COMM 2900 Newspaper Production II
- Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
- Department: Communications
- Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 2; Lecture: 2; Lab: 1
- Prerequisites: COMM 1900 or COMM 1910
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Semester Approved: Fall 2019
- Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2025
- End Semester: Summer 2025
- Optimum Class Size: 15
- Maximum Class Size: 20
Course Description
Senior staff students will practice the theory and application of newspaper design, production, and reporting as staff members and student editors of the Snowdrift, Snow College's student newspaper. Senior staff will work as mentors, student instructors, and be responsible for newspaper production.
Justification
Students need experience in leadership positions as well as newspaper production techniques such as writing, page layout, design, headline writing, editing, etc. to produce a high-quality student paper. The course provides some training in subject and skill areas that would be covered in advanced journalism courses at larger schools. The course will transfer as elective credit.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Senior students completing this course will know and practice the principles and skills of good newspaper production as they write, edit, design, layout, and publish the school newspaper.
- As a second year course for senior staff students they will take a leadership role.
- The focus of this Fall course is to write articles for every publication in the newspaper. Students will read newspapers, and respond critically to professional journalistic writing.
- An important goal of this course is to foster an appreciation of the Scholastic Journalism rules and regulations. Students will experience all aspects of journalism and will be requires to meet assigned deadlines for in class publications. AS senior staff students in this course will encourage junior staff in meeting deadlines.
- Students will learn to work with the first-year newspaper editorial staff, photographers and members of the community to foster a professional relationship.
Course Content
Course objectives will be accomplished by providing student learning and leadership in the following subject areas:• Reporting techniques• Article structure• Interviewing techniques (including how to take notes)• Learning how to make contacts and where to find sources• Understanding tools of the trade, typography and page dummies.• Story design• Page design• Photos and Art
Key Performance Indicators: Student performance in class will be evaluated in the following ways:Completion and quality of stories written for publication. 20 to 30%Production assignments 20 to 30%Leadership responsibilities and completion of assigned role in assigned role 40 to 50%Participation, deadlines, class discussion 10 to 20%Representative Text and/or Supplies: Tim Harrower. Inside Reporting, current edition. Dubuque: WCB Brown and BenchmarkLocal and national newspapers will be analyzed, as well as The Snowdrift and other college newspapers.Pedagogy Statement: This is a hands-on class. Students actively participate and produce a student newspaper. As a senior staff class students are encouraged to take a managerial role in this course. Emphasis is placed on active participation, leadership, research and presentation skills.Instructional Mediums: LectureLab