R. Scott Mackey, M.A.
Lecturer
California State University, Sacramento
Communication Studies Department

Fall 2007

Instructor

Bio and c.v.

CommS 122
Syllabus
Reading list

Published Work

Communication/Journalism 122

Syllabus

Course Description
Writing and editing for visual, audio, and interactive media. How to choose appropriate format and delivery mechanisms for news, Web sites, kiosks, and CD/DVD. Topics include accessibility, copyright law and information ethics.

Course Objectives
At the end of the semester, the student should be able to:

• Understand what constitutes good writing in any medium
• Understand differences in writing for linear and non-linear media
• Develop an audience-focused, communication-oriented approach to writing
• Create text-based documents that communicate effectively across different media

Text
Writing for Visual Media by Anthony Friedman (required)

Reading Packet

The Basics of Good Writing (PowerPoint)

Prerequisites and writing expectations
This course is primarily a writing course. Students must have completed ENGL 001A and ENGL 020 or achieved a passing score on the WPE. This is NOT a course in HTML or multimedia production. Grades on assignments will be adjusted downward for style errors as well as errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and other mechanics.

General Polices
Attendance - Attendance is a critical component of this class. You will be allowed no more than three absences. Any absences after this will result in a reduction of 5 points per absence. If you miss a class, you are responsible for finding out the information you have missed, including obtaining handouts from classmates, etc.. If you miss a class you cannot make up the graded work (e.g., quizzes, in-class assignments) for that day unless pre-approved by the instructor.

Due dates - All assignments are due at class time on the date announced or assigned. Late assignments will receive a lower grade and will not be accepted more than one week beyond the due date.

Plagiarism - Plagiarizing work will result in an F in the course.

Computer use - Surfing the Internet during class or using the classroom computers for anything other than Communication Studies 122 work will result in a loss of 5 points for each infraction.

Portfolio - For some students work from this course will be included in your Comm Studies Portfolio.

Grading
I will not discuss grades in the classroom or on the day an assignment is handed back. All discussion of grades will take place at least 24 hours after the assignment has been returned. Questions about the grade should be written out clearly and we will discuss it during a prearranged time. Final grades will be based on the following criteria:

Quizzes (10 x 5 pts)	50 pts
Web/CD Critique	10
Blogging	20
Midterm	50
Text assignment	40
60-second audio spot	10
“Two Tickets to Paradise”	10
60-second TV spot	10
Interactive assignment	50
Final	50
Class participation	50
TOTAL POINTS	350

A = 315 - 350 points D = 210 - 244 points
B = 280 - 314 points F = 210 or less
C = 245 - 279 points

Quizzes
Ten 5-point quizzes will be given throughout the semester. The quizzes will be based on the reading assignment due at the beginning of that week.

Web site or CD Critique
This will include a 500-word analysis of a Web site or CD-ROM and an oral presentation to the class. The Web site or CD or kiosk you choose to critique must be pre-approved by the instructor.

Guidelines for Critiques
A. Find a major Web site or on an interactive CD-ROM/Kiosk that you think is interesting. Study the writing and presentation to get a good sense of its structure, style, organization, and non-linear components. Think about how well (or poorly) the content sustains your interest and facilitates your access to information.

B. Your written analysis should, at a minimum, contain the following:
1. introduce your content;
2. explain its intended purpose;
3. analyze the structure of the content;
4. discuss whether it is well written or not - why or why not (use criteria presented in class);
5. point out what's good, interesting or worth imitating about the content; and
6. present at least one feature that you think is not successful;
7. suggest ways the content could be improved.

Blogging

Beginning in Week 4 you will create your own Web blog site, where you will post your thoughts, comments or opinions on a topic of your choice. You must post at least once per week and have a minimum of 10 posts by week 15. A posting consists of a minimum of 250 words.

Midterm and Final

These will be in-class tests. Final will be comprehensive.

Major Assignments

There will be a semester-long individual project. Part one will be to create a text-based document. The second part will be to convert this text-based content into an interactive format. There will also be three smaller assignments (audio spots, video spots, and “Two Tickets to Paradise”) that focus on writing for audio and video applications.

Schedule

Week	Class date	Subject	Reading (have done by start of week shown)	Due
1	9/4	Introduction Overview of interactive writing The basics of good writing	None
2	9/11	The basics of good writing – cont’d Writing Excercises	None
3	9/18	Making it readable; Text assignment Analyzing your audience	Review “Keys to good writing”	Quiz 1
4	9/25	The writing process for multimedia; in-class prewriting for text assignment	Online readings 1, 3	Quiz 2
5	10/2	The challenges of writing for different media—print, audio, video, Web, CD/DVD Organizing content; in-class exercise	Online readings 4, 5	Quiz 3 blog Text assignment
6	10/9	Multimedia presentations Writing lab		blog
7	10/16	Multimedia presentations Midterm review	Online reading 6 Ch. 1,2	Quiz 4 Quiz 5 blog
8	10/23	Midterm Writing for audio		blog
9	10/30	Writing lab – audio & video	Ch. 3 and online reading 7	Quiz 6 blog 60-second audio spot
10	11/6	Writing for video Writing lab	Ch. 4, 5	Quiz 7 blog “Two tickets to Paradise”
11	11/13	Writing lab		blog
12	11/20	In-class critiques TV Spot Assignment	Ch. 13, 14	Quiz 8 blog Written critiques
13	11/27	Writing for interactive media Interactive assignment	Online readings 8, 9	Quiz 9 blog TV spot
14	12/4	Writing Lab ADA compliance and other legal and ethical issues in interactive media	Ch. 15	Quiz 10 blog
15	12/11	Final Exam - comprehensive		Interactive assignment

Send comments or suggestions to: smackey17@yahoo.com

Updated: July 21, 2007