Academic Catalog

JRNL 53A: STUDENT MEDIA PRACTICUM I

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 5
Hours: 3 lecture, 6 laboratory per week (108 total per quarter)
Advisory: ENGL 1A or 1AH or ESLL 26; not open to students with credit in JRNL 49.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Description

Provides practical experience in creating basic news and feature content as members of the college newspaper, magazine, or online media staff, which includes a lab that regularly produces a news or feature non-fiction product with a journalism emphasis by and for students and distributed to a campus or community audience. Must include weekly news assignments. May include a variety of student media across multiple platforms, including print, broadcast, and online. Includes practical experience in design/layout, visual, online, multimedia journalism, and emerging technologies. Must be student-produced with student leadership.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Employ journalistic reporting and writing skills to produce stories for a student media product, such as a newspaper, magazine, or website
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal and ethical aspects of student media
  3. Utilize basic media production technology and processes to present assignments

Course Content

  1. Employ journalistic reporting and writing skills to produce stories for a student media product, such as a newspaper, magazine, broadcast, or website
    1. Define relevant news content and best form for publication, such as photojournalism, broadcast journalism, print (magazine or newspaper), online, and multimedia journalism
    2. Gather news information weekly
    3. Complete assignments for publication by stated deadlines
    4. Revise and copy edit basic news and information into publishable form, with attention to accuracy, clarity, thoroughness, fairness, AP Style, and media law and ethics
    5. Build a portfolio of completed projects for student media that demonstrates a range of storytelling formats/styles
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal and ethical aspects of student media
    1. Discuss First Amendment issues
    2. Discuss libel, privacy, and copyright law, and ethics issues and policies affecting media
    3. Critique and self-critique newspapers, magazines, news websites, and/or news broadcasts
  3. Utilize basic media production technology and processes to present assignments
    1. Develop news stories through written, visual, audio, video, or other multimedia formats
    2. Determine the best format—print, multimedia, visual, etc.—for telling basic news stories
    3. Complete assignments and electronically file stories, photos, and video
    4. Use software and web tools to present content visually
    5. Develop effective design/layout for story presentation
    6. Apply AP Style and legal and ethical guidelines

Lab Content

Production of a regular news or feature non-fiction product with a journalism emphasis by and for students and distributed to a campus or community audience. Must include weekly newsgathering activities; regardless of publication frequency.

  1. Finding stories
  2. Reporting and writing news, feature, opinion, and sports stories
  3. Using video equipment, editing video
  4. Using a digital camera and photo editing software
  5. Electronically filing stories, photos, and other visual media
  6. Proofreading, copyediting, and improving stories
  7. Applying standards, including multiple named sources, adequate lead, spelling, grammar, AP Style
  8. Using design software
  9. Interviewing for news media
  10. Role of student media on campus
  11. Finding college, expert, and real person sources using standard methods, websites, and social media
  12. Online and multimedia presentation of stories
  13. Utilizing journalism resources, such as textbooks, guides, and websites, to improve skills
  14. Understanding and applying ethical standards for news reporting and photojournalism
  15. Understanding and applying ethical standards for news reporting
  16. Understanding news staff organization
  17. Understanding media law as it applies to journalism
  18. Using software and web programs to present stories
  19. Exploring careers in news media
  20. Exploring entrepreneurial opportunities in news media
  21. Using critique and self-critique to improve the product
  22. Understanding the business side of student media, such as advertising, promotions, printing, and distribution

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. A classroom/laboratory equipped as a news room: computers with word processing, graphic, and page layout software; internet access; cameras; telephones; fax machine; portable recorders; references; basic supplies.
2. When taught as an online distance learning section, students and faculty need ongoing and continuous internet and email access.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Assignments evaluated for adherence to conventions of journalistic style, ethics, professionalism, and deadline timeliness across multiple platforms
Comprehension tests and a final exam requiring students to demonstrate critical thinking using concepts that have been introduced and studied throughout the course
Peer critiques and self-critiques evaluated based on thoroughness and identification of areas needing improvement
Review of portfolio and log for completeness and professionalism of presentation

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned reading
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
Laboratory experience which involve students in formal exercises of news gathering and reporting activities

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Foreman, Gene, et al.. The Ethical Journalist, 3rd ed.. 2022.

Staff eds.. Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. 2012.

Harrower, Tim. Inside Reporting. 2013.

Staff eds.. The Script Handbook. Latest edition.

Although many of these texts are older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, they remain seminal texts in this area of study and are considered foundational texts.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References:

Kanigel, Rachele. The Student Newspaper Survival Guide, 2nd ed. 2012.
The Missouri Group. Telling the Story: Writing for Print, Broadcast and Online Media, 5th ed. 2013.
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Recent edition.
Harrower, Tim. The Newspaper Designer's Handbook.
Associate Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.
Kessler, Lauren, and Duncan McDonald. When Words Collide: A Media Writer's Guide to Grammar and Style, 8th ed. 2012.
Strunk, William. The Elements of Style.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Complete one or more basic reporting/writing and/or visual media and/or online assignments per week, such as coverage of one event; submit by deadline
  2. Read about and react to journalistic concepts and issues using critical thinking skills
  3. Participate in self-critiques and peer critiques
  4. Compile a digital or print portfolio of completed work, including a log of activities with descriptions of learning experiences and time spent on assignments

Discipline(s)

Communication Studies or English or Journalism