Raiding the Lost Ark: The Golden Age of TV News Documentary The University of Delaware Department of Communication (In the course registration book: "Hist TV News Documentary")
Policies	Calendar of documentaries
Updated 2-7-2003

Documentary calendar Syllabus Readings Policies Grading Contact Begleiter

Classes Reading Writing Grading Professionalism & Integrity Paper guidelines Submitting assignments electronically Classes The primary focus of this course is the opportunity to glimpse an era of television news documentary production which is rarely seen today, and to discuss why those programs were produced, who watched them, what impact they had, and why programs like them are rarely broadcast today. As a result, we will view many television documentaries in this class. Our class will be held in Room 037 of Memorial Hall, a media viewing theater. The documentary calendar is available on this web site. Your questions, impressions and discussion are very much encouraged in this class. Just as in the communication field, independent, analytical and critical thinking is highly valued. So your contribution to class discussion will be reflected in your final grade. You'll be expected to attend class; it's hard to imagine how learning can take place - especially learning about the documentaries we will see - without your attendance and active participation. If this prospect does not appeal to you, please free your seat for another student. Unexcused absences may result in the automatic lowering of your grade. Top Reading How much you gain from this class will depend in large measure on how well you prime yourself for the television news programs we will examine. Readings have been chosen not only to impart information, but also to help you broaden and deepen your understanding of the programs and the political and historical context in which they were produced, and to help you develop insight into the issues we cover in this course. Even if every reading is not discussed explicitly in class, to participate effectively in class, to gain the most from viewing these old programs and to write the best papers, you will find it critical to complete the readings. There is one book required for this course. Other required readings include all or parts of papers and articles, many of which are available in the Course Packet required for this course. The packet was compiled because many appropriate readings associated with the documentaries we will see, like the documentaries themselves, are no longer in print. Included in the packet is a list of articles and an outline of their relevance to each documentary. For details on the readings, and information about the course packet, please see the "Readings" section of this web site. Top Writing • Perhaps the single most important skill in communication is thoughtful, insightful, analytical, concise, quality writing. Industry professionals repeatedly say college graduates don't have the writing skills they need for their first industry jobs. Therefore, your writing is highly valued in this course. Your grade will be very heavily influenced by the quality and the content of your writing. • Avoid unnecessary verbiage, rhetoric or embellishment. • Several brief writing assignments (1-2 pages) and longer essays (5-7 pages) will be required during the semester, based on the documentaries, class discussion and readings. Due dates will be announced in class and are included in the syllabus. They may be periodically updated on the class web site. • There will be no final exam. A final writing assignment will be due Friday, May 23, 2003 at 12:00 Noon. • Assignments submitted after their due date will receive automatically-reduced grades. Top Grading Writing, thinking and class participation (as well as mere attendance) are critical elements of this class. Please remember that (just as in the real-world) timeliness counts; late assignments will automatically lose credit. Your grades will be based on these elements: Short assignments - all together 40% of grade Final paper - 40% of grade Attendance & participation - 20% of grade Note: Students missing more than three classes may automatically experience a grade reduction. Grades will be posted periodically on the "Grading" page of this web site. Top Professionalism and Integrity You are expected to observe and uphold the University's code of academic integrity and the rules against plagiarism. Plagiarism is a major, career-killing offense in the communication industry. Violations in this course will not be treated lightly and will be referred to University authorities in accordance with established university regulations. Warning: I have a reputation for prosecuting plagiarism cases. Your written work should have a professional appearance. Even your most creative work will suffer from poor writing, spelling and formatting. Top Guidelines for your papers: Papers must be typewritten or computer printed and double-spaced. On the first page, include your name, the course name and number, the date, the assignment title and any title you choose for your work. On all subsequent pages, include your name and page number. Staple your pages; paper clips don’t withstand your book bags or my collection piles. Electronic submission of assignments – You are encouraged to submit your assignments electronically, subject to the same deadlines noted on the syllabus. You may submit assignments in various electronic forms, if you wish: - web pages containing links, graphics, text of your paper, photos and other resources - CDs you create containing text, links, graphics, photos, videos - presentations you create containing text, links, graphics and other resources Electronic submissions may be sent as email attachments, or may be posted on a web site of your creation for which you have given me (in email) the correct, functioning web address. I will confirm receipt of your electronic submissions; do not assume I have received your material until you receive my acknowledgment. It is your responsibility, not mine, to verify that links, elements and other resources actually function properly from a standard internet browser. You will be graded on what I can see, not on what you intended to submit. Use your spell-checker, but don't expect it to flag correctly-spelled words used incorrectly. For that, you must... Proofread your own work! Top

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