Wrapping things up

As per our discussion in class on Tuesday, we will not meet on Thursday, July 5, which was to be the final meeting of the session. Instead, we agreed that students will read classmates' story drafts and provide feedback via e-mail or telephone by Thursday evening.

Your revised, final drafts must be turned in by 2 p.m. on Monday, July 9. Please leave the hard copies in my mailbox in the English Department mailroom, which is on the third floor of Humanities. If you cannot turn in a hard copy because of travel plans, work or other obligations, send it to me via e-mail as an MS Word document.

Each student will receive an e-mail message from me by Thursday evening with the following:

- Feedback on the draft of your feature story. I will not copy edit or proofread your work -- that's your responsibility. I will give general suggestions for improving the story and point out any glaring errors of language, logic or journalistic practice.

- Feedback and grade for Assignment No. 3, the piece of commentary or criticism you handed in last week.

Please call me on my cell phone (518-210-6181) if you have any questions or concerns. I may not be able to respond to e-mail promptly this week. If you feel a face-to-face appointment is necessary, call me and we will arrange one between now and Monday afternoon.

Your final grades will be posted by the end of next week.

I think we crammed a lot of journalism into a six-week session. Hopefully you'll carry some of the concepts and techniques with you long into the future. I wish each of you an enjoyable summer and a prosperous future.

There's Something about Film Reviews

It seems most of you were underwhelmed by Roger Ebert's review of "A Fish Called Wanda," which I suppose it understandable since so few of you have seen that film.

So, in an attempt to bring myself up to date (a bit), I offer for your reading pleasure this excellent piece of film criticism by David Edelstein, who writes for Slate. I'm guessing most of you have seen the flick discussed in this review:

When Gross Stuff Happens to Good People

Assignment: Feature story pitches

For Thursday, June 28, come to class with two pitches for possible feature stories that you'd like to pursue for the final project.

Each story pitch should be two to four paragraphs long and must go beyond a mere mention of the topic of a potential story. Be sure to discuss the story's angle and possible sources you'd interview for the story.

We will discuss the pitches in round-table format Thursday, and hopefully by the end of the discussion you will have determined which of your two pitches to pursue.

Assignment 3: Opinion/Criticism

Not all opinions are created equal; those based on facts, experience and careful reasoning are generally more convincing than those based merely on first impressions or personal tastes. That being said, don't underestimate the potential for style, wit or emotional appeal to bolster an argument.
Choose one of the following two options:
1. Write a persuasive essay explaining and defending your position on any controversial issue in the news this week. You may write the piece in any of several journalistic styles; it may resemble a newspaper editorial, a personal column, a letter to the editor, or any other format commonly seen in the opinion pages of major newspapers (pages sometimes called "Editorial," "Commentary," "Perspectives," "Op/Ed," etc.) If the issue you choose to take on is obscure, you may wish to provide a link to (or clipping of) one or more stories about it for the professor's benefit, but the piece should stand alone so that any reasonably informed reader will be able to follow your argument. Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional opinion writers craft their arguments. For example, read editorials in the Daily Gazette and The Boston Globe, read columns by George Will and Molly Ivins, read letters to the editor in The New York Times, and observe a few debates by pundits on cable TV news stations such as CNN and MSNBC.

2. Write a review (or a comparable piece of personal commentary) on any new or recent product or performance. Your subject could be a book, a film, a television program, a concert, a video game, a CD, an art exhibit, a consumer product, a play, etc. Be certain to choose a subject about which you are knowledgeable, so the opinion you offer is an informed one.
Before you start to write your piece, do some reading; see how a range of professional reviewers write about comparable subjects. For example, if you're going to review a new music CD, read some reviews of other CDs from Rolling Stone, Metroland, the Times Union, the New York Times, National Public Radio, slate.com, and other media outlets.

Whether you choose option 1 or 2, your piece should 2 or 3 typed, double-spaced pages. It is due at the start of class on Tuesday, June 26.

A look at the final six class meetings

Calendar for final six class meetings,
JRL 200z (Summer 2007)

Tuesday, June 19: Feedback on Assignment 2
Discuss Rick Bragg story from the NYT
Instructions provided for Assignment 3

Thursday, June 21: Discuss editorial, commentary and criticism
(and related readings)

Tuesday, June 26: Assignment 3 due in class
Discuss writing for radio and TV
(and related readings)

Thursday, June 28: Assignment 4 (final story pitches) due in class
Discuss questions of media ethics
(and related readings)
Discuss public relations, how it relates to journalism

Tuesday, July 3: Draft of final story due (bring three copies)
In-class peer readings and feedback

Thursday, July 5: Final draft of story due at start of class