JMC 4970/5970
IN-DEPTH REPORTING
Sec 003
Fall, 2008
Time: Mon/Wed 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Classroom: 215 Copeland Hall
Instructor: Warren Vieth
Office: 3027 Gaylord Hall
Office hours: Friday and by appointment
Office phone: 325-5228
Home phone: 771-4865
Cell phone: 501-3374
E-mail: wvieth@ou.edu
Course description
This course will show you how to plan, report and produce in-depth enterprise journalism for use in print and online media. The emphasis will be on creating actual content instead of instead of listening to lectures and taking tests. You will plan, report and produce at least two in-depth projects by yourself and participate in at least one project involving the entire class or teams of fellow students. You will become familiar with a variety of story forms, including news, feature, investigative, trend, profile and narrative, with emphasis on depth of reporting and complexity of theme, material and structure. I will help you pick story subjects, develop a reporting strategy, conduct research and interviews, choose appropriate story forms, create accompanying multimedia elements, and polish the results for publication in print and online media. In addition, you will create an online portfolio of your work in this class, analyze examples of in-depth reporting by other journalists, complete smaller writing and multimedia assignments, and take occasional quizzes. We will have guest speakers from time to time. Some class sessions will be devoted to project exhibitions, in which you will make short presentations summarizing your project objectives, reporting experiences, problems encountered, and lessons learned.
Required reading
This class has no textbook. I will assign reading materials over the course of the semester. I expect you to monitor a variety of other state and national media to find examples of good in-depth journalism. At some point in the semester, you will present an example to the class and explain why you picked it.
Multimedia Equipment
You must provide at your own expense:
. at least one mini-DV videocassette tape
. a small set of headphones
. a bus-powered, USB 2.0 external hard drive
. headphone splitters for producing video projects in teams
Gaylord College will provide the following equipment, which you may check out to complete assignments. If you wish, you may provide your own:
. digital audio recorder with USB connector
. digital camera with full manual controls
. digital camcorder with FireWire connector (mini-DV preferred)
. external microphone with mini-jack connector
. tripod
Project Stories
This is the starting point. The list could grow.
• Team: A newsy reporting and writing project involving the entire class.
• Profile: A penetrating portrait of an interesting person.
• In-Depth: A deeply reported news or feature story exploring an issue, trend, phenomenon, event, or other compelling subject matter of your choosing.
Your projects must contain original reporting, multiple human and data sources, quotes from live interviews, and supporting facts and statistics. They must include multimedia elements such as edited video sequences, slide shows, audio clips, interactive features and graphic material. They must not contain quotes obtained from other stories or press releases, facts and data reported by other journalists, or interviews with friends, relatives or roommates. You will submit a list of the sources you used for your projects, including phone numbers and email addresses.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the accumulation of 1,000 points. This is the initial allocation, which is subject to change.
• Team project 100 points
• Online portfolio 200 points
• Profile 200 points
• In-depth project 250 points
• Other assignments 250 points
I will take attendance and participation into account when assigning grades. To receive a superior grade, you must attend classes regularly, participate aggressively in classroom activities; complete assignments on time; demonstrate superior planning, reporting and writing skills; assist other students in team efforts; and radiate enthusiasm.
Filing
In some cases, you will file stories and other assignments in the Dropbox section of D2L.
In some cases, you will post your work on a class web page or your own online portfolio page. I will provide filing instructions with each assignment. In most cases I will not need a printed copy of your work.
Classroom Expectations
To take full advantage of your time this semester, you should:
Arrive on time, pay attention and speak up. This class is an open discussion, so participate aggressively. Your contribution is highly valued.
Attend every class. Each session is meant to build a foundation for later work. Missing one class means you have placed yourself behind for the next.
Treat others with respect. Put away your cell phone, keep your hands off the keyboard and listen attentively when your professor and other students are speaking.
Work hard and plan early. Projects in this class will demand substantial work outside of class. Plan ahead and think conceptually so you can maximize your productivity.
Have fun. That’s why we’re here.
Workload Policy
For undergraduate courses, a student taking a three-credit course that meets for three hours a week should expect to spend an additional six hours a week on coursework outside the classroom. In other words, you should expect to spend about nine hours per week inside and outside the class to satisfactorily complete this course.
Grading Criteria
Your work in the class will be graded according to the following criteria:
A = Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B = Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C = Achievement that meets course requirements in every respect.
D = Achievement worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.
F = Work that is not completed or fails to achieve a level of achievement worthy of credit.
Style and Factual Errors
Style errors will count against your grade. They include spelling, punctuation and usage errors in written assignments, incorrect pronunciations or inability to speak clearly in audio and video assignments, and format errors with photographs and graphics. Each style error will count one-quarter of a letter grade.
Factual errors will count heavily against your grade. They include misspellings of proper names, erroneous dates and incorrect identification of people. A single factual error will result in an assignment receiving a grade no higher than a D. Multiple factual errors will result in a failing grade on an assignment.
Ethics and Diversity
As gatekeepers of information, journalists play a key role in shaping the perceptions of society. We will discuss the ethical considerations raised by in-depth stories written by other journalists, and by the work we produce in class. We will explore how good reporting and writing can prevent expression of distorted views of diverse groups in our culture.
Portfolio Assignment
You will choose one of your project stories or your portfolio page as your designated assignment for permanent storage in your Gaylord College digital portfolio. The purpose of the portfolio assignment is to assess your mastery of key concepts, skills and objectives of this and other courses you complete as an undergraduate. If you fail to submit your portfolio assignment, you will receive an incomplete regardless of your fulfillment of other course requirements.
Attendance
You are allowed four absences over the course of the semester. If you miss more than four sessions, your course grade will drop by one letter grade for each absence. More than eight absences will cause you to fail. If you repeatedly arrive late, your grade will be reduced. Make-up work for in-class assignments will be allowed only for documented medical reasons, religious holidays, jury duty, emergency military service and provost-approved, university-sponsored activities. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to consult with other students to obtain notes and assignment information.
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the university to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays.
Deadlines
Late work will be penalized 10% per day.
File Storage
You will not be able to store assignment and project files on classroom computers. You must provide your own external disk drive for file storage. Saving copies of your work is your responsibility, not ours.
Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism, the unacknowledged use of someone else’s work, or cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Plagiarism and cheating may result in a failing grade for the course and possible university suspension. University policies outlined in the student handbook will apply.
Electronic Devices
The use of laptop computers, iPods, cell phones or other electronic devices during class is prohibited. The use of university computers for personal purposes, such as checking email or web surfing unrelated to class work is prohibited. Violations of this policy will adversely affect your grade.
Access
If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), please notify your professor so accommodations can be made.
revised 08/24/08
