College of Communication College of Communication The University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism School of Journalism

J327: Feature Writing and Reporting

Fall 2009

MWF 8-9 a.m.

Instructor: Dave Harmon

dharmon@statesman.com

cell: (512) 652-8810

Room: CMA 6.168

Office hours: by appointment

Course description: This class will focus on reporting and writing feature stories for publication in newspapers, magazines and other outlets. The basic skills that go into good storytelling will be emphasized. You’ll will report and write original stories, practice pitching stories to different media and work as a team to brainstorm ideas and critique each other’s work.

Text: None. Samples of feature stories will be provided either through handouts or on Blackboard (http://courses.utexas.edu. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Course Requirements: You’ll write five stories over the course of the semester that will account for 80 percent of your grade. This must be original work that has not been submitted for another class or publication. All but the personal essay must involve some reporting out in the field.

Personal essay (minimum of 700 words; 10 percent of final grade)

News feature or issue story (min. 1,000 words and 3 human sources; 15 percent)

Profile (min. 1,000 words and 3 human sources; 15 percent)

Your choice (min 1,000 words and 3 human sources; 15 percent)

Narrative (min. 1,500 words and 4 human sources; 25 percent)

You’ll also turn in story plans for the final four stories, participate in story idea brainstorming sessions, do some in-class assignments and write a handful of short essays as homework. No quizzes, no midterm, no final exam.

The remaining 20 percent of your grade will come from a combination of attendance, participation in class, completion of in-class assignments and homework.

Deadlines: This is a journalism class, so they’re really important. Assignments must be printed out and turned in at the beginning of class on the due date. If you forget your work, I’ll allow email submissions (either a Word document or pasted into the email body) no later than noon on the due date. Unless you get permission from me in advance to turn in an assignment late, I’ll take 10 points off for late work, which will jump to 20 points if it’s more than 24 hours late (which means 8 a.m. the next day).

J327/Harmon syllabus p.2

Attendance: You get two freebies. After two absences, points will be deducted from your final grade for any unexcused absences (I’ll give excused absences if you have a good reason and let me know that day why you were absent). Same thing for habitual lateness. I know it’s early in the morning, but please get here on time. Missing a story critique day will count as two absences.

Story format:

Grading: I’m going to grade your work the same way I edit reporters’ stories. A story that I would not hesitate to publish and doesn’t need significant additional reporting or major editing gets an A. Stories that need either significant editing or reporting get a B at best. Stories that need both (editing and reporting) get no better than a C. Stories that don’t show serious effort at reporting or writing will get a D or an F. In addition, stories that just aren’t interesting (a subjective judgment, yes, but one editors make every day), stories that appear to have been reported completely by phone/computer/email or that quote people you know (friends, family, roommates – except for personal essays) won’t do better than a C. Plagiarism of any kind will mean an F for the assignment and possibly the class, depending on the severity. Same thing for inventing sources.

Other things that will cost you points:

Things that will help you do well on stories:

J327: Feature Writing and Reporting

Fall 2009/Harmon

MWF 8-9 a.m.

SEMESTER SCHEDULE

Week 1: (Aug. 26, 28): Course introduction

Wed: Introduction, class goals

Homework: 1-2 page autobiography, list of things you want to learn this semester

Fri: Career paths: can I still make a living as a writer?

Due: autobiography

Homework: Find an example of good storytelling from any media (magazine, website, newspaper, poetry, short story etc.) to bring to Monday’s class

Week 2: (Aug. 31-Sept. 4)

MON: Developing good story ideas and mapping out a game plan

Due: Share examples of good storytelling

Homework: Find 3 good story ideas and bring them to class Friday

WED: Riffing off the news to find good features

FRI: Humanizing big issues

Due: STORY #1 (personal essay)

Homework: Story plan for Story #2 (news feature/issue); short essay 1 (500 words minimum, topic TBA)

Week 3: (Sept. 7-11)

MON: NO CLASS, Labor Day holiday

WED: Story meeting for story #2 (news feature or issue story)

Due: Story plan, short essay 1

FRI: Finding meaningful details; writing with the senses

Classwork: Sensory writing

Homework: Short essay 2 (500 word min., topic TBA)

Week 4: (Sept. 14-18)

MON: How to start and end a story well

Due: short essay 2, revised story plan (if necessary)

WED: Structuring your story

FRI: Alternative structures: adventures in experimental writing

**Have a draft of your story ready for Monday’s critique

J327 schedule /2

Week 5: (Sept. 21-25)

MON: class critique for news feature/issue story (bring 5 copies of story draft to class)

WED: Getting published: how to approach editors and pitch stories

FRI: Reporting and writing profiles

Due: News feature/issue story

Homework: Story #3 plan; short essay 3 (500 words min., topic TBA)

Week 6: (Sept. 28-Oct. 2)

MON: Story meeting for Story #3 (profile)

Due: Profile story plan; short essay 3

WED: Honing your interviewing techniques

FRI: Interviewing practice

Due: Revised profile story plan (if necessary)

Homework: summary of interview with classmate (min. 1 page)

Week 7: (Oct. 5-9)

MON: Shifting space and time without confusing your readers

Due: Classmate interview summary

Homework: writing exercise: one hour, three scenes

WED: Playing with time

Due: scenes exercise

FRI: Guest speaker

**Have a draft of your story ready for Monday’s critique

Week 8: (Oct. 12-16)

MON: Class critique for profile story (bring 5 copies of story draft to class)

WED: The scalpel, the knife or the chainsaw: how to self-edit

Classwork: Story editing

Due: Profile story

Homework: Story #4 plan (your choice) due on Monday

FRI: One-on-one sessions (everyone else gets the day off)

J327 schedule /3

Week 9: (Oct. 19-23)

MON: Story meeting for Story #4 (your choice story)

Homework: Story #4 plan; Find song lyrics that tell a story and bring a copy of them Wednesday

WED: What The Beatles, The Boss and others can teach us about writing

Due: Story #4 plan

Homework: Short essay 4 (500 words min., topic TBA)

FRI: One-on-one sessions

Week 10: (Oct. 26-30)

MON: Building tension: cliffhangers, foreshadowing and other techniques

Due: revised story plan (if necessary); short essay 4

WED: Instructors’ choice: topic TBA

FRI: One-on-one sessions

**Have a draft of your story ready for Monday’s critique

Week 11: (Nov. 2-6)

MON: Class critique for Story #4

WED: Identifying what is a narrative (and what isn’t)

Due: STORY #4

FRI: Reporting for narrative

Homework: Narrative story idea

Week 12: (Nov. 9-13)

MON: Story meeting for Story #5 (narrative)

Due: Narrative idea

Homework: Narrative story plan. Short essay 5, “It happened like this…” (an event from your life, 500 words min.)

WED: Guiding your inner camera: writing in scenes

Due: Narrative story plan, short essay 5

FRI: One-on-one sessions

Week 13: (Nov. 23) **NO CLASS FRIDAY, THANKSGIVING**

MON: Online storytelling and multimedia (video, blogs, graphics, and such)

WED: One-on-one sessions

J327 schedule /4

Week 14: (Nov. 30-Dec. 4)

MON: Troubleshooting your narrative

**Have a draft of your story ready for Wednesday’s critique

WED: Class critique for narrative story

FRI: Course evaluation and final thoughts

Due: Narrative story

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Other stuff…

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