Why are we here?

 

Students will study the journalistic, ethical and economic issues facing newspapers in metropolitan areas and use Gainesville and other Florida cities as their laboratories. Since an understanding of urbanization is crucial to this course, students will learn what the concept of urbanization is and how it applies to journalism. Throughout the semester, students will analyze why newspapers do what they do, cover what they cover and operate the way they do – while learning what urban journalism is and how it differs from rural coverage.

 

Course Description:

 

JOU 4777, Urban Journalism, is a capstone course and is designed for those students interested in pursuing careers in urban setting, or those interested in learning more about day-to-day newspaper operations.

 

Who am I?

                                                Gordon Van Owen

Office:                                    G035 Weimer Hall

Office Hours:                                    T: 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

                                                R: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

                                                Or by appointment

Virtual Office Hours:          M, W, F: 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

AIM Screen Name:               UrbanJournalism

Office Phone:                        (352) 392-7777

E-mail:                                   gvanowen@jou.ufl.edu

 

My phone has voicemail, so if you call my office and I am not available, please leave a message and I will get back to you. To discuss your progress in the course, grades, career plans or life in general, feel free to stop by my office or make an appointment. I respond to e-mail as well as through instant messages.  

 

Course Requirements:

 

Students should have completed the following courses:

  • MMC 2100, Writing for Mass Communications
  • JOU 3101, Reporting
  • JOU 3110, Applied Fact Finding

 

Since this course is designed as a capstone course, students should already have a command of basic journalistic writing, including grammar, writing, news gathering, reporting and AP style. This course, though similar to Public Affairs Reporting, is not an in-depth analysis of covering government and the courts. This course applies urban theory to journalism and requires students to apply those two concepts to their own writing and coursework.

 

Required Textbooks and Materials:

 

·         Associated Press Stylebook. (2007). Goldstein, Norm (latest ed.). New York: Associated Press.

·         Muckraking! The Journalism that Changed America. (2002). Serin, Judith and William. The New Press. New York.

  • The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961). Jacobs, Jane. Random House. New York.
  • The Corpse Had a Familiar Face (1987). Edna Buchanan. Random House. New York.
  • The Twilight of Press Freedom: the Rise of People’s Journalism. (2001). Merrill, John. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Mahwah, NJ.

 

Recommended Materials:

 

  • Audio Recorder
  • Flash memory drive
  • Reporter’s notebook
  • A grammar style guide: When Words Collide and The Elements of Style are two that I recommend

 

Classroom Decorum:

 

We can work together to create a positive learning environment.

I promise:     

  • To start and end class on time,
  • To strive to make every lecture relevant and interesting,
  • To use a variety of approaches to teaching,
  • To provide you with information prior to the exams concerning test format and key ideas to review.

 

I expect you:

  • To attend class – attendance is mandatory for success in the course,
  • To be prepared to stay in class the full 50 minutes,
  • To come to class fully prepared for each day’s activities,
  • To be active listeners and remain engaged in class discussion,
  • Not to answer your cell phones or use other electronics during class,
  • Not to talk to your fellow classmates during class,
  • Not to bring food or drink into the classroom.

 

Seeking help:

 

Foremost, I want you to be successful in this course and in your studies at the University of Florida. If you need individual assistance beyond the help you receive in class, it is your responsibility to meet with me during office hours or arrange an appointment for another time. If you are serious about wanting to improve your performance, the time to seek help is as soon as you are aware of a problem.

 

Resources:

 

  • Computers: Call 392-HELP for locations and hours of UF computer labs.
  • College’s Library: The Neuharth Library is off of the Weimer Courtyard, next to Gannett Auditorium, and has a collection of commercial newspapers and trade publications. (352) 392-0455.
  • Knight Division for Scholarships, Career Services and Multicultural Affairs: Provides information on scholarships, job placement and internships. It is located at 1080 Weimer Hall. Contact: Mr. Charles Harris or Ms. Pat Dunn-White. (352) 392-0289.
  • Student Services: Contact this office if you need to miss class due to an on-going medical problem or family emergency. The office will send a letter to your instructors about your absence. (352) 392-1125.
  • Career Resource Center: Conducts free testing and counseling about careers. It is located in the Reitz Union. (352) 392-1601.
  • Counseling Center: Provides scheduled and drop-in appointments with counselors to discuss a range of personal issues. (352) 392-1575.
  • Disability Resources: Students requesting classroom accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students will provide documentation to the student, who must then provide this documentation to me when requesting accommodation. (352) 392-8565.

 

Course Web site:

 

http://grove.ufl.edu/~jou4777

 

The Web site provides overall information about the course, highlights about each lecture and important handouts. I suggest that you add the URL to your bookmarks and check it regularly. Portions of the site are password-protected.

 

                        Username: JOU4777 Password: Metropolitan

 

I developed the site to be accessible by computers that meet the college’s computer requirements. If you are unable to access the site on your personal computer, please visit one of the campus CIRCA labs or download the appropriate programs to operate the site, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Flash, iTunes, etc. A complete list of required programs is on the site.

 

Computer expectations:

 

You will be required to have basic computer skills, including the ability to:

  • Type at least 40 words per minute,
  • Operate most Microsoft Office programs,
  • Send and receive e-mail – I recommend that you check your e-mail at least once a day. Please let me know if your primary e-mail account is not one of the UF-provided Webmail accounts,
  • Conduct Web searches – for some assignments you will be required to find information online,
  • Download PDF files.

 

Podcasts for JOU 4777:

 

I have recorded some Podcasts that provide additional information and help with grammar and AP style. Please download iTunes to your computer to access the Podcasts.

 

Course guidelines:

 

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory and essential for success in JOU 4777. Attendance will be taken every lecture and students will lose points for not attending. We will discuss different issues in each class that will benefit the students in your academic and professional development, and exam questions will come from the lectures.

 

Absences: If a student must be absent from class, please notify me immediately. Each student is allowed a maximum of three excused absences and 2 unexcused absences for a total of five absences. Each additional absence will result in a two-point deduction from your final grade in the course. Excused absences include: medical reasons (with proper documentation), death in the family, and professional and academic travel (if approved prior to the planned trip). If a student must miss class they should visit the Web site to stay up to date.

 

Grades and Coursework: Your final grade will be based on the following assignments and criteria:

 

  • Attendance and Class Participation: 10 percent
  • Exams

o       Criteria: the midterm and final exams will be a combination of short answer and essay questions and will be scored out of a possible 100 points.

o       Midterm Exam: 20 percent

o       Final Exam: 25 percent

  • Writing Assignments: 30 percent

o       Criteria: each assignment will be evaluated based on the criteria specified on the rubrics. Rubrics will be handed out when each writing assignment is assigned. Every assignment will be grated on content, background reporting, grammar, AP style and flow.

    • City Council / Civic Meeting Story: 10 percent

§         Students are required to attend at least one city council or civic meeting and report on the goings on at the meeting.

    • Choose from one of the following: 10 percent
      • Event story:
        • Students are required to attend a local event/festival and report on it.
      • Economic story:
        • Students will write news story on economic development, new business, economic proposals or another issue facing the city.
    • Please choose from one of the following: 10 percent
      • Investigative profile
        • Students will be assigned a local public official and must conduct a public records search, conduct interviews and write a profile on that official.
      • Arts report
        • Students must attend a concert, play or other artistic event and write either a critique or preview story of that event.
  • Group Project: 15 percent
    • Criteria: students will be graded on participation based on group and self-evaluations, creativity, Web site design and flow, and presentation in class.
    • Students will work in small groups and create a multimedia and print package that showcases their coursework. Essentially, each group will create their own newspaper. 

 

Grade Posting: I will use WebCT for posting all grades in the course. It is your responsibility to check your WebCT account to learn your score and to keep a record of your scores. If you think a posted grade is incorrect, please see me immediately.

 

Extra Credit: Extra credit opportunities may arise at various times throughout the semester. These may include news reporting opportunities, quizzes or short, five-minute class presentations. A total of 40 extra credit points will be office by the end of the semester.

 

Grading Scale: For writing assignments and the course overall

 

A         90-100                         C+       77-79                           D         60-66

B+        87-89                           C         70-76                           E          59 and below

B          80-86                           D+       67-69

 

*Scores of .5 or higher are rounded to the next whole number.

 

Taking notes during class:

 

In any media career you will attend meetings where you must listen carefully, identify key points and take notes. One of the goals for the course is to continue to develop your note-taking skills, both in class and for class assignments.

 

You should attend class and take your own notes. Using a classmate’s notes or commercially created notes do not replace your own learning and thinking.

 

From the University of Florida Faculty Handbook: “It is important to remind students that lectures given in this class are the property of the University/faculty member and may not be tape-recorded, published or sold without prior permission from the lecturer and may not be used for any other commercial purpose. Students found to be in violation may be subject to discipline under the University’s Student Conduct Code.” (4-19)

 

Academic Honesty:

 

Academic honesty is an important dimension of your performance as a student, and those same issues are at the core of ethical performance as a media professional.

As a student at the University of Florida, you have agreed to, and are required to, comply with the University Honor Code. I encourage you to review the information posted online that explains what academic dishonesty violations are, how to avoid them, and what the penalties are for those found guilty of academic dishonesty. http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/academicguide.php

If you are found to have committed an academic honesty violation in class or on any class assignments, you receive a zero for the assignment and may be reported to Student Judicial Affairs. You can read about issues related to academic dishonesty in the College of Journalism and Communications at: http://www.jou.ufl.edu/academic/jou/honesty/.

If you are aware of any academic dishonesty, please notify me or contact the Office of Student Services (392-1261).

Course Timeline:

 

  • Please complete the reading assignments by the date listed on the timeline. Unless otherwise specified, the chapters are from the texts listed on the syllabus,
  • As you prepare to read each reading, please check the Web site to see if I have posted questions and issues to help guide your reading,
  • In some lectures, we will be looking at examples from that day’s Alligator or Campus Sun. So bring a copy to class every day,
  • For some lectures, you may need to bring assignment sheets posted on the course Web site,
  • Adjustments may be made to the timeline. Be sure to check the Web site for any updates.

 

Jan. 8:

Introduction

 

I will introduce students to the requirements, coursework and goals for the course.  The professor and students will review the syllabus together.

 

Jan. 10:

Introduction: Defining Urbanization.

 

Brief lecture, with PowerPoint, that defines “urban journalism” and what information is used to define an “urban area.” Emphasis will be placed on Census data. A class discussion will be held the last 15 minutes of class, where students will be asked to give their ideas of urban journalism.

 

Reading: Introduction to Death and Life of Great American Cities

 

Jan. 12:

Diving deeper into Urbanization? What is it and why is it important?

 

I will discuss with the students what the differences are between urban and rural reporting. Brain mapping on the chalk board or overhead projector will be most effective for this type of activity.

 

Reading: Muckraking! The Journalism that Changed America First 75 Pages

 

Jan. 15: Martin Luther King Day – No Class

 

Jan. 17:

Defining and urban area, what are they and where do they come from?

 

I will start the lecture by asking the students to describe their hometowns by asking how many people live there, what the primary sources for jobs are and whether or not they think their hometown is considered urban. I will then define what an urban area is, using Census Bureau statistics and provide the class with a list of the urban areas in the U.S. The last 10-15 minutes of lecture will be used to begin presenting the history of urbanization.

 

Jan. 19:

The History of Urbanization

 

The class will be given a series of hand-outs that look like coloring book pages. The pages in succession will outline the history of urban development, with the first page showing a small village, then next a town, then a small city, and end with a metropolis. Students will be asked the color these in for homework as part of their participation grade. I will then lecture on this history of urbanization, starting with the hamlets of the pilgrims, and ending with the modern city.

 

Jan. 22:

What is Urban Journalism?

 

I will ask the students to bring a copy of today’s Alligator with them to class and I will provide copies of The Gainesville Sun and The New York Times. The students will be asked to work in groups to analyze each paper and find at least one example of what they would consider urban reporting. I will then begin a lecture that defines what urban journalism is – in a very broad sense.

 

Jan. 24:

History of Urban Journalism

 

The professor will lead a brief overview of urban journalism, beginning with the penny-press in early America. The lecture will include the early newspaper of the Revolution, the rise of newspapers during the 19th century, covering industrialization and the poor at the turn of the century, propaganda during the World Wars, the Great Depression’s impact on city life, Post-World War newspapers, the impact of television and the internet, and conclude with a brief discussion of converged media.

 

Reading: The Twilight of Press Freedom: the Rise of Public Journalism Chapters 1-7; excerpts from Jack London’s People of the Abyss (Handout).

 

Jan. 26:

What issues Affect Cities?

 

Students should bring in a copy of today’s Gainesville Sun to participate in a class discussion on what issues face cities. A short video clip from “Our Town” will be shown. The class will then discuss small town problems versus those in big cities.

 

Jan. 29:

What makes up urban news?

 

Continue the class discussion on converged journalism. This topic will lead into an overview of what topics urban newspapers cover. A handout will be distributed that lists the different aspects and sections of urban newspapers and rural ones. Students will also conduct a group activity where each group represents a certain niche within the community and formulate a pitch for why their group or organization deserves coverage over another. This activity will show students how competitive and difficult it is for reporters to decide which stories to cover.

 

Reading: The Death and Life of Great American Cities Chapters 3 and 6

 

Jan. 31:

How to Tell a Good News Story from an Important One

 

The professor will bring handouts with various story ideas on them and lead the class in an activity to determine which category each story falls into and review the basic tenets of determining newsworthiness. Categories include: Front page, state and local, features, arts and entertainment, travel, etc.

 

 

 

Making News Lively: Covering Events

 

Hopeful writers often forget that they may be assigned to cover an event they may or may not be interested in. It is their job to overcome the bias and write a story that is interesting to the reader. In an in-class activity, each student will be given a different news story to cover. They will then share how they would report their particular event in an interesting way. For homework, students, in groups of three, must bring in at least one newspaper article that discusses urban issues (i.e. development, sprawl, growth, etc). The groups will present to the class on Feb. 2.

 

Feb. 2:

Finding News Stories/ Urban Journalist as a Historian

 

We will start with the group presentations. Each group will be given 5 minutes to share their findings. The lecture will then discuss how journalists act as local historians by documenting the goings on in a given area. Students will be asked to discuss what types of events are important for newspapers to cover.

 

Reading: The Twilight of Press Freedom: the Rise of Public Journalism Chapter 8

 

 

 

Making News Lively: Covering Meetings

 

This class period is similar to the previous one, except this time the emphasis is on how to cover meetings affectively. A major part of urban reporting is covering city and county commission meetings, among others. A video clip from “Pleasantville” will be shown and an activity will follow. The clip is the scene where the town has gathered in the town hall to discuss everyone becoming color. Each student will take notes as if they were covering the meeting as a reporter. They will be given a short period of time to write a short story about the meeting. The class will end with a discussion on the activity.

 

Feb. 5:

Covering the Arts

 

Students will learn how to critique, preview and cover an art-related event. Examples will be distributed of each type of reporting. The professor will then lecture on the importance of covering the arts in the newspaper. As a homework assignment, students will be asked to bring in an example of arts coverage from the newspaper.

 

Feb. 7:

Covering the Economy

 

The professor will lead the class in a lecture discussing how economic coverage should be conducted. The class will then be divided into groups. Using big Post-it notes, the groups will then formulate an economic-feature package that can run in the paper.


Feb. 9:

Investigative Reporting

 

Since the students are required to have already taken Applied Fact Finding, this lecture will discuss the Muckrakers and their role in shaping American journalism in the early 20th century and how modern journalists still act as muckrakers.

 

Reading: Muckraking! The Journalism that Changes American pages 76-150.

 

Feb. 12:

Finding Feature Stories

 

Guest Speaker: Ted Geltner, Former Assistant Features Editor The Gainesville Sun

 

Feb. 14:  Valentine’s Day

Reporting Romance

 

Feb. 16:

Writing profiles. What is it Like to be Interviewed?

 

Guest Speaker: Local Resident who has been profiled in a newspaper before

 

Deadline: First news-story assignment due

 

Feb. 19: Presidents Day

Reporting Elections

 

Almost every year there is some form of elections, whether they are local, statewide or national ones. The professor will teach the students how to integrate elections data into an understandable news story.

 

Feb. 21:

Writing Travel Stories

 

A short video clip of a National Geographic video will be done that shows an exotic location. The professor will lead a short PowerPoint on what are the crucial elements to include in a travel story. The students will then write a brief travel story based on the video clip and what the professor presented. The video may be shown either at the beginning of class or after the PowerPoint.

 

Feb. 23:

Writing News-Features

 

The professor will lecture on what elements make-up good news-feature stories. Examples from that day’s paper will be discussed after the lecture.

 

Feb. 26:

Reporting Special Events and Holidays

 

A video clip from Home Alone will be shown. The professor will then lead a discussion that discusses the importance of inclusive coverage of holidays, regardless of religious affiliation and bias. Also, the class will learn to be aware of the various types of stories that can be tied into holiday coverage, including news, features, profiles, etc.

 

Feb. 28:

Covering Ethnicity

 

With the lead-in from the previous lecture, this one will build open coverage ethnicity and culturally divided neighborhoods. The Jacob’s reading talks about the impact of culturally divided areas have on cities. Thus, this lecture will discuss the meaning in relations to the media. East Gainesville will be a primary example during the class discussion.

 

Reading: The Death and Life of Great American Cities Chapters 7 and 13

 

March 2:

Introduction to Beats

 

Students will be introduced to the various beats that make up an urban newsroom. A handout and survey will be distributed that will help students determine which beat is most suitable for them. The survey will be formulated by the professor prior to this class period.

 

Reading: The Corpse Had a Familiar Face Part 1

 

March 5:

The big Cs: Cops/Crime/Court reporting

 

This lecture will discuss some of the legal issues facing these three beats. As a group assignment, in class, the students will be given a case from one of these beats and then the group will discuss how they would cover the event to avoid legal actions.

 

Reading: The Corpse Had a Familiar Face Part 2

 

March 7:

Metro reporting

 

The professor will lead a class discussion on what other areas of city life should be covered outside of the basic beats. Students will be asked to contribute ideas and a brain map will be made to determine which areas are most crucial.

 

Reading: The Corpse Had a Familiar Face Part 3

 

March 9: Midterm Exam

 

March 12, 14, 16: Spring Break – No Class

 

March 19:

Big Cities, Bigger Differences

 

Now that the class has talked about the different types of coverage used in urban newspapers, now students will begin to learn the differences in newsroom operations for urban newspapers. The professor will lead a PowerPoint presentation that includes diagrams of newsroom set-up at various newspapers across the country.

 

Reading: The Reportage of Urban Culture (Handout), segments from chapter two

 

March 21:

Big Cities, Bigger Problems

 

The professor will discuss with the class what types of problems urban newsrooms face, ranging from stiffer competition to higher turn over. The class will then divide into groups and brainstorm ideas on how to maintain high staff morale in a fast-paced setting.

 

Reading: The Reportage of Urban Culture (Handout), segments from chapters one and two

 

March 23:

Working in a bureau

 

Most urban newspapers have bureaus set up around the metropolitan area they cover, and in some cases in other cities or counties, The professor will lecture on how bureaus vary from working in the primary newsroom and the importance these bureaus play in the overall production and reportage for any newspaper.

 

March 26:

Anonymous Sources

 

Tipsters and sources often want to speak off the record. The professor will lead a class discussion on the ethical basis behind using anonymous sources and talk about how to deal with a source that wants to remain anonymous.

 

March 28:

Internet/ blogs

 

This lecture will introduce the idea of converged newsroom to the students and discuss how the internet is changing the operations of the newsroom, form reporting to production, and news presentation to multimedia packaging. Students will be asked to find an article online that was not printed in the daily edition of an urban newspaper.


March 30:

Multimedia and Converged Newsrooms

Introduce students to Group Project

 

Guest Speaker: Judy Robinson, professor UF College of Journalism and Communications

 

Class will be held in one of the campus CIRCA labs. The guest speaker will be asked to give a brief overview of how to use Dreamweaver so that the students may begin their final projects.

 

Deadline: Second news-story assignment due.

 

April 2:

Work Day – Group Project

 

April 4:

Community Journalism

 

Guest Speaker: Ron Dupont, editor in chief the High Springs Herald

 

The speaker will be asked to discuss why he feels community journalism is the heart of a daily paper and why local coverage is more interesting to readers than most national stories.

 

April 6:

Local Coverage

 

Class discussion: does TV or the newspaper do a better job covering local people and events? Has the newspaper become obsolete in covering local issues?


Reading: Review the Death and Life of Great American Cities Chapter 6

 

April 9:

State and County Coverage

 

The professor will use information from previous lectures (such as elections, cops, etc) to tie together the important role of state and county coverage. Each student will then be given a story from various levels of coverage, and the class will then have to collaborate to put together a mock paper and decide which stories will run where in that mock paper.

 

April 11:

International news in a local paper

 

Is there a place for it in a local newspaper? This class time will be completely filled with class discussion to see how the students feel about the issues.

 

April 13:

Where does advertising fit?

 

The professor will lead a PowerPoint-based lecture on how advertising influences news coverage and how editors must choose which stories to run and at what length based on ad space. A short class discussion, led by the professor, will discuss whether advertising or news sells more papers.

 

April 16:

The Reporter in the Spotlight

 

Students will learn that no matter how much planning the reporter does, sometimes the event they are covering changes, and they may in fact become the focus of the story.


Reading: Handouts from various Hunter S. Thompson pieces, and from Lillian Ross’ Reporting

 

April 18:

The Future of urban journalism/ Corporate Ownership

 

Guest Speaker: Jackie Levine, Managing Editor, The Gainesville Sun

 

The speaker will be asked to recount her experiences working for a corporate media company and how this trend is affecting the local media.

 

Readings: The Death and Life Great American Cities Chapter 22 and The Twilight of Press Freedom: the Rise of Public Journalism Chapter 9

 

April 20:

Opinions

Where do they fit in a metropolitan paper? Do people listen to them?

 

Is the opinions section still a viable one in a daily newspaper? The class will be asked whether or not readers still pay attention to endorsements and other opinions-related topics. A brain map will be conduct to see if there is any connection between opinions and readership.

 

Extra Credit Presentations

 

Deadline: Final news-story assignment due

 

April 23:

Course wrap-up

 

The professor will summarize the course in a short presentation. Students will then be allowed to ask questions about the final exam.

 

April 25: Final Exam

 

Group Projects will be due midway through finals week.