Before landing his "Two and a Half Men" gig, Ashton Kutcher the actor had taken a backseat to Ashton Kutcher the social media entrepreneur. That is one reason why Details snagged him to guest edit an online-only version of the magazine that it dubbed "The Social Issue."

Kutcher was a logical choice, given his massive Twitter following and overall popularity, but it seems his lack of a real media background may cause Details some headaches.

In the issue, Kutcher champions a bevy of media companies but fails to point out that he is an investor in many of them. That is a clear conflict of interest ...

There's more. Let's read the whole thing on the OMG! website. Then keep this window open, because I've got a couple of questions for you to answer below.

Moral of the story. The ethical violation here might not be immediately obvious to people who aren't in the communications business. Certainly the potential legal problems with the Securities and Exchange Commission wouldn't be. (The basic SEC rule is this: If you're in a position to make money selling stocks or bonds, you'd better be very careful about what you say about them.) We'll study some of these things in more detail before the end of the semester.

But it's not too soon to begin thinking about them.

(HINT #1: I'm very big on ethics. HINT #2: I make out the tests and assignment sheets for the papers you'll write in COMM 150. Hint #3: You get the drift of what I'm saying? Capice?)

So here goes. Use your common sense.

Why would Kutcher want to be up front about this? Why would the New York Times be interested in the story? What is a conflict of interest? (If you're not sure, what would you learn if you Googled "conflict of interest" and "definition?") Can you think of everyday examples of a conflict of interest? Please post your thoughts as comments to this blog post.

How to post your response
You probably already know how to do this, because you've been all over the social networking sites since you learned your ABCs. [And if you haven't, don't worry. I sympathize. When I was a kid, when we wanted to communicate we'd bang on the wall of the cave with a dinosaur bone to get everybody's attention. I learned this stuff, and you will too.] But here it is again ...

Scroll down to the bottom of this post. On the right side of the last line, there will be a link that says "___ comments" (with a number filled in where I've left a blank, depending on how many comments have been posted). Click on that link and fill in the comment field on the right. Sign in (and make a note of the username and password you choose because we'll keep on posting to the blog, and if you don't write it down, you'll forget it and you'll be out of luck). Review your comment if you wish, and publish your comment by clicking on "Publish Your Comment." See the logic? Blogger is relentlessly user-friendly.

If you have trouble getting in, make sure that your user name is an email address ... i.e. with the "...@blahblahblah-dot-blah" tag. When Blogger asks for a user name, 99 percent of the time it's really looking for is an address.

COMM 150 syllabus - Fall 2011

Communications 150
(introduction to mass comm.)
Benedictine University Springfield
Fall Semester 2011

[Television] is not a tool by which the networks conspire to dumb us down. TV is a tool by which the networks give us exactly what we want. That's a far more depressing thought. -- "The Vent," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jan. 19, 1999.

Communications 150 meets from 11 to 11:50 a.m. MWF, Dawson 220. Instructor, Pete Ellertsen. Email, pellertsen@sci.edu eellertsen@ben.edu. Office hours TBA. Home: 2125 South Lincoln, Springfield, IL 62704.

I. Course Description:

Course Title: Introduction to Communication
Course Number: COMM 150
Credits: 3.00

Description
A writing and speaking-intensive introduction to communication arts theory and research, with an emphasis on analyzing mass media messages and understanding their underlying cultural and historical contexts.

II. Textbooks. Vivian, John. The Media of Mass Communication. (10th or any recent edition). ISBN 978-0205693054 . Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, MA, 2008. In this course, you will be expected to use AP style writing. A copy of The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual is on reserve at the circulation desk in Becker Library. If you plan to major in mass comm., I encourage you to purchase this book as a supplement for all communication classes and your future professional career.

III. Mission statement of Benedictine University. Benedictine dedicates itself to the education for the undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage - the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world Community.

IV. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. Degree Program Goals
The Communication Arts degree program goals are as follows:
1. Prepare graduates for careers in advertising, electronic and print media, journalism, public relations, publishing, writing or other careers requiring sophisticated communications skills;
2. Prepare graduates for continued study in graduate or professional school;
3. Develop the student's critical and imaginative thinking, reading and writing skills;
4. Develop skills to empower the student to communicate ideas effectively, through speaking, writing and the use of technology;
5. Develop skills for critical interpretation of the media;
6. Foster aesthetic understanding in both production and interpretation of media texts;
7. Develop knowledge of the methods to make responsible social and personal decisions;
8. Develop primary and secondary research methodologies;
9. Develop an understanding of the history, structure and operation of the mass media;
10. Provide an understanding of the impact of mass media industries and messages on the individual, society and culture;
11. Develop professional-level skills in written and oral communication for a variety of media and audiences;
12. Develop professional-level production skills for both print and electronic media;
13. Encourage the development of creative expression; and
14. Help the student develop a professional media portfolio.

Course Goals
1. The main goal of this course is to develop a critical understanding of mass communication and its influence in society.
2. Students will understand the practice, theory and ethics of various communication industries or careers.
3. Students will gain practical experience through observations of their own personal interactions with the media in daily life.

B. Course Objectives/Outcomes
As a course requirement within the degree program, COMM 150 was designed with the above goals in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes:
1. Discuss the historical and social context of mass communication and how it evolved.
2. Describe the major media, functions, and models of mass communication.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills by discussing and evaluating mass-media issues.

V. Teaching Methods. Small group and whole classroom discussion, in-class research and writing assignments, and occasional lectures by the instructor to introduce points of discussion. The instructor reserves the right to pre- and post-testing CATs and embedded questions in test instruments as appropriate will be used for assessment of learning outcomes.

VI. Course Requirements, Readings, Written Assignments and Tests
A. Attendance Policy. Attendance is mandatory. To avoid class disruption, students in COM 150 must be on time. If a student misses class, is the student's responsibility to get class notes, assignments, etc., from classmates. Missed in-class work, by its very nature, cannot be made up.

If a student knows (s) he will miss class, it is the student's responsibility to alert the instructor. Assignments should be turned in via e-mail by the beginning of the class period the assignment is due. Absences are not an excuse for missed assignments. Coordinate with fellow students to get class notes. Contact the instructor or classmates to get assignments due for the next class period.

Participation and class discussion are key to your success in this course. Be prepared to discuss the weekly reading assignments and contribute thoughtful, topical questions and comments about the material. Please be considerate and respectful of one another. Web logs evaluated for course credit in my classes comprise a virtual community and an electronic extension of my classroom. In asking students to post to blogs, as in all of my classes, I encourage you to think for yourselves and try out new ideas; to do that safely, we have to respect and trust each other. Therefore, I must ask that we refrain from negative personal comments or "flame wars" on line. What sounds like friendly kidding when we're F2F (face-to-face) with each other can look hostile and intimidating in writing. Distractions in class will not be tolerated (e.g. disrespectful interruptions of instructor, guest speakers, fellow students, cell phones, and discussions irrelevant to class topics) and can affect your grade. Comments or concerns about specific material presented by the instructor or fellow students (should a student be dissatisfied or concerned) need to be brought to the instructor’s attention before or after class.

B. Reading Assignments, Please see the tentative calendar for reading schedule. In addition to the readings outlined below, you may be given additional reading assignments including articles, journals, websites, etc. Quizzes and/or tests may cover any of the assigned readings or discussions.

C. Written Assignments and Tests,

• Writing expectations. In your assignments for COMM 150, try to follow the standards you see in professional writing for a public audience. Sources of information in all of your writing must be attributed or otherwise documented. If you write down anything that you didn’t know before, say where you found it! Failure to do so, even unintentional, is plagiarism. In our field, it may also be copyright infringement.
Each student will write, (1) a documented term paper (at least 2,000 words or eight pages) on a subject to be chosen by the instructor dealing with some aspect of mass communications, to be agreed upon ahead of time by the instructor and the student; or (2) two documented essays (at least 1,000 words of four pages each) reflecting on topics to be assigned by the instructor. Additional in-class writing may be assigned without notice. Details will be posted to The Mackerel Wrapper.
• Tests. Both midterm and final will be a combination of essay questions, in which students will discuss broad trends related to course goals and objectives; and short answer questions. I reserve the right to give another test during the course of the semester but your final will be a demonstrated understanding of the material.

Note to students, If you are considering going on to major in communications, English or the social sciences, you should begin nowto keep copies of your written work for your senior portfolio.

Benedictine University at Springfield Student Academic Honesty Policy
The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a university. Benedictine University at Springfield pursues these missions in an environment guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine heritage. Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community.

Student’s Responsibility
Though there is no formal honor code at Benedictine University at Springfield, students are expected to exhibit academic honesty at all times. Violations against academic honesty are always serious and may result in sanctions that could have profound long-term effects. The final responsibility for understanding the Academic Honesty Policy of the institution, as well as the specific policies for individual courses normally found in syllabi, rests with students. If any doubt exists about what constitutes academic dishonesty, students have the responsibility to talk to the faculty member. Students should expect the members of their class to be academically honest. If students believe one or more members of the class have been deceitful to gain academic advantage in the class, students should feel comfortable to approach the faculty member of the course without prejudice.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Along with a verbal warning, the following are consequences a student may face for academic dishonesty:
• a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
• dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
• dismissal from the Institution.

VII. Means of Evaluation. Written work for COMM 150 will be graded for mastery of student learning objectives as evidenced by an evaluation of content, including clarity of thought and the use of relevant detail to support the student's conclusions. A final examination will be given, consisting of essay and short-answer questions, which will be evaluated for content. Quizzes and in-class journal exercises may be assigned without notice at the discretion of the instructor. Contribution to class discussion and participation in on-line research exercises in class will weigh heavily in each student's grade. Final grade weighting is as follows,

• Class participation, 25 percent
• Term paper and/or oral presentation, 25 percent
• Midterm and Final Exam, 25 percent
• In-class and online writing, including blogging, 25 percent
Grading scale, A = 90-100. B = 80-89. C = 70-79. D = 60-69. F = 0-59.

If a student believes that an error has been made in reporting a grade, an appeal must be made in writing to the instructor and must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The appeal should contain specific information on why it is believed the grade reported is inaccurate. See the Student Handbook for details.

Add/Drop Dates
Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.

Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a “C” or better, and a student must submit a completed “Request for an Incomplete” form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

Student Withdrawal Procedure
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.

VIII. Course Outline and/or Calendar.

I. Introduction and overview

a. Media literacy
b. Technology and mass communications
c. Postmodernist
critiques of media

II. Media forms and history

a. Print – books, newspapers and magazines
b. Recordings – audio and video
c. Broadcast – radio and television
d. Internet

III. Media functions

a. News, PR and advertising -- Information and persusasion
b. Entertainment
c. Transmission of culture

IV. Research

V. Mass media effects

a. On society
b. On government

VI. Media law and ethics

Please see also the tentative calendar below.

IX. Americans with Disabilities Act. Benedictine University at Springfield provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, actives and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible.

If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling 217-525-1420, ext. 306.

X. Assessment. Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus in Sections IV and VI. Instructor will use background knowledge probes, one-minute papers, reflective essays and/or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction.

Tentative Calendar

All readings listed herein are in Vivian. In addition to the textbook, I will link to World Wide Web sites for supplemental reading on issues as they arise. Due to the nature of mass communications, we will discuss real-world events as they arise – even though they may not follow the exact order listed in the textbook. [Newsmakers have a distressing habit of not consulting with me before they do things that might be relevant to our class.] You need to keep up with the assigned readings in Vivian, however, order to understand the context for events as they arise.

First Week. Introduction to Class, syllabus, academic integrity, etc. Read Chapter 1, Mass Media Literacy; Chapter 2, Media Technology. Write: How much of what you know did you learn from mass media? How many of your attitudes, interests, tastes, etc., derive from mass media?

Second Week. Read Chapter 3, Books; Chapter 4, Newspapers; and Chapter 5, Magazines Media Economics

Third Week. Read Chapter 6, Sound Recording; and Chapter 7, Motion Pictures Continue Chapter 3 on economics.

Fourth Week. Read Chapter 8, Radio; and Chapter 9: Television Chapter 4, Ink on Paper.

Fifth Week. Read Chapter 10, Internet Chapter 5, Sound Media.

Sixth Week. Midterm over Chapters 1-10. Read Chapter 11, News; and Chapter 12, Public Relations Read Chapter 6, Motion [ie visual] Media.

Seventh Week. Read Chapter 14, Entertainment Chapter 7, New Media Landscapes; midterm essay exam .

Eighth Week. Read Chapter 15, Media Research 8, News.

Ninth Week. Read Chapter 16, Mass-Media Effects on Society 9, Entertainment.

10th Week. Read Chapter 17, Global Mass Media 10,Public Relations.

11th Week. Read Chapter 19, Mass Media and Governance 11, Advertising; and 12, Mass Audiences. Paper due on "mass media messages" and career prospects.

12th Week. Read Chapter 20, Mass Media Law 13, Mass Media Effects; 14, Media and Democracy; and 15, Globalization.

13th Week. Read Chapter 21, 16, Media Law; and 16, Ethics. Self-reflective essay due.

Final exam TBA.

COMM 337 syllabus - Fall 2011

COMM 337: Advanced Journalism Writing
Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2011

"There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers." -- H.L. Mencken

Communications 337 meets from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Location: Dawson 220. Much of the communication between instructor and students will be on line, and students are required to check their email on a daily basis. Instructor is Pete Ellertsen, adjunct office in RC; home: 2125 S. Lincoln Ave., Springfield, Ill. 62704, email: eellertsen@ben.edu. tel. 793-2587.

I. Course Description.
Course Title: Advanced Journalism Writing
Course Number: COMM 337
Credits: 3.00

Description
Students practice the major styles of journalistic writing beyond newswriting: public affairs reporting, feature writing, magazine writing and editorial writing. Periodically.
Prerequisites
COMM 209

II. Textbooks . You have three: (1) Donald M. Murray, "Writing to Deadline" ISBN 978-0325002255; (2) "The Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" ISBN 978-1582973340; and (3) "The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual" ISBN 978-0465012626 or any recent edition. Also required are the readings on the World Wide Web linked below in the Tentative Calendar.

III. MISSION STATEMENT
Benedictine University is dedicated to the education of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As an academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage, we prepare our students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world community.

IV. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. Common Learning Objectives

Benedictine University is committed to assist all students in the acquisition of knowledge and cultivation of skills in six major areas. Graduates of the university's degree programs will develop:

1. Disciplinary Knowledge:

a. Acquire, understand and synthesize discipline-based knowledge
b. Apply
disciplinary methodologies in their qualitative and quantitative dimensions
c. Understand the content and interrelationships of specific areas of study
d. Communicate effectively within and across the disciplines

2. Communication Skills:

a. Express oneself clearly and concisely in multiple forms
b. Appreciate and
develop creative expression

3. Problem-Solving Skills:

a. Reason and communicate informed judgments
b. Identify and solve problems,
independently and cooperatively
c. Understand the nature of and evaluate
evidence

4. Social Responsibility:

a. Confront and resolve ethical issues and contribute to the work of peace and
social justice
b. Exhibit stewardship of self and environment
c. Develop
good citizenship

5. Global Perspectives:

a. Benefit from diversity of opinion, abilities, and culture
b. Recognize
the importance of the interdependence of cultures and nations
c. Communicate
effectively within and across cultural boundaries

6. Self-Direction and Personal Growth:

a. Develop a sense of intellectual curiosity and a desire for lifelong learning
b. Strive for a life lived in balance
c. Develop leadership potential
d. Foster spiritual growth

B. Course Goals/Objectives/Outcomes

COMM 337 was designed with the above Common Learning Objectives in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes:

Course Goals: Students will understand the techniques, attitudes, values and craft agenda of professional writers, and practice their mastery of the craft by preparing a publishable article and by publishing their analysis of current published writing in a Web log of their own creation.

B. Course Objectives/OutcomesAs a course requirement within the degree program, COMM 337 was designed with the above goals in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes:


1. To write a publishable feature, news-feature or opinion article
2. To research markets for a free-lance article and write a query letter
3. To explain the attributes of and criteria for judging newspaper and magazine
feature writing, public affairs writing and social/political commentary.
4. To create a Web log and publish their analysis of current journalistic writing
on the blog, using the criteria and attributes referenced above.

V. TEACHING METHODS/DELIVERY SYSTEM
The classroom is a writing and discourse community. This course is a combination of lecture, in-class discussion, and posting to the class blog and students' individual blogs, individual conferences, and formal evaluations. Regular, brief quizzes will be administered to ensure that readings have been completed; these quizzes may take place on paper or in discussion Q&A. This class is very interactive. In order to complete the course successfully, students must come to class and must be prepared to discuss the reading assignments and to do the in-class work. Please be considerate and respectful of one another. Web logs evaluated for course credit in my classes comprise a virtual community and an electronic extension of my classroom. In asking students to post to blogs, as in all of my classes, I encourage you to think for yourselves and try out new ideas; to do that safely, we have to respect and trust each other. Therefore, I must ask that we refrain from negative personal comments or "flame wars" on line. What sounds like friendly kidding when we're F2F (face-to-face) with each other can look hostile and intimidating in writing. Distractions in class will not be tolerated (e.g. disrespectful interruptions of instructor, guest speakers, fellow students, cell phones, and discussions irrelevant to class topics) and can affect your grade. Comments or concerns about specific material presented by the instructor or fellow students (should a student be dissatisfied or concerned) need to be brought to the instructor’s attention before or after class.

VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Attendance is required during all class sessions. Quizzes and other in-class work that are missed for any reason may not be made up. If the final exam is missed for any reason, it may not be made up. If the absence occurs on the date an assignment is due, the late penalty for assignments (outlined below) still applies.

B. Reading Assignments. Please see the Tentative Calendar below

C. Written Assignments. (1) Students will write a 1,500- to 2,000-word article on a current political, social, cultural or artistic issue, research potential markets for it and write a one-page query letter tailored to a specific market. (2) 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. (3) Both the midterm and final exam will be take-home essay examination. (4) Students also will be assigned to cover public gatherings on campus (which tend to happen during the noon hour) without notice. These assignments, by their nature, cannot be made up; missing deadlines will hurt your grade.

The instructor's grading scale is as follows: A = 100-90. B = 89-80. C = 79-70. D = 69-60. F = 59-0.


Benedictine University at Springfield Student Academic Honesty Policy
The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a university. Benedictine University at Springfield pursues these missions in an environment guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine heritage. Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community.

Student’s Responsibility
Though there is no formal honor code at Benedictine University at Springfield, students are expected to exhibit academic honesty at all times. Violations against academic honesty are always serious and may result in sanctions that could have profound long-term effects. The final responsibility for understanding the Academic Honesty Policy of the institution, as well as the specific policies for individual courses normally found in syllabi, rests with students. If any doubt exists about what constitutes academic dishonesty, students have the responsibility to talk to the faculty member. Students should expect the members of their class to be academically honest. If students believe one or more members of the class have been deceitful to gain academic advantage in the class, students should feel comfortable to approach the faculty member of the course without prejudice.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Along with a verbal warning, the following are consequences a student may face for academic dishonesty:
• a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
• dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
• dismissal from the Institution.

VII. Means of Evaluation . Your final grade will be based on assignments weighted as follows: (A) class participation and journals, including the four analyses of professional writing, worth 50 percent of the total grade; (B) reporting assignments, including coverage of noontime events as well as the 1,500-word article and query letter, in total worth 25 percent of the total; and (C) quizzes and tests including the midterm and the final exam, worth 25 percent.

If a student believes that an error has been made in reporting a grade, an appeal must be made in writing to the instructor and must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The appeal should contain specific information on why it is believed the grade reported is inaccurate. See the Student Handbook for details.

Add/Drop Dates
Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.

Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a “C” or better, and a student must submit a completed “Request for an Incomplete” form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

Student Withdrawal Procedure
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.

Add/Drop Dates. Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.

Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

VIII. Course Outline and Calendar. Please see Tentative Calendar below. The schedule of assignments is tentative, and departures from it will be announced at the class meeting prior to the change -- or via the Message Board. Students who miss class are responsible for keeping up with rescheduled assignments.



IX. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)
Benedictine University at Springfield provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible.

If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling (217) 525-1420, ext. 306.

X. ASSESSMENT
Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus in Sections IV and VI. Instructor will use background knowledge probes, one-minute papers, reflective essays and/or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction.


Tentative Calendar

Week 1. Read Murray, Chapters 1-2, on craft and process; "Writer's Digest Handbook," foreword, intro and Chapter 1 on free-lancing and finding ideas; Chapter 2 on querying; and Chapter 4 on finding markets (which are an integral part of finding ideas if you want someone to buy your story). Choose a name and open your Web log. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the blog.

Week 2. Re-read "Handbook" Chapter 5 and 6 on research and interviewing. Read Murray, Chapters 3-4, on "reporting for surprise" and finding the flow (Murray calls it "tension," among other things) of a story. As you read Murray, try to figure out what he means by "surprise." It's almost impossible to explain, but it's important. It may be the single most important thing that makes your work stand out in the crowd. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 3 Read Murray, Chapters 5-6, on pre-writing (much of which you do in your head) and writing a story. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 4 Read "Handbook" Chapters 8-9 on writing and revision; Murray, Chapters 7-8, on writing, editing and revising so readers will want to read what you wrote. (Hint: How do you do that? Surprise them.) Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 5 Read "Handbook" Chapter 10 on working with editors; and Murray, Chapter 9, on how to think like a professional -- i.e. like an apprentice! Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 6 Midterm. Post your 1,000-word analysis of a public affairs (politics, government, society or cultural) story to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 7 Post your 1,000-word analysis of an opinion article or op-ed piece to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 8 Post your 1,000-word analysis of a newspaper feature story to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 9 Post your 1,000-word analysis of a magazine article to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 10. Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 11 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 12 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 13 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 14 Review and assessment.

Final exam schedule TBA.

Bellman - Fredmans sånger n:o 5C - MIDI

Midi file rendered by Kapten Kaos

• Text
  
• Notes (modern - 4 sharps - E)
  
• Notes (original - 2 flats - B flat)

D R A F T COMM 337 - syllabus - Fall 2011

D R A F T

COMM 337: Advanced Journalism Writing
Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2011

"There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers." -- H.L. Mencken


Communications 337 meets from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Location TBA. Much of the communication between instructor and students will be on line, and students are required to check their email on a daily basis. Instructor is Pete Ellertsen, adjunct office in RC; home: 2125 S. Lincoln Ave., Springfield, Ill. 62704, email: eellertsen@ben.edu. tel. 793-2587.

I. Course Description.
Course Title: Advanced Journalism Writing
Course Number: COMM 337
Credits: 3.00

Description
Students practice the major styles of journalistic writing beyond newswriting: public affairs reporting, feature writing, magazine writing and editorial writing. Periodically.
Prerequisites
COMM 209

II. Textbooks . You have three: (1) Donald M. Murray, "Writing to Deadline" ISBN 978-0325002255; (2) "The Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing" ISBN 978-1582973340; and (3) "The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual" ISBN 978-0465012626 or any recent edition. Also required are the readings on the World Wide Web linked below in the Tentative Calendar.

III. MISSION STATEMENT
Benedictine University is dedicated to the education of undergraduate and graduate students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As an academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage, we prepare our students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world community.

IV. GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

A. Common Learning Objectives

Benedictine University is committed to assist all students in the acquisition of knowledge and cultivation of skills in six major areas. Graduates of the university's degree programs will develop:

1. Disciplinary Knowledge:

a. Acquire, understand and synthesize discipline-based knowledge
b. Apply disciplinary methodologies in their qualitative and quantitative dimensions
c. Understand the content and interrelationships of specific areas of study
d. Communicate effectively within and across the disciplines

2. Communication Skills:

a. Express oneself clearly and concisely in multiple forms
b. Appreciate and develop creative expression

3. Problem-Solving Skills:

a. Reason and communicate informed judgments
b. Identify and solve problems, independently and cooperatively
c. Understand the nature of and evaluate evidence

4. Social Responsibility:

a. Confront and resolve ethical issues and contribute to the work of peace and social justice
b. Exhibit stewardship of self and environment
c. Develop good citizenship

5. Global Perspectives:

a. Benefit from diversity of opinion, abilities, and culture
b. Recognize the importance of the interdependence of cultures and nations
c. Communicate effectively within and across cultural boundaries

6. Self-Direction and Personal Growth:

a. Develop a sense of intellectual curiosity and a desire for lifelong learning
b. Strive for a life lived in balance
c. Develop leadership potential
d. Foster spiritual growth

B. Course Goals/Objectives/Outcomes

COMM 337 was designed with the above Common Learning Objectives in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes:

Course Goals: Students will understand the techniques, attitudes, values and craft agenda of professional writers, and practice their mastery of the craft by preparing a publishable article and by publishing their analysis of current published writing in a Web log of their own creation.

B. Course Objectives/OutcomesAs a course requirement within the degree program, COMM 337 was designed with the above goals in mind. Thus, upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following objectives and student learning outcomes:

1. To write a publishable feature, news-feature or opinion article
2. To research markets for a free-lance article and write a query letter
3. To explain the attributes of and criteria for judging newspaper and magazine
feature writing, public affairs writing and social/political commentary.
4. To create a Web log and publish their analysis of current journalistic writing
on the blog, using the criteria and attributes referenced above.

V. TEACHING METHODS/DELIVERY SYSTEM
The classroom is a writing and discourse community. This course is a combination of lecture, in-class discussion, and posting to the class blog and students' individual blogs, individual conferences, and formal evaluations. Regular, brief quizzes will be administered to ensure that readings have been completed; these quizzes may take place on paper or in discussion Q&A. This class is very interactive. In order to complete the course successfully, students must come to class and must be prepared to discuss the reading assignments and to do the in-class work.

VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Attendance is required during all class sessions. Quizzes and other in-class work that are missed for any reason may not be made up. If the final exam is missed for any reason, it may not be made up. If the absence occurs on the date an assignment is due, the late penalty for assignments (outlined below) still applies.

B. Reading Assignments. Please see the Tentative Calendar below

C. Written Assignments. (1) Students will write a 1,500- to 2,000-word article on a current political, social, cultural or artistic issue, research potential markets for it and write a one-page query letter tailored to a specific market. (2) 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. (3) Both the midterm and final exam will be take-home essay examination. (4) Students also will be assigned to cover public gatherings on campus (which tend to happen during the noon hour) without notice. These assignments, by their nature, cannot be made up; missing deadlines will hurt your grade.

The instructor's grading scale is as follows: A = 100-90. B = 89-80. C = 79-70. D = 69-60. F = 59-0.


Benedictine University at Springfield Student Academic Honesty Policy
The search for truth and the dissemination of knowledge are the central missions of a university. Benedictine University at Springfield pursues these missions in an environment guided by our Roman Catholic tradition and our Benedictine heritage. Integrity and honesty are therefore expected of all University students. Actions such as cheating, plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, forgery, falsification, destruction, multiple submission, solicitation, and misrepresentation are violations of these expectations and constitute unacceptable behavior in the University community.

Student’s Responsibility
Though there is no formal honor code at Benedictine University at Springfield, students are expected to exhibit academic honesty at all times. Violations against academic honesty are always serious and may result in sanctions that could have profound long-term effects. The final responsibility for understanding the Academic Honesty Policy of the institution, as well as the specific policies for individual courses normally found in syllabi, rests with students. If any doubt exists about what constitutes academic dishonesty, students have the responsibility to talk to the faculty member. Students should expect the members of their class to be academically honest. If students believe one or more members of the class have been deceitful to gain academic advantage in the class, students should feel comfortable to approach the faculty member of the course without prejudice.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Along with a verbal warning, the following are consequences a student may face for academic dishonesty:
• a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
• dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
• dismissal from the Institution.

VII. Means of Evaluation . Your final grade will be based on assignments weighted as follows: (A) class participation and journals, including the four analyses of professional writing, worth 50 percent of the total grade; (B) reporting assignments, including coverage of noontime events as well as the 1,500-word article and query letter, in total worth 25 percent of the total; and (C) quizzes and tests including the midterm and the final exam, worth 25 percent.
Student Withdrawal Procedure. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.

If a student believes that an error has been made in reporting a grade, an appeal must be made in writing to the instructor and must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The appeal should contain specific information on why it is believed the grade reported is inaccurate. See the Student Handbook for details.

Add/Drop Dates
Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.

Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a “C” or better, and a student must submit a completed “Request for an Incomplete” form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

Student Withdrawal Procedure
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.

Add/Drop Dates. Please refer to the current Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.

Incomplete Request
To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures.

VIII. Course Outline and Calendar. Please see Tentative Calendar below. The schedule of assignments is tentative, and departures from it will be announced at the class meeting prior to the change -- or via the Message Board. Students who miss class are responsible for keeping up with rescheduled assignments.



IX. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)
Benedictine University at Springfield provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible.

If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling (217) 525-1420, ext. 306.

X. ASSESSMENT
Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are stated in this syllabus in Sections IV and VI. Instructor will use background knowledge probes, one-minute papers, reflective essays and/or other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction.


Tentative Calendar

Week 1. Read Murray, Chapters 1-2, on craft and process; "Writer's Digest Handbook," foreword, intro and Chapter 1 on free-lancing and finding ideas; Chapter 2 on querying; and Chapter 4 on finding markets (which are an integral part of finding ideas if you want someone to buy your story). Choose a name and open your Web log. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the blog.

Week 2. Re-read "Handbook" Chapter 5 and 6 on research and interviewing. Read Murray, Chapters 3-4, on "reporting for surprise" and finding the flow (Murray calls it "tension," among other things) of a story. As you read Murray, try to figure out what he means by "surprise." It's almost impossible to explain, but it's important. It may be the single most important thing that makes your work stand out in the crowd. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 3 Read Murray, Chapters 5-6, on pre-writing (much of which you do in your head) and writing a story. Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 4 Read "Handbook" Chapters 8-9 on writing and revision; Murray, Chapters 7-8, on writing, editing and revising so readers will want to read what you wrote. (Hint: How do you do that? Surprise them.) Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 5 Read "Handbook" Chapter 10 on working with editors; and Murray, Chapter 9, on how to think like a professional -- i.e. like an apprentice! Post your reaction to the reading assignment in Murray, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 6 Midterm. Post your 1,000-word analysis of a public affairs (politics, government, society or cultural) story to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 7 Post your 1,000-word analysis of an opinion article or op-ed piece to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 8 Post your 1,000-word analysis of a newspaper feature story to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 9 Post your 1,000-word analysis of a magazine article to your blog, plus questions I will post to the Mackerel Wrapper.

Week 10. Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 11 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 12 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 13 Work on feature story. Readings from Writer's Digest and internet TBA.

Week 14 Review and assessment.

Final exam schedule TBA.