Department Policies

No cell phones. Kindly turn your cell phone to vibrate while in class.

No food.

No late arrivals.

Clean up after yourself and pick up debris before leaving class.

What to expect

The emphasis in this class will be on good clear writing. Exercises and projects will be related to journalism, advertising, public relations and broadcast. You will write a press release, news story, feature, formal letter, proposal, and a research paper. (more on that later) You'll also write advertising and broadcast copy that you will present to the class. Some writing will be based upon critique and rewrite of previously submitted material. In-class assignments will include memos, audience analysis, a cover letter, an opinion piece and editing exercises.

Students must write a minimum of 8,000 words to pass this class. Regardless of the points accrued,you must present proof of reaching the 8000-word minimum to pass this class. Students must also achieve all the Student Learning Outcomes listed below to pass this class.

For your Enterprise Article, you will have an opportunity to pitch your story ideas to members of the Spartan Daily staff, Access magazine staff and/or local newspaper professionals. You must get a byline in at least one legitimate print or online publication this semester. If you are not sure if the publication you have in mind is "legitimate," please check with your instructor.

You should come to every class prepared to write an in-class assignment. I expect your writing to be of entry-level professional quality (and if it isn't there yet, it should be by the end of the semester). Correct use of the English language is a standard in this industry so be mindful of spelling and grammar. Your grade will be dramatically affected by poor grammar and misspelled words. Remember: The spell-check button is your friend.

You should be reading the Spartan Daily, The San Jose Mercury News and the New York Times. Listen to NPR at 88.5 FM and watch the nightly news. Current events quizzes will be given often and without notice at the beginning of class. Each current events quiz will have 10 questions. The first question will always be: What is today's lead story in the San Jose Mercury newspaper? The second question will always be: What is the lead art in today's paper? There's usually one question that relates to world news, one that's national, one state or local, one that pertains to SJSU, and one sports. The rest of the questions are inspired by that day's current events. At some point in the semester I'll ask you about the DOW and where it closed the day before. There will be two directed reading assignments that will require a response from you.

Student Learning Outcomes

In addition to the point total and word count needed to pass this course, students must also be able to do the following upon completion of 100W.

-- Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications.

-- Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.

-- Think critically, creatively and independently.

-- Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.

-- Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.

-- Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.

Grades, points, etc.

Keep a running total of points earned for each assignment. You will be required to turn in a hard copy of this list several times throughout the semester.

60 — vocabulary enrichment

590 — Written assignments (outside of class), quizzes and in-class assignments

100 — Midterm

150 — Research paper

100 — Final and journal*

1000—Total points possible for the semester

*Regardless of points, your final in-class writing assignment must be polished and professional quality.

Final Course Grades

A = 900-1000 points*

B = 800-899 points*

C = 725-799 points*

NC = 0-725 points

*regardless of points, you must show proof of the 8,000-word minimum requirement

Letter Grades

By mid-semester, your writing should be of entry-level professional quality (and if it isnÕt, we need to talk). Written assignments will become more complex and will be graded on organization, clarity, style and accuracy, as well as on grammar, punctuation and spelling. To help you understand how we will assess your work, here is an overview of our grading standards:

To receive an "A," your written work must comply with all requirements of the assignment, be well organized and well developed, and demonstrate a clear understanding of audience and purpose. Your writing should contain no logical or factual errors, and demonstrate your ability to use language and construct sentences effectively and correctly. It should also display a measure of creativity, and be essentially free of grammatical, mechanical, usage and AP Style errors.

"B" work demonstrates the same competence as "A" work, but with some slight weaknesses. It may fall short on one of the assigned tasks, show less facility with language, or contain some minor grammatical, mechanical, usage or AP style errors.

"C" work completes all tasks set by the assignment, but shows weaknesses in the fundamentals (e.g., organization and development, understanding of audience and purpose). The sentence construction may be less mature, and the use of language may be less correct than in "B" work.

Failing work neglects one of the assigned tasks and may be noticeably superficial in its treatment of the assignment — that is, it is too short or simplistic, or has problems in logic or development. It also contains serious grammatical, mechanical, and/or usage errors that render some sentences incomprehensible. It may also demonstrates a striking underdevelopment of ideas and organization, and contains serious grammatical, mechanical, and/or usage errors that render some sentences incomprehensible. Factual errors will also result in a failing grade for the assignment.

Academic Dishonesty

We take the issue of academic dishonesty very seriously. We consider plagiarism to be the "kiss of death" for any student in a writing class or any student who aspires to work in one of the writing professions. We have flunked students for submitting plagiarized papers.

Format for papers:

Name

Mass Com - time & days of class i.e., TR 9 a.m.

Assignment slug (press release, obit, research paper, etc.)

Your email address

Word count

Font: 12 point Times or Times New Roman (or similar) with one-inch borders on top and bottom and one and a quarter to one and a half inch borders on either side. Double space and staple all papers unless otherwise instructed.

Research Paper

It sounds daunting so perhaps it's best to think of it as a big feature that just happens to have a bibliography at the end. Your feature must incorporate library research, including citations from scholarly and professional journals, and a minimum of three interviews. You'll be expected to turn in first and second drafts on time so that you can benefit from peer editing sessions. This is the single most important paper you will write this semester and you should give it the attention it deserves. The final draft of this paper should be written at a level appropriate for publication. This paper should reflect comprehensive proof that you've absorbed the material covered in class. (1000-1200 words)

Word of the Week

Source: newspaper, magazine or textbook from any class except this one. You will be expected to keep a list of these words and add them to your vocabulary. Once a word has been submitted as a "Word of the Week" it may not be submitted again. Words that refer to diseases or medical conditions are not eligible. Make two copies of your "Word of the Week" assignment; one for your files and one to turn in. The one you turn in will go into a notebook for the class to refer to so it will not be returned to you. Use the word in a sentence in such a way that I know that you know how to use the word. I will also furnish some words for your vocabulary enrichment.

Format for "Word of the Week" assignments:

Name

Mass Com 100W M/W 9 a.m.

Word #1 (or whichever number is appropriate for that week)

Your Word

Source: note where you read it.

How it was used: The entire sentence in which the word was encountered.

Definition: all definitions from the dictionary. Also note parts of speech

All definitions that apply (noun, verb, etc.)

Your sentence: Use the word in a sentence.

Journals

Everything you write for this class should be included in your journal. At the end of the semester your journal entries should be organized in chronological order. Do include a table of contents page. A page detailing point totals for assignments is also required. Electronic journals may be submitted on a CD.

CYA

Save your work. Always email a copy of your paper to yourself, both as an attachment and within the text of the email. All "A" students do this. Why? If your printer, computer or any other technology crashes, you can go to a commercial copy center, such as Kinko's, and print it. Never rely solely on a diskette or CD.

Words to the wise

If you feel that writing is one of your weaknesses, get help early.

Writing resources at SJSU

A page of links to various campus writing resources:

http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/catalog/resources.htm

Page describing where 100W students can get help:

http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/catalog/studenthelp.htm

Final Exam

The final is comprehensive. Please bring your A.P. Stylebook with you. Check SJSU course schedule for final exam date.