JRN378: Photojournalism
Semester: Spring 2009
Time: MWF 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Room: 407 PUMM
Professor: Andrew R. Cline, Ph.D.
E-mail: acline@missouristate.edu
Office: 361 Craig
Office hours: MWF 1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Office phone: 836-4923
URLs
IMPORTANT: You are responsible for all the information and instructions in this syllabus. Please read it carefully. Please ask questions about anything you do not understand.
Prerequisites: JRN270
Required Texts: Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach (6th Edition), by Kenneth Kobre
Other required texts: Springfield News-Leader
Additional required materials: An SLR or rangefinder digital camera suitable for making publication-quality photos (>3.0 megapixels) and a USB jump drive.
Course Description and Goals
Journalists work with a number of different tools to report the news. One of them is the still camera. A news photographer is no different from any other journalist except that he or she gathers news with a camera as well as a notebook and recorder. The camera dictates a different kind of presentation of the news that compliments the written word. The fundamentals of fairness and accuracy still apply.
In this introductory course, you will become familiar with how news photos are made and edited for publication in newspapers, magazines, and web sites. The following competencies will be the focus of this class and must be demonstrated by you in order to pass with a grade of ‘C’ or better:
1. A basic understanding of the history of photojournalism and its role in the modern news organization.
2. A basic understanding of how to operate a camera.
3. The ability to edit photos for publication, including selecting, cropping, and cutline writing.
4. A basic understanding of photo composition.
5. A basic understanding of photo content, including portraits, sports, general news, and photo stories.
6. A basic understanding of law and ethics regarding photojournalism.
7. The ability to produce basic, publishable photographs.
Educational Philosophy
JRN378 is a discussion/lab course. This class is a public forum. I will occasionally give lectures. Mostly, I expect the class, as a community of learners, to engage in intelligent and critical discussion about the topics listed in this syllabus and other topics as they may arise based on your interests. Cogent verbal participation is critical to your success in this class.
It is important that you read all assignments carefully. I move beyond the readings by asking you to discuss their meaning and then apply what you’re learning to our class projects and discussion of ever-changing events. If you do not read the assignments before class, you are likely to be lost during class discussions. And this will have a serious effect on your ability to learn.
Attendance
The Missouri State attendance policy states: “Because class attendance and course grade are demonstrably and positively related, the University expects students to attend all class sessions of courses in which they are enrolled.”
Excellent attendance is necessary to pass this course. I do not, however, have a specific attendance policy designed to penalize you for lack of attendance. As far as I'm concerned, you attend at your choice (i.e. you reap the rewards or suffer the consequences of your choices).
Regarding attendance and illness: If you have symptoms of a communicable illness (e.g. fever or a severe cough), for the sake of your health and the health of your classmates, please stay home and take care of yourself. I will excuse you from class work. Make arrangements with me to make up missed in-class activities. I will grant no excuse unless you contact me that day by e-mail or phone. I also excuse for family emergencies.
Regarding sports and other official Missouri State functions: You are excused to attend events sponsored by Missouri State in which you play an important role, e.g. an athlete traveling to play a sport. Please let me know about your participation before your absence.
Grading
Many students think grades are painful to receive. Trust me, they are just as painful to give. So we're in this together. Considering the current structure of the academy and our society, it is necessary for me to rank your performance by assigning you letter grades based on my assessment of your work. Grades do not reflect your worth as a human being or even your potential to become a successful media professional (however you define that). A grade is a sign of a single performance in a class--nothing more.
A 'C' signifies average work/accomplishment. A 'C' is not a bad grade. I know some of you think so. And if you're one of those students who absolutely must earn an 'A' (for whatever reason), then I suggest you do excellent work.
I believe you are largely in control of the grade you earn in my class. Certainly, outside pressures intrude. You will find that I am happy to work with you so that you may achieve the level of success you seek. But this is important for you to understand: I place a much higher priority on learning and understanding than I do on grades. This means that if you approach this class with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to learn, your grade should take care of itself.
I will judge all photos on the following criteria:
1- Content
Is the context appropriate to the topic? Does it report the news and/or tell a story?
2- Composition
Does the photo conform to standards of 2-dimensional composition?
3- Editing
Is the photo a finished product ready for publication?
I will grade you for the course in these areas:
Photo assignments: 50 percent
Weblog presentation: 10
Mid-term exam: 20 percent
Final exam: 20 percent
The final word on grades: I think the mark of a serious student is the willingness to seek help, assessment, and advice in person. That means if you hope to be a serious student of the mass media and journalism (and if you expect me to think of you that way), then I expect to see you in my office. I expect to converse with you regularly about class, Missouri State University, our local community, and the world at large. If you show interest and desire, I will not let you fail.
Deadlines: Journalism is a deadline-driven business. You cannot hope to succeed unless you train yourself to meet deadlines. This class will operate like a news organization, so you must meet all deadlines. Missed deadlines result in the loss of one letter grade for an assignment. If you suspect you may miss a deadline for some reason, hand in your work early.
Grievance Procedure: Missouri State is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to Jana Estergard, Equal Opportunity Officer, Siceluff Hall 296, (417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be brought to the attention of your instructor’s Department Head.
Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact Katheryne Staeger-Wilson,
Director, Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192
or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), http://www.missouristate.edu/disability. Students are required
to provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving
accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of accommodation requests
to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for
learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact
Dr. Steve Capps, Director, Learning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://www.missouristate.edu/contrib/ldc.
Academic Honesty: Missouri State is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing and following Missouri State’s student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, available at http://www.missouristate.edu/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.html and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as described in this policy.
Dropping the Class: It is your responsibility to understand the University’s procedure for dropping a class. If you stop attending this class but do not follow proper procedure for dropping the class, you will receive a failing grade and will also be financially obligated to pay for the class. To drop a class anytime after the first week of classes, you must complete and turn in a drop slip at an authorized registration center (see http://www.missouristate.edu/recreg/chnsched.html). You do not need to obtain any signatures on the drop slip. It does not need to be signed by your instructor, your advisor, or a department head. If you wish to withdraw from the University (i.e., drop all your classes), contact the Registration Center, Carrington 320, 836-5522.
Class Behavior: Please do not 1) Sleep in class; 2) Do homework in class; or 3) Engage in willful ignorance.
Syllabus (subject to change)
PTPA = Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach
Week 1 12 Jan.
Class introduction
Week 2 19 Jan.
Read: PTPA chapters 1 and 17
History of photojournalism
The modern assignment
MLK Holiday 19 Jan.
Week 3 26 Jan.
Read: PTPA chapter 8
Equipment
How cameras work
Week 4 2 Feb.
Read: PTPA, Special section: Digital Darkroom
Using photo editing software
Week 5 9 Feb.
Elements of a news photograph
Composition
Resources:
Week 6 16 Feb.
Read: PTPA chapter 7
Photo selection and editing
Writing cutlines and captions
Pres. Day 16 Feb.
Week 7 23 Feb.
Read: PTPA Chapter 3
Covering general news
Week 8 2 March
Midterm exam
Week 9 9 March
Read: PTPA chapter 5
Portraits
Week 10 16 March
Read: PTPA chapter 4
Features
23 March to 29 March
Spring Break
Week 11 30 March
Read: PTPA chapter 11
Photo Stories
Week 12 6 April
Read: PTPA chapter 6
Sports
Spring Holiday 9-10 April
Week 13 13 April
Read: PTPA chapter 15 and 16
Ethics and Law
Week 14 20 April
Editing Tune-up
Week 15 27 April
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Week 16 4 May
Exam Prep and Class Evaluation
Final Exam: TBA
Assignments
Weblog Publishing
The bad news just keeps coming. Newspaper circulations continue to decline. News organizations are laying off employees (Gannett announced a 3% cut just before the fall semester began that affected five more employees at the News-Leader.). Sometimes it seems that the American people no longer care about journalism. But this is the view from the old model--what many in the online world refer to as the MSM (mainstream media). Opportunities abound to practice journalism on the web. News organizations such as The New York Times have converged their print products with online versions that include video and audio. And some have even opened partnerships with radio and television stations--something unthinkable just a generation ago. Independent, web-based news organizations appear to be thriving. Talking Points Memo is a good example.
Journalists and other media professionals must be able to publish on the web. In order to help you learn these skills, I now require all students in all of my classes to publish a personal media weblog.
What is a weblog? Here's a little background:
There are many free services available to run a weblog. One of the most popular (and best, in my opinion) is Wordpress. Please sign up for a weblog at the Wordpress site. If you already have a site on your own server or another weblog service, it's OK to use it for class. Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn do not count. Please do not use these services for your media blog.
You will write/photograph regularly through the semester for your blog. Your blog is yours to use as you please, but for this class you will use it as a place to publish your pictures and write about photojournalism.
Photo Assignments
I will give you 10 photo assignments throughout the semester. Each assignment should be edited and published on your blog.
Complete assignments will include a minimum of 3 pictures with a headline, accurate cutlines and an explanatory paragraph that introduces the assignment. The explanatory paragraph should follow news conventions. Think of it as a lead.