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Welcome to Writing for Mass Communication. Our overall goal is to help you develop and practice writing skills needed in media careers. Here is how the course in structured:

Lecture

You will attend two lectures each week during fall semester and four lectures during summer terms. The lectures provide information about the writing styles you will be writing and include information about careers in the media. Information you gain in lecture (and the assigned readings) will be applied each week in the writing assignments you complete. Your lecture grade is based on multiple-choice exams. Attendance in lecture is strongly recommended -- and you must attend your assigned lecture section. Come prepared to take notes and take part in in-lecture activities. Please arrive on time. If you have an emergency that makes you tardy to lecture, please slip in quietly so you don't disrupt your classmates and me. The auditorium policy is no food or drinks. Thanks for your cooperation.

Lab

Lab meets for three hours each week during fall semester and twice a week during summer terms. During that time you will receive information from your lab instructor and will complete a writing assignment. You'll always know the kind of writing that you will be doing that week -- news article, personality profile, news release, ad copy, etc. In some instances you will receive the specifics of the assignment in advance. In other labs you will receive the specific assignment in lab.

Your grade will be based on an average of your lab grades. Criteria for evaluation of your work are included in the lab syllabus and will be discussed by your lab instructor. You will complete a deadline writing assignment in Lab 1, and it will be graded. However, the grade will not count toward your lab average. Attendance in lab is required and roll is taken. You will lose 10 points for being tardy to lab. If an illness or emergency makes it impossible for you to attend lab, you need to contact your lab instructor before lab to get the absence approved and make arrangements for making up the work. If you do not talk with your lab instructor prior to the lab or the lab instructor does not approve the absence, you will receive a zero for that lab.