News Writing Practicum– COMM 3502
Professor: Hayden Coombs, Sharwan Smith 176 D
(503)779-8457, haydencoombs@suu.edu
Course Overview:
This course is designed as a lab to apply the fundamentals of writing for news media. It’s a skills-development course aimed at helping you learn how to think like a working journalist as you develop the ability to conceptualize, research, organize, design and write stories. You’ll apply your skills by reporting for the newsroom at suunews.net and the University Journal, of which I am the operations manager.
Assignments and Grading:
Weekly writing assignments: The only way to become a better writer is to write. You will either volunteer for or be assigned stories coordinated through the various editors at the University Journal. Meet deadlines and communicate with editors. Be proactive in volunteering to cover stories. Even better, pitch stories you’d like to write.
Weekly reading assignments: In addition to your writing assignment, I’ll provide reading assignments that apply to the next week’s subject.
Class participation: You must stay up-to-the-minute on breaking news. When breaking news happens, be ready to discuss coverage strategy and ideas in class. Also be ready to discuss various course topics as they relate to what is happening currently in the community.
Deadlines: This is a business that runs on deadlines. In the University Journal production process, you must get your stories to your editors by deadline. The earlier you can get a story to an editor the better.
Grades: Your grade is based on the number and quality of your stories and/or photos, your ability to meet deadlines and your willingness to work on rewrites of your stories. We will meet 13 times throughout the semester, and your attendance to this course is essential. For every story that you fail to produce, you will lose one letter off your final grade. You will be assigned 11 stories and one letter to the editor throughout the course of the semester.
Required Materials:
AP Stylebook
Class Policies:
1. Attendance– This is a face-to-face class for a reason: It is essential that all students attend class. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class. Written documentation for a university-sanctioned absence must be provided. Arrangements concerning absences are entirely at my discretion.
2. Participation– Participation and attendance also includes, but is not limited to: Attending class regularly and on time, participating in class discussion on concepts in the readings for that day, being focused and practicing good listening skills, contributing meaningfully to group discussion and exercises, relating class material to your own experience and the outside world during class discussions.
3. Academic Dishonesty– Cheating on exams and plagiarism of papers constitutes grounds for failure of that assignment, and potential failure of this course.
4. Late Work– In journalism, late work is never accepted.
5. Out of Class Contact– The best way to get in contact with me outside of class is with a simple text message. Feel free to text, call, Facebook message, or email me at any time. I will respond at my earliest convenience, but will most likely to give you a quick response if you text me.
6. Respect– Enjoy the readings, enjoy the class, enjoy the assignments, enjoy your instructor, and enjoy one another. It is expected that students will be considerate of the instructor and fellow classmates and act in a professional manner. Once class begins, students should stop talking, working on other class assignments, etc. Please be patient with me and your classmates; we are all in this together.
Course Format:
Every time we meet, we will follow the same itinerary.
- Welcome/Attendance (5 minutes)
- Lecture/Discussion/Handout (20 minutes)
- Assigning of Stories (10 minutes)
- Review last week’s frequent mistakes/tips (10 minutes)
Hayden Coombs 