ENG 351: Media Writing

general information

description and objectives

i. course description

This course introduces students to the foundations and practices of media writing. It focuses on media writing style and language conventions and emphasizes several forms of media writing, including news writing, broadcast journalism, digital writing, public relations, and advertising. It accounts for the intersections of race, gender, class and disability in media writing and representation.

ii. purpose of the course

To provide students with a fundamental understanding of media writing as well as techniques for producing writing for the mass media. Students should have practice writing for the news, for broadcast media (radio and television), and for the web as well as public relations material and advertising copy.

iii. learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to

iv. program learning outcomes

v. course objectives

policies

1. Spring 2022 COVID-19 Policies

COVID-19 Health & Wellness and Personal Protection Statement:

All individuals are asked to continue maintaining 3-6 feet social distance when possible and monitoring personal health. If sick with a fever, please reach out to the LU Health Center and do not come to class.

All individuals are required to wear a face covering indoors including classrooms, labs, and studios. Masks should cover both nose and mouth.

For additional information and for a list of locations on campus where free masks can be obtained, see the LU COVID policy: https://www.lourdes.edu/campus-life/coronavirus.

COVID-19 Absence Statement:

Student Absences: In the event that a student absence is based on COVID 19, the student is required to reach out to a member of the COVID 19 assessment team. Team member contacts are listed below.

Once a COVID 19 assessment team member is contacted by the student, the Dean of Student Success will send official notification of the absence and connect the student and faculty via email. Once connected, the student is responsible for communicating with his/her course faculty regarding missed assignments or exams. The format and timing of the completion of these items will be at the discretion of the course faculty.

NOTE: A student absence is excused ONLY after an instructor receives official notification.

COVID-19 Assessment Team Contact Info:

• Dot Barnes (dbarnes@lourdes.edu): 419-824-3971
• Alisa Smith (asmith@lourdes.edu): 419-460-1132
• Greg Kneser (gkneser@lourdes.edu): 507-321-0604

Instructor Absences:

In the event that the course instructor is absent due to COVID-19, students should check Canvas and their Lourdes email for information on how to proceed. Students are responsible for checking their Lourdes email and Canvas announcements for any class information.

2. Policy on Emergency Response:

In case of a Tornado, I will direct you to the nearest shelter in accordance with Lourdes University’s Policy for Tornado Warnings and Tornado Warning Procedures. The nearest shelter for this course is in the Ebeid Hall Basement. In case of a fire, I will help direct you to the nearest exit. Please evacuate in a calm and efficient manner. Do not use the elevator. Do not block building entrances once you are out.

3. Statement on Disabilities:

Persons with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and need to arrange academic adjustments, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services at oas@lourdes.edu or 419-824-3523.

If you have a documented disability and have already been assigned academic adjustments by the Office of Accessibility Services, please discuss them with me so that we can implement them appropriately.

If you will require assistance in the event of an emergency, please discuss with me your needs on the first day of class so that we can plan accordingly. The Emergency Evacuation Procedure for Persons with Disabilities is available at: http://www.lourdes.edu/campus-life/accessibility/emergency-evacuation-procedures-for-persons-with-disabilities/

4. Academic Honesty:

Students are expected to do their own work and avoid plagiarism in any form. Turning in others' work or failing to cite source material properly will result in a zero on the assignment and may result in an F for the course. Please see the student handbook for more information (available on-line at: https://www.lourdes.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-19-Academic-Catalog.pdf, page 85). If you are uncertain about how to properly cite your sources, contact me for assistance (before the assignment is due).

A goal of Lourdes University is to engage students in an honest and dynamic search for truth. Academic honesty is a hallmark of such a quest. Accordingly, students are expected and encouraged to engage in all aspects of their academic studies in an honest and ethical manner. Should instances of academic dishonesty arise, the following policies and procedures will be in force.

I. Definition:
Academic dishonesty is unethical behavior, which in any way violates the standards of scholarly conduct. It includes such behaviors as cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing, submitting the same or essentially the same papers for more than one course without the consent of all instructors concerned, misappropriating library materials, or the destroying of or tampering with computer files. Also included in academic dishonesty is knowingly or intentionally helping another to violate any part of this policy. Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work/ideas as one’s own such as submitting a paper written by someone else, failing to give credit to sources (books, articles, websites, and interview sources) in research papers, verbatim use of quoted (must have quotation marks or indentation), paraphrased, or summarized material without appropriate source citation and bibliographic attribution. It is the policy of this academic community to invoke sanctions against students who violate these standards of academic honesty or who engage in academically dishonest behavior.

II. Sanctions:
Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may resolve the problem directly with the student. In cases where culpability is substantiated or admitted, the sanction may include failure of the course as well as other sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion from the University. When a student is sanctioned, the faculty member must report the incident in writing to that faculty members’ Department Chairperson. A copy of the report will be sent to the Dean of the College and the Provost. A student who has been sanctioned for more than one incident of academic dishonesty may receive additional sanctions as deemed appropriate by the Provost, including, but not limited to, suspension or dismissal from Lourdes University.

III. Appeals Procedure:
The student has five (5) working days after notification of the sanction to appeal to the instructor. The instructor has five (5) working days to render a decision on the appeal. If unsatisfied, the student has five (5) working days after notification of the instructor’s decision to appeal the sanction to the instructor’s Department Chair. The Department Chair has five (5) working days to render a decision on the appeal. If still unsatisfied, the student has five (5) working days after the notification of the Chair’s decision to appeal the sanction to the Dean of the faculty member’s college. The Dean has five (5) working days to render a decision. If still unsatisfied, the student has five (5) working days after the notification of the Dean’s decision to appeal the sanction to the Provost. The Provost has five (5) working days to render a decision, which is final. All steps of the appeal and responses must be in writing. If any deadline for a decision on the appeal is unmet, with the exception of that by the provost, the student may make the appeal to the next person in the process.

5. Statement on Academic Grievance:

final course grade is only subject to review when 1) a procedural error has been discovered in the calculation or recording of a grade, or 2) there is a basis or need for an academic reevaluation. Students are always encouraged to attempt to resolve issues directly with the member of the faculty, staff, or administration involved in an informal manner. If a student wishes to have a final grade reconsidered, the student must meet with the instructor and attempt to resolve the difference. If the issue is not resolved, a Final Grade Grievance Form may be obtained from the University web site. The student must use the form to describe the problem in writing and the reason(s) the grade should be changed. The student will then obtain a signature from the instructor to show that they have met to discuss the issues in the grievance. At this point, the student must return with the form to the Executive Assistant to the Provost (SCH 141) to have it dated and recorded. This date marks the official beginning of the grievance.

The Final Grade Grievance Form must be presented and signed at each of the subsequent selected appeal steps. The grievance procedure must begin within 15 business days of the beginning of the spring semester for grades received during the fall semester, and within 15 business day of the beginning of the fall semester for grades received during the spring or summer session. Please refer to the Lourdes University Catalog for other important deadlines and details of the policy.

6. Attendance:

Class participation is vital in this course; in-class work is a necessary supplement to the reading and writing you will do outside of class, and the contributions of each individual in class are important to everyone's learning. Therefore, attendance is required. In the event of illness or emergency, please contact the instructor (before class if possible) to obtain an excused absence. Unexcused absences during the term will affect your course grade. You are responsible for the information discussed in class when you are absent. In-class assignments/quizzes may not be made up for credit if your absence is unexcused.

7. Classroom Decorum:

Please be respectful of others' learning and avoid disruptive behavior. Turn off cell phone ringers and all other distracting portable electronic devices/sounds before class. Do not listen to headphones or ear buds during class. You should not be engaged in on-line activities such as texting or social media during class time. If there is a situation where these activities are more important than classroom learning, please leave the room to conduct your online/cellphone communications and return when you are able to focus on and participate in our classroom discussion.

8. Email Policy:

Assignments should be submitted in class or in Canvas/online as directed. You are welcome and encouraged to contact me through email if you have questions or otherwise need assistance. Please use your Lourdes email for these communications. In addition, University policy stipulates that course information (such as feedback and grades) may not be sent to a student's non-Lourdes email account.

9. Recording Policy:

Lourdes University prohibits the use of tape-recorders, video cameras, cell phones, and all other devices by students to record class lectures or meetings with the instructor or any staff member unless they have expressed written consent of the professor or staff member. Before recording any lecture, a student who wishes to record a lecture must sign a Lourdes University Agreement Form and present this to the instructor for written consent. Once students have signed the Lourdes University Agreement Form and have the expressed written consent of the instructor to record a class or meeting, students must make their own arrangements to record the class, and all other class members must be informed that the class is being recorded. Please see the Student Handbook for more on this policy.

assignments and grading

You will be assessed on assignments on a 400 point scale as indicated below. Click here for assignment descriptions.

*Participation includes attendance, preparedness to discuss reading assignments, class discussion exercises, assigned social marketing tasks, and oral presentations assigned at the discretion of the instructor. By attending each class, students earn half of the participation points for the course. The remaining points are based on students' in-class contributions. Violating the Classroom Decorum policy above can negatively affect your participation grade.

**drop lowest

***any writing assignment that contains an abundance of errors may be returned to you ungraded for proofreading and revision for grammar/mechanics. These assignments must be returned with corrections by the stated deadline or they will receive a score of zero.

Grades on late homework and assignments will be dropped 5% for each calendar day late and will not be accepted more than 7 days late. If you are having trouble with an assignment, you should make an appointment with me for assistance and to discuss the possibility of a (no-penalty) extension before the paper is due. Late final papers cannot be accepted because of the registrar's final grade deadline.

viii. required texts

Textbook

Note: The ISBN is not part of MLA format. It is provided for your convenience when purchasing your textbook to ensure you buy the right one.