Abbreviations: IR = Inside Reporting; GG = Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, CP = Course Packet

Week 1

• Lecture: Leads and inverted pyramid [diagram]
• Lab: Lead writing
• Bring lab manual CD and permission forms
• Reading
  • Course website & online syllabus
  • Plagiarism guidelines (.pdf)
  • News values
  • Stories to evaluate [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
  • GG, chapter 1

Week 2

• Lab assignments: [1] [2]
• Lecture: Story structure, copy editing marks, quiz
  • Anecdotal/narrative leads to consider
  • Exercises: [1] [2]
• Reading
  • IR pp. 6-44, 52-59, 201 ("Openers");
  • GG, chapter 2
  • CP, pp. 4-7
• AP QUIZ: Open book

Week 3

• Lab assignments: [1] [2]
• Lecture: Week two corrections, types of quotes (.pdf) and attribution
  • Activity: Subjects, Verbs and Pronouns
• Reading
  • IR 80-83
  • CP: quotes, She said-Said she, Restaurant review assignment
  • Restaurant review examples: NY Times, SF Chronicle, CN&R
  • GG, chapter 3
• AP QUIZ: Abbreviations and acronyms, addresses, capitalization, directions, dimensions
  

Week 4

• Lab: Restaurant review
• No class Monday: Furlough day
  
• Reading
  • Profile example [#2] [#3]
  • IR, pp. 46-49, 118-119
  • Zimmerman leads (anecdotal leads) [example]
  • CP: organization
  • GG, chapter 4
    

Week 5

• Lab: Personality profile and interviewing subject
• Lecture: Using commas, confusing words
  
• Reading
  • Soft news examples
  • IR 50-57, 132-133 (IMPORTANT P. 57);
  • Confusing words handout
  • GG, chapter 5
• AP QUIZ: Burglary (etc.), citizen (etc.), church, city council, closed shop (etc.), compose (etc.), disabled (etc.), every one, fractions, geographic names
  

Week 6

• Lab: Soft news [1] [2]
  
• Lecture: Libel
• Reading
  • GG, chapter 6
  • Lab manual: Fixing and revising
    
• AP QUIZ: dateline (cities), lay/lie, majority/plurality, nationalities/race, numerals, percentmedia, millions/billions, people/persons, plurals, possessives
  

Week 7

• Wednesday: Chico State Action Rally coverage
  • Covered as a speech or event
  • Alternative: Crime story
• Lecture: Using transitions
• Reading
  • IR 136-148, and review 118-119 & 102-103
  • Guide to speech coverage
  • GG, chapter 8
    
• GG QUIZ: "Dirty Words"
• Midterm preview
  

Week 8

• Spring break

Week 9

• Midterm exam Wednesday: part one, part two
  
• Reading
  • IR 66-78, 84-85, 112-121
    
• GG QUIZ: "Grammar Girl on Grammar"
• Protest articles [1] [2] [3]

Week 10

• Lecture: Writing a news release
• Lab: Composing a news release
  • Sample news releases: FEMA, Microsoft, ACLU, PG&E
• Math for journalists & lead exercise
• Reading
  • IR 154-166
    

Week 11

• Assignment: Slice-of-life story
• Misplaced modifiers exercise
• Reading
  • Review pages 106-107 in IR
  • Orion Stylebook, 2-17.
• ORION QUIZ: Academic courses, academic titles, arrested/charged, class standing, grades, police departments, students (identifying); bars in Chico, California Faculty Association, resident advisor, Thurs. night mkt., Wildcat Recreation Center; UC and CSU schools. (Plus current events bonus)

Week 12

• Editing the slice-of-life story during lab period
• Researching using the Web
• Due: Slice-of-life story
• Reading
  • IR, 70-71, 176-186
• AP QUIZ: Legislative titles, long time, months, pardon, people/persons, principal, second reference, Shariah, toward, times, who/whom
  

Week 13

• In lab: Cover letters
  • Recommended structure & assignment
  • Examples from CSU-Chico
  • Journalism dept's job cafe resource
• Due: Final draft of slice-of-life story
• Lecture: Sources for final project
  
• Reading
  • IR 102-103
  • CP: Speeches, final exam assignment

Week 14

• Lab activity: In-depth news writing
• Reading
  • Hourglass structure [related article]
    
• AP Quiz: religious references, RSS, saint, second reference, sentences, Sept. 11, service mark, (sic), South, temperatures, that, which (pronouns)

Week 15

• Mandatory student conferences Monday during discussion
• No class Wednesday (furlough)
  
• Reading
  • Review IR 66-73
  • Profile lead example about Gary Trudeau
    

Week 16

• Mandatory student conferences Monday during discussion
• Due Wednesday: Final project
  

Finals week

• Final exam: Monday, May 17, 9 a.m.
• The final exam takes place in the lab (THMA 312)
• In-class writing activity is worth 10 percent of your final grade
  

 

Contact

Prof. Matt Blake
Tehama Hall 339
530-898-3608
mdblake (at) csuchico.edu