JMC002 Basic journalism writing skills

15 lectures   3 credits

Course description

The course will  teach students  professional writing skills.

Course objectives

At the end of the course students will  be able to write for  both the print and electronic media. Students will also be able to function as journalists in their communities

Course outline

Lecture 1 – 2

Grammar, style, spelling. Students will learn about the  basic rules of good writing

Lecture 3 – 4

News basics

Students will learn how to identify newsworthy events.

Students will also learn how to write the lead, the first paragraph of a story.

Lecture 5 – 6

Media writing

Students will learn how to write stories for both the print and broadcast media.

Lecture 7

Sources and searches

Students will learn how to search stories

Lectures 8 - 10

Specialized reporting

Students will learn how to  conduct interviews; how to write financial and statistic reports, how to cover speeches and meetings, etc.

Grading.

Quizzes will account for 30 percent of the final grade

Grammar, style and punctuation tests will account for 20 percent of the final grade.

News stories will account for 50 percent of the final grade.

A = 90 percent and higher

B = between 80 and 90 percent

C = between 70 and 80 percent

D = between 60 and 70 percent

F = under 60 percent.