JOUR-1100
Instructor:
Marie Masters
Writing News for Publication
Instructor: Marie Master
Office Hours: Mon. - Thurs., 8:45am - 10:00am
Office Location: B108-1
Phone: 586.226.4761
Alt. Phone: 248.740.9331
E-Mail: mastersm@macomb.edu
Mailbox: Room B-111
Marie Master's Profile
Student news stories will be graded (10% each) in the following areas:
1. The story is presented in a two-column format.
2. The lead does not seem “too obvious” or evoke a “so-what” response.
3. None of the paragraphs are prohibitively long to read.
4. In most cases, new quotes/speakers start new paragraphs.
5. All proper nouns are followed by (CK) or (SP) to indicate that the spelling of these names has been “checked” or the “spelling needs to be checked.”
6. A routine spell-check has been performed.
7. The word count is indicated at the top or bottom of the article (500 words for most articles written in Journalism 1100, unless otherwise specified in the syllabus).
8. The story has been written in past tense, whenever possible.
9. Quotes are correctly punctuated.
10. The article’s ending features a summary, call to action, or thought - provoking idea or quote.
My philosophy is simple… do the work and get a good grade. Grades are based on a 1,000-point scale. Students will know which assignments count for points from the Course Outline.
There is also a cover sheet (see above) that should be completed for each story written. Completion of the items delineated on this cover sheet ensures a good grade.
I also encourage students to ask questions as they arise. Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out how to make the grade in the class. Besides, journalists must ask the right questions to get answers for their readers.
Syllabus Course Outline (pdf file)