Introduction to Journalism - Syllabus
Introduction to Journalism is a prerequisite for Newspaper I and Photojournalism I (Yearbook). The instruction in this year-long elective exposes students to the many facets of journalism: publishing, history, design, photography, the concept of a free press, diversity in the media, and writing. Activities seek to develop students who can use a variety of skills, produce journalistic material of high quality, understand legal and ethical issues that affect journalism, and realize the importance of mass communication in modern life. The content of this class will address both Loudoun County’s standards and the Journalism Education Association’s standards for high school journalism.
Units of Study – an Overview
· Development of American Journalism
· Media Ethics: Censorship, Libel & Slander, and Responsibilities & Rights· News Writing & Interviewing
· Layout & Design (which includes photography)
Daily Warm-ups & Class Discussions
One of the objectives for this class is for students to become informed consumers of news. Each class will begin with a warm-up that will be news related, typically current news and events. For the first few events, the teacher will select and lead the discussions After that, the students will be assigned a date where they will be in charge of selecting the current event, writing the discussion questions, and leading the discussions.Materials
The following items should be brought to class daily, unless otherwise noted.
· JCHS Agenda
· Writing Utensils: pencil, pen with blue or black ink, highlighter
· 3–ring binder with loose-leaf notebook paper
· USB Port (suggested)
Grading Philosophy
· Assessments will be conducted on a points system.
· It is the student’s responsibility to find out what notes and assignments were missed during an absence. When you return from being out (excused or not), please see Mrs. Douglas in the Journalism office.
· Journalism tends to be a projects-based class. If a student is going to be out due to extenuating circumstances and cannot meet a deadline, the pupil must email the teacher in advance and explain the circumstances. The teacher and student will reach a mutual decision for either submitting the assignment late or completing a modified assignment.
· A key objective of this class is that students will leave in June being stronger writers (and return {if applicable} to work for the news magazine!). To help meet this goal, students will be allowed to rewrite all major papers once. When the graded assignment is returned to the students, the teacher will explain the process for submitting a revision.
Class Policies & Expectations
· ALL JCHS RULES & POLICIES APPLY AND WILL BE ENFORCED.
· Honesty and communication is a must!
· Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
· Respect: You are training for ongoing purposes of entering a publication and putting yourself in a public forum. Expecting and receiving respect is pertinent, as is understanding responsibility’s role in that.
Contact Info
·
· 703.722.2680 (main office; asked to be directed to “publications lab”)
· Journalism Office & Publications Lab: 2nd level, room #2602
Student’s Name: ______Block # ______
Introduction to Journalism
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Please review this syllabus with your son or daughter and return this page to Mrs. Douglas. I would appreciate your time filling out the contact information below. Please designate if the phone number is a work, home, or cell number. PLEASE PRINT!
The syllabus should remain in the front of the student’s Journalism binder. Thank you so much; I look forward to working with you and your son or daughter throughout the upcoming year.
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