My Course Requirements

 

What Say I?

There are course requirements specific to this section of Multimedia Journalism. I have outlined them below.

Course Requirements

To accomplish the goals laid out for this course, you must demonstrate proficiency in and completion of the following tasks.

Weekly Quizzes: You will take a quiz almost every week (typically on, but not always, Tuesdays) during the semester to test your knowledge of assigned readings and current events.

Reading Assignments: This course is writing, reading and production intensive. The information you get from the assigned readings will be relevant to your work and the changing field of journalism. All readings should be completed before you come to class. Be prepared to absorb a great deal of information, all of it enriching and foundational. You will be tested on your readings through the weekly quizzes and the final examination. So don’t think once you finish a quiz you’ll never see the material again. It will show up on the final. Be prepared.

Reporting Assignments: Multimedia journalism accurately implies that you will learn how to report across multiple media platforms. In this class, you will compose full stories—what we’ll call multimedia storytelling packages that may incorporate audio, photography, infographics, database reporting and social media integration. The only way for you to become competent in all these forms is to report often. You will be expected to complete assignments both in and outside of class. Deadlines are firm and final. You are preparing for a career in which late work could cost you your job. In this course, late work will cost you your grade. Late work will not be accepted. Anything that comes in past deadline receives a zero. (Please be aware that it is not ethical to report on something in which you are involved or to report on your friends and family and any organization in which you or they are involved.)

Reporting Project Updates: The individual, pairs and team reporting projects will all require progress reports and completed portions to be turned in by specific deadlines. Progress reports will be worth 20 points, and completed portions will be worth 50 points. These point totals are separate from the final grade you earn on the projects.

Final Exam: The exam will consist of true/false, multiple choice, short essay and comprehensive reporting components. It will test you on what you learned throughout the ENTIRE semester. We will take time during the last class session before the final to review. You are required to take the final exam at the scheduled time. You will know far in advance the date and time of the final. There’s rarely an excuse for missing a final. Students who know they will miss a final exam must secure permission for a makeup from the department chair of the School of Communications.

Homework: Obviously, your reading assignments are homework. But occasionally, I will ask you to do work in addition to the readings. You are expected to complete the homework and turn it in the next class. These are short, but important, assignments.

Participation: I expect you to participate in classroom activities. Many times students provide unique insights into class material that have lasting impressions on the other students taking the course. While this is not a seminar, there will still be opportunities to engage in class discussions, and I will expect you to participate actively. Participation and homework combine to form 10 percent of your final grade.