Journalism Course Information and Registration

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

Journalism Course Information and Registration

Five courses are available, and I'll be placing a description and sign-up sheet up tomorrow somewhere public. Please state clearly which courses you are interested in taking and whether you are interested in the work-study, special extra-credit options or any other questions.

Office hours are most evenings from 1800 CST to 2100 CST. I will be available to you on any weekend in which I have to sit detention. You can reach me on AIM at CallousTruths or through e-mail at JournalismProf @ gmail . com and if you try to address me on any subject other than school work outside the class room I reserve the right to make you the subject of my next published column... or at least use your name. Humorously.

Please also note that weekly assignments will be placed on the main board and you will have one week to post your completed assignments in the comments section. That having been said:



Firstly, let me remind you that I don't want to be here. Do not give me any excuse to take out my pent up frustration at having to interact with a bunch of children on a daily basis out on you, because I will. With prejudice. Behave your damn selves and we'll all get along swimmingly - without the cement bricks, if you're lucky.

Journalism 101 - One article a week on anything that takes your fancy. Each article is graded Pass/Fail/Resubmit on your ability to fulfill the following points.

1. Must be 100 words.
2. Must actually capture my attention.
3. Does not necessarily have to be truthful, but must appear plausible.
4. Must be an easy, pleasant read.

Journalism 201 - One article a week on a given topic. Each article is graded Pass/Fail/Resubmit on your ability to fulfill the following points.

1. Must be 150 words.
2. Must actually capture my attention.
3. Does not necessarily have to be truthful, but must appear plausible.
4. Must be an easy, pleasant read.

Journalism 301 - One article a week on anything that takes your fancy. Each article is graded Pass/Fail/Resubmit on your ability to fulfill the following points.

1. Must be 200 words.
2. Must be what I would define as an interesting read.
3. Must be truthful, or at least hard to disprove without actual work on my part.
4. Must attract and hold the attention. Language must still be easy to interpret.

Journalism 401 - One article a week on the topic of my choice. Articles are Pass/Fail only.

1. Must be 250 words.
2. Must be attention grabbing.
3. Must be a complete fabrication in every detail, but still appear plausible to the gullible public.
4. Language may be as abstract and obscure as you please, but avoid pretension.

Journalism 401 has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Mostly mine.

Advanced Journalism - One article a week which accurately reflects one of your own interests or enthusiasms. Each article is graded Pass/Fail.

This course is designed to allow you to learn how best to sway your fellow students on any one particular topic.

1. Must be 100 words.
2. Must convince me that the subject of your article would interest me personally.
3. Must be completely truthful in every respect.
4. Must be an easy, enjoyable read.

Combat Journalism - One article a week which chooses a controversial topic and supports one side and one side only. Each article is graded Pass/Fail.

This course is designed to teach you how to provoke a specific emotional reaction in your audience.

1. Must be 100-150 words.
2. Must be written in such a way as to provoke argument and controversy - the more heated the debate, the better.
3. Feel free to lie, distort and exaggerate as much as you please in order to provoke the most extreme reaction.
4. If you manage to start an argument or flamewar in the assigment thread, you get an automatic A.
5. Must be written intelligently and should not overtly resemble an attempt at trolling.

Combat Journalism is closed for registration at this time, unless you can come up with a compelling argument as to why I should let you in at this late date.

All coursework will be submitted in the comments section of each assignment thread. All threads for Advanced and Combat Journalism will be left open for comments from your peers and credit will be awarded for any assignment response that provokes a reaction from your peers.

Test and pop quizes will be in the form of unexpected assigment posts. Pass/Fail only and on whatever topic pops into my drug-addled brain. You don't have to actually know what you're talking about, only sound as if you do... but you have to produce a short article to deadline. Period. You miss the deadline... well, it happens to us all. Life sucks. Learn to deal with it early.

Journalism is all about informing, educating and swaying your audience... and how best to test your skills than on your fellow students.

There will be a Photojournalism option offered by special arrangement - this is a work-study option and will involve making yourself available to students working on extra-credit or special assignments.

There will be a student newspaper. Please see last_worde, our student editor, for organizational information.

I'm currently in negotations with padmeofnaboo to have Advanced Journalism students assigned to Advanced Negotiation students to help understand the power that information and the press can exert over politics. If anyone is interested in this extra project, please let me know.

There will be the occasional sanctioned field trip to various places, some of them entirely random, some of them requiring the standard legal disclaimers and my lawyer informs me that I will need signatures from parents, legal guardians or, if you are legally emancipated or over the age of 18, your own signature with two adult witnesses before you can go on each and every trip. There are blanks of the required form on my desk in the classroom, as some of these will be spur-of-the-moment, I suggest you get a great many of them signed at once.



In other news, I'm searching for a Teaching Assistant. This will count as an internship and possibly come with the standard 'hazard pay'. It's in my contract with the government shitheads. Please contact me privately if you are interested in this position.

Comments

[principalconnor.livejournal.com]

If you manage to start an argument or flamewar in the assigment thread, you get an automatic A.

(OOC: *snerk* WINNER.)

[jayne-serenity.livejournal.com]

Journalism 101 sounds like it aint too bad...
*grumbles*

[smallfry-.livejournal.com]

Daddy sent me here to learn somethin', so here goes. Guess Journalism 201 looks like it could be my kinda thing.

[thehurleyabides.livejournal.com]

Dude. These look all hard and stuff.

I bet I can write 100 words about Twinkies (BEST FOOD IN THE WORLD!). Yeah, dude, Journalism 101 for me.

[last-worde.livejournal.com]

Well, it's good I can forge my father's signature.

Journalism 301 and Advanced Journalism, thank you.

(OOC: Ahahaha, extra homework. Going to die. Well, I can plot in math class.)

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking Advanced Journalism. I considered Combat Journalism, but it sounds like it would involve actual efford, so. No.

[mycanonhatesme]

I hope I'm not going to be the only student in Combat Journalism.

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

Well, I could be convinced. I like politics. Politics are great. And subtle legal points. They're awesome.

[mycanonhatesme]

I just like arguing with people and convincing them to see things my way. *smile*

[chasingangela]

I'll sign up for 301. Though if we write about what really happened, won't it be really upsetting?

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

I like upsetting. Upsetting provokes a reaction and forces people to think. Upsetting will get you an A faster than anything titled 'My Puppy Biggles' unless you're discussing how you dressed and ate him.

[chasingangela]

You remind me of this teacher I had last year. His calss was so awesome and real.

Then he got fired. And then he turned out to have, like, deserted his wife.

Then he forgot my name.

[lifeofkrakow.livejournal.com]

He was, like, mentally ill.

[(Anonymous)]

You so didn't understand him.

I mean, you might be techically right, or whatever. But he got us to write good stuff, you know?

[chasingangela]

You so didn't understand him.

I mean, you might be techically right, or whatever. But he got us to write good stuff, you know?

[lifeofkrakow.livejournal.com]

You're not talking about that, like, poem he tried to make me read, are you?

[chasingangela]

Remember my fable? About the paper girl? That was, like, my favorite thing I did all year.

But the furnace room poem ... oh my god, you got so red. But. Um. The person who wrote it should say what she knows, you know?

[OOC: I know the audience finds out Sharon wrote it, but I can't remember whether the characters know that.]

[lifeofkrakow.livejournal.com]

But other people shouldn't have to read it. It wasn't even a real haiku or whatever.

[OOC: I was actually just watching that episode last night. Everybody thinks that Rayanne wrote it. :>]

[deadlikegeorge.livejournal.com]

Journalism 101 sounds do-able.

If you still need an assistant, I can talk to my old boss, Delores. I think there's a Happy Time office in D.C.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

Happy Time?

I somehow don't think they'd have anyone... suitable.

[deadlikegeorge.livejournal.com]

*thinks about it*

Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right.

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

*slouches into office*

How much extra is this hazard pay count for?

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

That will depend on whether or not you meet the qualifications (http://www.livejournal.com/community/fandomhigh_ooc/685.html).

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

Hey, mate, you pay enough for me to buy fireworks enough for me to get a laptop enough, I don't care what you want me to do, long as I don't have to act perky when I'm doing it and you don't mind a fire. Or two.

Not like I haven't broken the law before, anyway.

'sides, it's not like you can be worse than my last boss, right? Right?

[marieann-d.livejournal.com]

I'd like to register for Journ 101, please.

[fh_jackass]

Combat Journalism sounds interesting. I'm in.

[janet_fraiser]

Combat Journalism seems to be popular. I'll sign up for that.

[teen-twin.livejournal.com]

Sign me up for Journalism 201, please.

[b-someone.livejournal.com]

201, please Sir?

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of Combat Journalism if there's still room in the course.

[egyptianlove.livejournal.com]

I'd like to sign up for photojournalism, please?

[the-envious-sin.livejournal.com]

*smirks* Combat Journalism, eh? Sign me up!

[youngest-sister.livejournal.com]

*waves*

Hi! I am siGning up For youR 101 cLass becuAUSe onCe we spenT an houR making PINk balloOn pARrots together.

(my sister SayS that yOur cat ate TWO of her rats at the saMe time, bUt they're NOT very nice rats anywAY.)

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

Yes, well, she has a mind of her own, that cat.

... I thought you looked familiar. You can hang around in my quarters anytime, Sunshine. I won't bother to reset the security system as I think it knows you well enough.

[otto-chriek.livejournal.com]

Photojournalism vurk-study, please. Commenting here to make it official.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yeah. You're in. Once I get the paperwork from the scary woman, I'll file it with the principal right away.

[caroline-todd.livejournal.com]

I would very much like to sign up for Journalism 401.
Thank you Sir.

[caroline-todd.livejournal.com]

Sir that should have been 201. I'm sorry.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

This is exactly the sort of thing I have an assistant for, thankfully.

[macanaut.livejournal.com]

I would like to register for Journalism 101.

[cool-bobby.livejournal.com]

*shows up with the digital camera he borrowed*

Excuse me, sir? I was told I could come here to sign up for Photography?