This is an active "participation" course. In addition to writing and thinking about our weekly newscast, you’ll be required to actually create a broadcastable newscast. That won’t happen if you’re not active, especially in a class as small as ours. Writing, thinking and class participation (beyond mere attendance) are critical elements of this class. Please remember that in broadcast news, timeliness is critical; late assignments will automatically lose credit. Your grades will be based on my weekly observation of your individual effort in producing our newscast, including these elements:

• Student’s "engagement" in each week’s program: is the student actively involved?
• Attention to detail: Are assignments researched thoroughly, carried out completely, accurately, fairly?
• Support for the team: Do the assignments of each student contribute successfully to the team program effort?
• Polish, professionalism
• Absenteeism: Does a student ignore the effect of his/her absence on the rest of the team effort? Does the student work hard to prevent others from having to pick up the slack?

Because there are no traditional "exams" and no "papers," your grades will be based on the weekly "project" of creating the newscast. Because there are no traditional-style assignments, it will be a bit difficult for you to receive individual feedback. You will receive lots of group and project-related feedback throughout the semester, in every class session. Around mid-semester, I will provide each student with a personal assessment of performance, which will help you evaluate expectations in the class.

Note: Students missing more than three classes will automatically experience a grade reduction.

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