Crisis News! The University of Delaware Department of Communication COMM418-012 Spring, 2002 Professor Ralph J. Begleiter Policies Updated 2/4/02 Crisis News Home

Syllabus Readings Course Description Speakers & Resources Policies Grading Contact Begleiter The Lighter Side

Requirements/Assignments Reading • How much you gain from this class will depend in large measure on how seriously you take the reading assignments. Readings have been chosen not only to impart information, but also to help you broaden and deepen your understanding of our class discussions, and to help you develop insight into the issues we cover in this course. To participate effectively in class and to write the best papers, you will find it critical to complete the readings. Even if every reading is not discussed explicitly in class, to participate effectively in class and to write the best papers, you will find it critical to complete the readings. • Three books are required reading. Other required readings will include all or parts of papers and articles, many of which are available on the Crisis News! internet page (see below). Current Events • This course draws heavily on current issues in the news media. You will be required to keep up with contemporary news by reading The New York Times, and by watching television news broadcasts. Students may subscribe to the Times at discount rates. Students will also want to remain familiar with news coverage on National Public Radio, PBS (WHYY-TV-12) or one of the domestic networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC). We'll have regular discussions on current media handling of today's "crisis," a look at what's driving today's news. Writing • Perhaps the single most important skill in broadcast journalism is thoughtful, insightful, analytical, concise, quality writing. Therefore, such writing is highly valued in this course. Your grade will be very heavily influenced by the quality and the content of your writing. • You should avoid unnecessary verbiage, rhetoric or embellishment. To help keep your writing to-the-point, I will not read beyond the page limit. • Numerous brief writing assignments (1 page) and several longer essays (3-5 pages) will be required during the semester, based on 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. • A final take-home exam paper (5-7 pages), on a topic to be assigned, will be due by 4:00pm on Monday, December 11, 2000. (To help students handle end-of-semester exam pressures, students may choose to submit their papers on Friday, December 8 at their option.) • Papers submitted after their due date will receive automatically-reduced grades. Computer Assignments The Department of Communication is committed to developing student computer literacy. This course will illustrate the increasing role computers are playing in driving the "news-of-the-day." • Students are required to communicate with the instructor by email (my email address is at the top of this syllabus). • Students are encouraged to investigate Internet sites as news sources, and will be required to critically evaluate them for content, reliability and timeliness. • Many documents used in this course may be found on the course Internet site (see web address at the top). They're on the page linked as "Supplemental Readings". Please familiarize yourself with using this site. To read some of these electronic documents, you'll need to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader program on your computer; it's a free, easy-to-install download, available here. • Students are required to communicate with the instructor by email (my email address is on the "Contacts" page). • Students are encouraged to investigate Internet sites as news sources, and to critically evaluate them for content, reliability and timeliness. Professionalism and Integrity Your written work should have a professional appearance. Even your most creative work will suffer from poor writing, spelling and formatting. You are expected to observe and uphold the University's code of academic integrity and the rules against plagiarism. Violations will not be treated lightly and will be referred to University authorities. 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. • Use your spell-checker, but don't expect it to flag correctly-spelled words used incorrectly. For that, you must... • Proofread your work. • Proofread your work. • Proofread your work.