JRN 400: The Summer 2018 Syllabus

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JRN400, Spartan Digital Newsroom, Summer 2018

Michigan State University School of Journalism

3 credits, online May 14-June 28

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Welcome

We’re excited you are enrolled in JRN 400! This class will encourage you to embrace an innovative spirit, think critically and reevaluate storytelling approaches. The collaboratively focused class will push you to publish in-depth multimedia projects. You’ll be rewarded for your passion and innovative spirit in this capstone class. Get ready to work hard and have a blast doing it!

Instructors

|	Omar Sofradzija | omars@msu.edu Unavailable for in-person office hours Phone/text: 702-271-7983

Course objectives

• To evaluate and research information
• To cover issues at an in-depth level
• To write and visualize stories accurately and fairly
• To apply the editing process
• To collaborate in teams
• To experiment with different forms of storytelling
• To practice the fundamentals of design and visual communication
• To prepare for jobs that don’t exist
• To reinforce skills (e.g., writing, image editing and composition, coding, audio recording, videotaping)
• To market, promote and publish your work

Work of exceptionally high quality will be published. Our hope is this work will be entered in journalism contests.

Etiquette

There are some things we think are important in order for us all to have a successful, positive experience:

• This is a summer online class! Which means we do all the work of a regular semester in just half the time. Expect to be busy. That includes the likelihood of having multiple stories due in any given week. Be sure you have the time to work on and finish stories, including doing all necessary interviews on tight deadlines.
• We will NOT be using D2L in this class; please be sure to check in with the class blog at jrn400msu.blogspot.com every weekday to get the latest assignments and reviews.
• Please meet ALL deadlines. Journalism operates on strict deadlines, and this term is simply too short for anyone to fall behind.
• Respect your team members, instructors and guests whenever they’re speaking.

Course changes

Our industry changes every day. Change is what we do. So be ready because class assignments and lectures could change if the situation warrants it. We might need to move the schedule around a bit, or rethink a certain assignment, but we’ll give you notice.

Class schedule

This class will be done entirely online, starting May 14 and ending June 28. As noted earlier we will not be using D2L in this class. Instead, please be sure every weekday to check the class blog of jrn400msu.blogspot.com for the latest assignments, deadlines and exercise reviews. You will turn in assignments either via email or directly into the Spartan Newsroom Wordpress site.

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Deadlines

Deadlines rule. Assignments are due no later than the precise times specified in assignment blog posts, unless otherwise specified. Assignments that miss deadline will not receive full credit.

Supplies and equipment

Required equipment

You probably already have this:

• AP Stylebook (the newer, the better)

Recommended equipment

• For video work: Portable external hard drive of at least 100GB, Mac or Mac/PC compatible, for video work
• Headphones. Any standard headphones will work for this class.
• Smartphone (that in many cases can serve as a camera, video camera, audio recorder, etc.)
• Audio Recording Kit for smartphones (prices are estimates, shop around; check phone compatibility!):
• iRig Pre microphone interface: about $30 (B&H Photo or Amazon)
• XLR microphone: about $12 (Amazon)
• 3’ XLR cable: about $9 (B&H Photo)
• Smartphone mount & table top tripod:
• OK (cheap): $5 or less (Amazon)
• Better mount, Shoulderpod (holds phone more securely): $35
• Pro mount: BeastGrip Pro with wide angle lens: $165 (Amazon or B&H Photo)
• Better table top tripod, Manfrotto Mini Tripod: $25 (Amazon)
• Video camera with mic input
• DSLR camera
• An SD Card

Facebook group

All sections of the class will be expected to share their work and thoughts on the class Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/204096643712322. This closed group is designed only to be viewable to your classmates and instructors — however, as with all social media, assume anything you post could become public.

Sources & original material

Assume all work you produce this semester will be published. Therefore, the Spartan Digital Newsroom adheres to professional journalism standards for all content.

• You should be familiar with the School of Journalism’s Code of Ethics and Standards
• Assignments for this class require new and original work. Do not use work created for other classes or outside activities without the permission of your instructor.
• All stories should be well-sourced (in most cases, that means talking to at least three human sources). Interviews should be conducted in person or via phone whenever feasible (i.e., avoid email interviews).
• The use of anonymous sources or sources with whom you have a personal conflict (family members, friends, roommates, co-workers and other close acquaintances) creates ethical problems for journalists and is prohibited without the prior approval of your instructor. Avoid citing reports by other media outlets. Instead, find primary research material to source in your stories.
• Do not use copyrighted material without the written permission of the copyright holder. It is unethical and illegal any may result in a 0.0 for the offending assignment as a minimum consequence.

Assignments & grading overview

You will be given readings, in-class assignments and exercises, in addition to your work toward completion of the final project. Unless specified in the syllabus, all work must be turned in by the scheduled deadline. Assignments for this class require new and original work. Do not use work created for other classes or outside activities without the permission of your instructor.

Most work will be turned in electronically via email or WordPress. You may also want to save a backup. We all know someone who has lost hours of work because they didn’t back their files up.

You will not all have the same assignments — which may be very different from what you’re used to in journalism classes. We are operating in a collaborative environment and will need reporters, editors, multimedia producers, designers, social media producers and more. Your work will draw on the skills you’ve learned throughout your career at MSU. We will operate as teams. For the sake of the team, pull your own weight.

Assignments may be added, deleted or altered as needed throughout the semester. Students will be notified of any changes in advance.

Grading scale

Percentage	Grade point	What this generally means
93-100	4.0	Professional quality; Could be published as-is
87-92	3.5	Could be published with very minor revisions
80-86	3.0	Better-than-average. Needs some polishing
75-79	2.5	A little above average. Needs some reworking
70-74	2.0	Average. Problems could prevent publication
65-69	1.5	Weak. Needs substantial revision
60-64	1.0	Displays major flaws
< 60	0.0	Late, unethical or incoherent work

Course assignments - 520 points

Journalism assessment - 10 points

This quiz is one of several tools used by the School of Journalism to evaluate its curriculum. This assignment is graded pass/fail based on your completion of the assessment in D2L.

Portfolio assignments — Total points: 150 points

You will be required to create a web-based portfolio of your work from throughout your journalism academic and professional career. Point totals represent points possible. Points awarded will be determined by instructors based on quality of work, ability to meet deadline, time required and other factors. Required assignments instructions can be found in D2L.

• Portfolio 100 points
• Portfolio exercises
• Personal brand 10 points
• Resume exchange 10 points
• Work samples 10 points
• Cover letter 10 points
• Portfolio critiques 10 points

Newsroom project assignments - Total points: 360 points

You will work as a member of a project team to explore a topic in-depth, with a goal of publishing that work on the Spartan Newsroom website. Point totals represent points possible. Points awarded will be determined by instructors based on quality of work, ability to meet deadline, time required and other factors.

• Digital Story Package 100 points
• Sources exercise 10 points
• Final project menu assignments - attempt at least five 50-point stories or ASFs or photo packages or videos or other such content pieces from the menu

Final project menu

Select assignments from the below list. You may do more than five pieces of content. All assignments must be pre-approved. Point totals represent points possible. Points awarded will be determined based on quality, ability to meet the deadline, time required and other factors. Publication of your work in the final project is not guaranteed.

▶CREATE CONTENT

• Written story 50 points
• Sidebar/Text-based briefs 20 points
• Standalone ASF, 50 points total (An alternative story form with multiple elements; well-sourced with humans and data)

• Research/Writing 30 points
• Design 20 points
• Supplemental ASF (like a fact box or chart with a story) 10-20 points (depending on depth)
• Photography
• Photo story/gallery (5+ photos, with captions) 50 points
• Text with photo story 10-20 points (depending on depth, sourcing, etc.)
• Single photo with caption 10 points (maximum 50 points per story)
• Provided/courtesy photo with proper permission to publish 5 points (25 max per story)
• Head shot (original or provided) 5 points (25 max per story)
• Illustration/Original artwork
• Original art/illustration (created by you) 10 points
• Art (solicited/handout) 5 points (max per story)
• Video (standalone video story package)
• Shooting 20 points
• Editing 20 points
• Text version of story for web 10 points
• Video clip/supplemental video 10-20 points (depending on depth, sourcing, etc.)
• Audio
• Podcast/audio interview/audio story 20 points
• Audio clip 10-20 points (depending on depth, sourcing, etc.)

▶BE A LEADER

Additional leadership positions may be created as needed throughout the semester.

• Team Leader/Editor 120 points
• Copy Chief 80 points

▶INSTRUCTOR DISCRETION 100 points

Instructors may award additional points at their discretion for work that goes above-and-beyond course requirements.

Important Information

The School of Journalism adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU website: www.msu.edu.)

Academic Honesty: You will be expected to abide by the J-School Code of Ethics and Standards. Students are expected to do their own work on all assignments. Students who cheat, fabricate or plagiarize will receive a 0.0 on the assignment and may fail this course. Plagiarism means the appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving proper credit. Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states "the student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards." In addition, the School of Journalism adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU website: www.msu.edu.)

Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your coursework. (See also http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/dishonestyFAQ.html )

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: MSU is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation ("VISA") form. Please present this form to your instructor at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc.). Requests received after this date may not be honored.

Campus Emergencies:. As a student at MSU, you are responsible for knowing the location of the nearest emergency evacuation route or shelter of whatever campus building you are inside. These directions appear on the maps posted on the walls throughout each building. If police or university officials order you to evacuate a building, follow the posted emergency route in an orderly manner and assist those who might need help in reaching a barrier-free exit or shelter. (See also www.alert.msu.edu.)

Limits to Student Confidentiality: Essays, journals and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential, if not publicly published, pursuant to the university's student record policies. However, students should be aware that university employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others. As the instructor, I must report the following information to other university offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with me:

• Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child;
• Allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff; and
• Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.

These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center.