Nino's Classroom - MEDA 110

Welcome 06/09/2010

Photo by Thierry Caro

This will be our Media Arts 110 (MEDA 110) or "Writing for Print Media" class blog.

Our MEDA 110 is a three-unit course that involves learning the skills in writing for different print media formats. We'll meet twice a week, for one and half hours per session, over a 16-week period. (By the way, you must have taken MEDA 101 to earn credits for this course.)

By the end of the semester, we are expected to have:

Demonstrated critical thinking skills in their analyses of subject matter, audience, purpose, and genre in their writing samples
Practiced ethical and responsible practices in the data gathering and in the writing of print media materials
Mastered the fundamentals of writing for different print media formats, including the skills in gathering information
Mastered the dynamics of the print media workplace, especially in the process of the regular production of print media materials
Produced print media materials based on “authentic” communication events and situations

To help us achieve these objectives, it would help if we read up on some sources found at the Reserve Section of the CHSS Library:

Blundell, William E. The Art and Craft of Feature Writing. New York: Plume, 1988.
Bonime, Andrew, and Ken C. Pohlmann. Writing for New Media. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1998.
Fleming, Carole, Emma Hemmingway, Gillian Moore, and Dave Welford. An Introduction to Journalism. London: Sage, 2006.
Gutkind, Lee. The Art of Creative Nonfiction. New York: Wiley and Sons, 1997.
Harris, Christopher R., and Paul Martin Lester. Visual Journalism: A Guide for New Media Professionals. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
Metzler, Ken. Creative Interviewing: The Writer’s Guide to Gathering Information and Asking Questions. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.
Mencher, Melvin. Basic Media Writing. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Ramsey, Janet E. Feature and Magazine Article Writing. Madison, WI: Brown and Benchmark, 1994.
Yopp, Jan Johnson, and Beth A. Haller. An Introduction to News Reporting: A Beginning Journalist’s Guide. Boston: Pearson Education, 2005.

We'll start each class session with a short quiz based on assigned readings from these sources. That will facilitate our class discussions and activities, and will be one basis for your final grade. (No make-up test will be given for short quizzes since topics covered will be discussed during class sessions.)

Aside from active participation in class discussions, we'll also do some exercises leading towards the writing of print media copy. We'll choose the best output from these exercises and present these works in a portfolio of different print media articles (from first draft to final/published article) by the end of the semester.

We'll use a rubric for evaluating writing exercises. The rubric will be distributed along with every print media assignment. Rubrics may vary from one writing exercise to the next depending on the nature and requirements for particular print media formats. Of course, you'll be given time to revise your writing output and to present your revised work in your final portfolio.

However, grades of papers submitted beyond the deadline may be deducted points for each calendar day the paper is late.

We are also encouraged to work on our writing exercises ahead of time so we won't be tempted to plagiarize in a rush to meet due dates.

Students commit plagiarism when they present as their own someone else’s work or ideas. Such action may result, depending on the gravity of the offense, in a failing mark for the particular activity or course. In serious or repeated offenses, students may face possible expulsion from the university (please refer to the Student Manual for your guidance).

Grades for short quizzes and class participation will be computed using the following formula: Student’s score (50) / highest possible score + 50 = Grade

To arrive at a particular rating, we may our individual raw score and multiply it by 50 (the transmutation base). We then divide the product by the highest possible score, and add 50 to the quotient. The grade arrived at is equivalent to the University’s rating scale as shown below.

98-100 → 1.0 (Excellent)
95-97 → 1.25
92-94 → 1.50 (Very Good)
89-91 → 1.75
86-88 → 2.0 (Good)
83-85 → 2.25
80-82 → 2.50 (Satisfactory)
77-79 → 2.75
74-76 → 3.0 (Passing)
71-73 → 4.0 (Conditional Failure)
00-70 → 5.0 (Failure)

Our rating will then be computed according to its corresponding percentage of the final grade: class participation (30%), writing exercises (30%), and the final portfolio (40%).

Our rating for class participation and writing exercises will be for nothing though if we miss a certain percentage of class sessions. We may refer to the university’s Student Manual regarding policies on absences and their corresponding penalties. However, attendance also means active participation in classroom discussions and activities. As such, we are expected to take responsibility in examining, exploring, critiquing, and challenging ideas, concepts, and methods and techniques. We are also expected to have completed reading assignments before the scheduled discussion.

And for our first discussion topic, we'll review what we've learned about print media in our MEDA 101 classes -- the history and development as well as the issues related to newspapers, magazines, books, and other print media formats.

Here's to an exciting semester ahead of us!

MEDA 110

Media Arts 110 (MEDA 110) or Writing for Print Media is a three-unit course that seeks to train students in writing for different print media formats. Students must have taken MEDA 101 to earn credits for this course.