Course: COMM 2900
Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Communications
Title: Newspaper Production II
Semester Approved: Fall 2019
Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2025
End Semester: Summer 2025
Catalog Description: Senior staff students will practice the theory and application of newspaper design, production, and reporting as staff members and student editors of the Snowdrift, Snow College's student newspaper. Senior staff will work as mentors, student instructors, and be responsible for newspaper production.
Semesters Offered: Fall
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 2; Lecture: 2; Lab: 1
Prerequisites: COMM 1900 or COMM 1910
Justification: Students need experience in leadership positions as well as newspaper production techniques such as writing, page layout, design, headline writing, editing, etc. to produce a high-quality student paper. The course provides some training in subject and skill areas that would be covered in advanced journalism courses at larger schools. The course will transfer as elective credit.
Student Learning Outcomes: Senior students completing this course will know and practice the principles and skills of good newspaper production as they write, edit, design, layout, and publish the school newspaper. This will be assessed in their article writing, as well as assignments and
As a second year course for senior staff students they will take a leadership role. This will be assessed through leadership responsibilities and the completion of assignments associated with these leadership roles.
The focus of this Fall course is to write articles for every publication in the newspaper. Students will read newspapers, and respond critically to professional journalistic writing. Written assignments will be returned with suggestions for improving the student's writing skills.
An important goal of this course is to foster an appreciation of the Scholastic Journalism rules and regulations. Students will experience all aspects of journalism and will be requires to meet assigned deadlines for in class publications. AS senior staff students in this course will encourage junior staff in meeting deadlines. Participation, deadlines, and class discussion will be used as an assessment tool for this outcome.
Students will learn to work with the first-year newspaper editorial staff, photographers and members of the community to foster a professional relationship. This will be assessed through professional responsibilities and the completion of assignments associated with these professional roles.
Content: Course objectives will be accomplished by providing student learning and leadership in the following subject areas:• Reporting techniques• Article structure• Interviewing techniques (including how to take notes)• Learning how to make contacts and where to find sources• Understanding tools of the trade, typography and page dummies.• Story design• Page design• Photos and Art
Key Performance Indicators: Student performance in class will be evaluated in the following ways:
Completion and quality of stories written for publication. 20 to 30%
Production assignments 20 to 30%
Leadership responsibilities and completion of assigned role in assigned role 40 to 50%
Participation, deadlines, class discussion 10 to 20%
Representative Text and/or Supplies: Tim Harrower. Inside Reporting, current edition. Dubuque: WCB Brown and Benchmark
Local and national newspapers will be analyzed, as well as The Snowdrift and other college newspapers.
Pedagogy Statement: This is a hands-on class. Students actively participate and produce a student newspaper. As a senior staff class students are encouraged to take a managerial role in this course. Emphasis is placed on active participation, leadership, research and presentation skills.
Instructional Mediums: Lecture
Lab
Maximum Class Size: 20
Optimum Class Size: 15
