Syllabus
Editorial Writing
Anthony R. Curtis, Ph.D. – Fall 2005
JRN 309-01, TR 12:30-1:45 p.m., Old Main 237
Department of Mass Communications – University of North Carolina at Pembroke
This course focuses on critical, interpretive and opinion writing for newspapers and other media in the form of editorials, reviews, columns, letters and cartoons. After this course, you should be able to write a newspaper opinion editorial that either informs, promotes, praises or entertains.
You will study and analyze editorial writing in major newspapers with special emphasis on principles, standards and practices. Editorial pages and op-ed sections of leading newspapers will be evaluated. Also considered will be journalistic techniques involved in the writing of personal columns.
An important aspect of the course is in-class analysis and discussion of current events as a basis for critical thinking and editorial writing. The course includes in-class discussion, brainstorming and instructor presentations, which will help you develop a working knowledge and an understanding of the role of the editorial writer.
You will learn how to conduct research to uncover data and information for formulating opinions and then write publishable editorials. Assignments will result in preparation of relevant journalistic documents and presentations.
Rystrom, Kenneth. The Why, Who and How of the Editorial Page. 4th Ed., State College, PA: Strata Publishing, 2004.
Goldstein, Norm, Ed. The AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (With Internet Guide and Glossary). New York: The Associated Press, 2005.
Not only in this course, but also during your academic degree program and in your professional career later, you will find it essential to stay up-to-date on current events, which change constantly. To remain up-to-date, you should read a major newspaper every day in addition to watching broadcast or cable news operations. For instance, you might choose to read the Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. You also should read a newsweekly such as Time or Newsweek.
As a media professional, how will you know and understand trends in newsgathering and dissemination? To stay on top of your field, you should read the professional weeklies such as Editor & Publisher (newspapers), Folio (magazines), Broadcasting & Cable (radio and television), or Advertising Age (advertising). These publications are available in the UNCP library and all have affiliated websites.
Monday and Wednesday: 10-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m.
In addition, Dr. Curtis frequently can be found in his office at other times during weekdays.
Office: 247 Old Main phone: 521-6616 email: acurtis@uncp.edu
Motto: S'asseoir aussi loin que possible du sac gonflable.
Course Schedule
NOTE: As we proceed through the semester, the exact dates listed below may change as more or less time may be required to complete topics. This schedule should be seen as a guide to course activities and expectations as of the beginning of the semester. Your professor reserves the right to amend the schedule, as needed, depending on work accomplished in class meetings and the needs of students enrolled in the course. Please complete each reading assignment prior to the day it is assigned so you can take part in discussions in class and apply the techniques learned from reading.
Daily assignment:
For each class meeting read the editorials in a major newspaper dated the same day as class or since the last class meeting. Clip or photocopy at least one editorial and bring it to class for discussion. Appropriate papers include the Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. Other newspapers may be appropriate with the professor's approval.
Week 1:
Thursday 8/18 Course introduction
Tuesday 8/23 The editorial page that used to be, read chapter 1
Week 2:
Thursday 8/25 The editorial page that should and could be, read chapter 2
Tuesday 8/30 Anybody for editorial writing?, read chapter 3
Week 3:
Thursday 9/1 Preparation of an editorial writer, read chapter 4
Tuesday 9/6 Discussion of writing techniques and assignments (9/5 Labor Day holiday)
Week 4:
Thursday 9/8 Who is this Victorian ÒweÓ?, read chapter 5
Tuesday 9/13 Relations with publishers, read chapter 6
Week 5:
Thursday 9/15 Relations with the newsroom, read chapter 7
Tuesday 9/20 The editorial page staff, read chapter 8
Week 6:
Thursday 9/22 Relations with the community, read chapter 9
Tuesday 9/27 Nine steps to editorial writing, read chapter 10
Week 7:
Thursday 9/29 Ten steps to better writing, read chapter 11
Tuesday 10/4 Quiz on chapters 1-11
Week 8:
Thursday 10/6 Subjects that are hard to write about, read chapter 12
Tuesday 10/11 Discussion of writing techniques and assignments
Fall Break 10/13-14
Week 9:
Thursday 10/13 Fall Break
Tuesday 10/18 Editorial due – written assignment from chapter 12
Week 10:
Thursday 10/20 Subjects that are deceptively easy, read chapter 13
Tuesday 10/25 Subjects that are neglected, read chapter 14
Week 11:
Thursday 10/27 Discussion of writing techniques and assignments
Tuesday 11/1 Editorial due – written assignment from chapter 13
Week 12:
Thursday 11/3 Editorials on elections, read chapter 15
Tuesday 11/8 Editorial due – written assignment from chapter 14
Week 13:
Thursday 11/10 Other types of opinion writing, read chapter 16
Letters to the editor, read chapter 17
Tuesday 11/15 Columns and cartoons, read chapter 18
Week 14:
Thursday 11/17 Editorial due – written assignment from chapter 15
Tuesday 11/22 Innovations in design and content, read chapter 19
Thanksgiving Holiday 11/24-25
Week 15:
Thursday 11/24 Thanksgiving Holiday
Tuesday 11/29 Quiz on chapters 12-20
Week 16:
Thursday 12/1 The editorial page that may and must be, read chapter 20
Last Day of Class – reflection and renewal
Exam Week:
Thursday 12/6 Final exam will be Tuesday, December 6, at 11:00 a.m.
Optional fifth editorial due
Course Assignments
Due to the nature of the work involved in conceiving and writing opinion essays and newspaper editorials, this course is discussion intensive. You will discuss a variety of potential editorial topics during every class this semester. You will write at least four editorials suitable for publication in a 21st century newspaper.
Please note that your submissions in response to assignments will be judged subjectively by the professor on professional workmanship, quality of content, originality, craftsmanship, organization, creativity, communicative value, technical aspects of your writings and presentations, and how publishable your writing may be.
As listed above. for each class meeting you must read the editorials in a major newspaper dated the same day as class or since the last class meeting. Clip or photocopy at least one editorial and bring it to class for discussion. Appropriate papers include the Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. Other newspapers may be appropriate with the professor's approval.
Attendance:
The Department of Mass Communications has a mandatory attendance policy. This 300-level upper-division journalism course is an important element of your preparation for a career in professional journalism, where you will be expected to understand and meet deadlines.
Class attendance will be checked in every class period and will be used in determining the course grade. Unexcused absences will affect your grade adversely. For instance, attendance records will be used to determine the grade of any student who is on the borderline between two grades. If such a student has 1 or no unexcused absences, he or she may be eligible receive the higher of the two grades, assuming all other circumstances are appropriate.
¤ Students with 2-3 unexcused absences will be penalized one letter grade.
¤ Students with 4-5 unexcused absences will be penalized two letter grades.
¤ Students with 6 or more unexcused absences will receive the grade of F for the semester.
There will be no option of doing an extra assignment to reduce or remove a penalty.
Athletes must discuss their game schedule for the full season with the professor at the beginning of the semester. If they plan to miss class for a game, they must notify the professor again before each absence to receive an excused absence. Athletes will not be excused from a class that ends more than hour before the bus leaves.
Students who plan to miss class for such activities as work, job interviews, job fairs, weddings, vacations, completing work for other courses, etc., must use their unexcused-absence cuts for those purposes. If you have problems attending class, you are encouraged to change your arrangements elsewhere that will enable you to participate fully here.
The following are excusable absences:
¤ Illness or serious injury, with a note from a doctor
¤ death in the immediate family, with a newspaper obituary clipping
¤ required appearance in a court of law, with a note from the clerk of courts
¤ catastrophic emergency, with appropriate documentation or official police report
¤ representing the college in an official extracurricular activity, with a note from the faculty or administrative adviser of the activity, or head coach, and the prior approval of the professor of this course because some extracurricular activities do not justify an excused absence.
Course participation:
The fact that classroom communication is a process of sharing means your attendance is very important. Your observations, insights and analyses are valuable to the whole class. The success of the seminar style of this course relies on your full participation, which will be reflected in a concrete way in your semester grade. It is just as important for you to see and hear your classmates' discussions as it is or your colleagues to see and hear your comments. Please respect your colleagues and take part all class discussions. Non-attendance for the class discussions will be penalized.
Class meeting content: There will be dialogue, discourse, deliberation and a free flowing exchange of ideas during all class meetings. During these discussion sessions, please comment openly and freely on the topics at hand and on comments offered by other members of the class. Your comments may be positive or negative on the issues, but should be delivered diplomatically, in good taste, and free of ad hominem arguments. (Please see the handout on ad hominem argument.) We must be sensitive to the work and feelings of others at all times. Your comments should be insightful, helpful and considerate. Our discussions are intended to help each member of the class improve her or his work through the semester. It is hoped the discussions will promote critical thinking. If, at any point, you feel a comment is unwarranted, hateful, or mean-spirited, let the professor know as soon as possible.
Late arrival in class: Students who arrive late to a class session should check with the professor at the end of that class to be certain that their attendance has been recorded. Students who arrive excessively late to a class period, or who leave class early, will receive either partial credit or no credit for their attendance that day. Students who are continually late to class will begin receiving no credit for their attendance on days they are late.
Evaluation of writing:
Generally, there are no right or wrong responses to editorial writing assignments. Rather, the professor measures writing on three concurrent spectra – content, organization and mechanics. These parallel tracks range from weak to strong.
Editorials submitted must reach the assigned length and be typewritten, double-spaced, on one side of paper. The AP Stylebook must be followed. Appropriate professional journalism editing marks as shown in the AP stylebook must be used. Be sure your name is on your work.
Evaluation of your written work will be based on appropriateness of content, strength of argument, quality of supporting statements, clarity of purpose, research accuracy and valid attribution, clear and concise writing style, efficient use of words, grammar, spelling, mechanics, organization, proper use of appropriate journalistic formats and styles and editing techniques, and attention to deadline.
Late assignments: Deadlines are extremely important in journalism. Hand in your editorials at the beginning of class on the assigned day. Late assignments or makeup work generally is not accepted if there was no prior arrangement with your professor. You may not be permitted to make up any missing work unless it is for an excused absence as listed above. The professor may refuse to revisit material a student missed due to an absence. No late work will be accepted without prior arrangements with your professor who retains the discretion of whether to accept any of such work.
How to succeed in this course:
¤ A successful approach in this course is to be self-motivated, self-directed, and self-disciplined. Gather the needed skills and approach the course with a desire to learn. Manage your time well.
¤ Contribute spontaneously and richly to course discussions and activities. Listen to the comments of others and respond respectfully. Respect the ideas of others and their right to express them.
¤ Assume a leadership role. Be a guide or coach for others in the class if and when such a contribution would be desirable. Voluntarily help other students, but remember that doing work for someone else to submit is inappropriate.
Grading considerations:
Professional standard. Grades for each of your assignments will be based upon a professional standard. Although you may be writing your first editorials in this class, the professor will evaluate your work according to its suitability for publication in a newspaper, magazine or news website whose standards correspond to the industry-wide norm.
Growth. At the outset, it is understood that your writing might be weak in content, organization and mechanics. The professor will take this into account and your semester grade will be based upon improvement and consistent effort through the semester.
Evaluation criteria for letter grades:
¤ Excellent or A
Professional quality work. An insightful, relevant, newsworthy subject. The editorial informs, promotes, praises or entertains – the four potential purposes for an editorial. The editorial involves the reader in its drama, humor, ethos or pathos. Technique is flawless with perfect content, organization and mechanics. Information supporting the editorial argument is complete and accurate. Wording is precise. The writing explores the topic at different levels and does not simply make the same point from different perspectives. Publishable and distinguished. Nearly perfect grades on quizzes.
¤ Good or B
Competent, functional opinion essay. Journeyman journalism. Publishable. Clean copy that makes a significant point efficiently in support of the argument set forth. Appropriate expression of active, believable circumstances or facts in support of the editorial as it informs, promotes, praises or entertains. Details are thorough and accurate. Writing mechanics and organizational technique are of a high order. The editorial point of view is balanced. Better than average on quizzes.
¤ Acceptable or C
Average, run-of-the-mill editorial writing. Probably publishable, but undistinguished. Properly written, but the content is average quality that may or may not be publishable. The editorial weakly informs, promotes, praises or entertains, but offers little true insight into the subject. Content is adequate to identify the subject, but poorly organized. Mechanics are good. Minimally acceptable work on quizzes.
¤ Poor or D
Unpublishable work. A combination of flaws in conceptualizing, researching, organizing and writing render the work unsatisfactory. This is work, which with better planning and extra effort, might have been publishable. Less than acceptable work on quizzes.
¤ Unacceptable or F
Not publishable. Decidedly unprofessional. Weaknesses in journalistic thinking, editorial writing technique, and/or professionalism have resulted in a failure on this assignment. Inaccuracies and other content errors, poor mechanics, unpublishable organization, and/or missed deadlines have reduced the assignment to failure. Failure on all quizzes.
Final grade:
Your final semester grade will be based on the professor's subjective evaluation of all of the work you complete and submit during the course, including editorial writing assignments and quizzes. Attendance and enthusiastic participation in class discussions and activities will form a significant portion of the semester grade.
Very important considerations include:
¤ perfection of written materials
¤ success of presentations
¤ punctuality on assignments
¤ participation in class activities
¤ attendance at class meetings
The grading scale used for this course is:
100-90%=A to A-; 89-80%=B+ to B-; 79-70%=C+ to C-; 69-60%=D+ to D-; 59% and below=F.
Student Academic Honor Code: You have the responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code which forbids cheating, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, fabrication, falsification of information, and complicity in academic dishonesty.
Special assistance: Please see the instructor as soon as possible if you have questions or difficulty. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester as possible, preferably within the first week. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.