COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
TEXTBOOKS:
Ueland,
Brenda, If You Want to Write, 2nd ed.
(St. Paul: Schubert Club, 1983), Chapter 1, “Everybody is Talented,
Original
and Has Something Important to Say,” pp. 3-9.
Cleage,
Orwell,
George, The Orwell Reader (New York: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich, 1956), “Why I Write,” pp. 390-396.
Abu-Jamal,
Mumia, All Things Censored (
Damer, T.
Edward, Attacking Faulty Reasoning: A Practical
Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments, 5th ed. (
Croteau,
David, and
William Hoynes, Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences,
3rd
ed. (
Herman,
Edward S., The Myth of the Liberal Media (New York:
Peter Lang, 1999), Chapter 2, “The Propaganda Model,” pp. 23-29.
Baker, Brent
H., How to Identify, Expose, and
Correct Liberal Media Bias (Alexandria, VA: Media Research Center,
1994),
Introduction, pp. 1-7; and Chapter 1, “Identify,” pp. 9-51.
Webb,
Kornbluh,
Peter, “The
Storm over ‘Dark
SCHEDULE
J310/Spring 2005
Spring
break: March 14-18
WEEK 9: March 22 and 24
topic: margins and mainstream
reading: Newkirk, Chapters 2 and 3
*writing
assignment #2 due on Thursday*
*Final Exam
(exam #5)*:
Tuesday, May 17, 2 p.m.
GRADES:
Your final grade will be based on:
1. 4 exams (10 points each)
40
points
2. 3 writing assignments (20 points
each)
60 points
A = 93-100
points
B = 85-92.5 points
C = 77-84.5 points
D = 69-76.5 points
1. EXAMS:
There will be five exams during the
semester. We will count your four best grades. This means you may take
all five
exams and drop your lowest grade or miss one exam without penalty.
Each of the exams will be 20 multiple-choice
questions. Each of the first four exams will cover material from the
lectures
and readings for that segment of the course. The fifth exam, during the
final-exam period, will be comprehensive, covering the entire semester.
Because you can skip one of the exams, no
make-up exams will be given except in special circumstances. So, if you
blow
off the first exam and then are sick for the fifth one, you're out of
luck.
Common sense suggests you should take all the exams.
2. WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS:
Your assignments must be typewritten and
double-spaced on two pages (600-800 words). Do not write more than
that; we
will not read beyond the second page. Use 1-inch margins and 11- or
12-point
type. Put your name and the assignment number at the top of each page.
Do not
use a title page. Staple the pages; no paper clips, no plastic binders,
no folders.
Answer the question in your own words. In
formulating your answer, you may talk with others. But the final answer
and
writing must be your own. Plagiarism -- of published material or
another
student's work -- will be punished according to university regulations.
For
more on academic integrity and plagiarism, see http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/academicintegrity.html.
Your assignments will be graded on form and
content. The quality of thinking and writing counts. Sloppy work will
be
penalized.
Keep copies of all assignments you
turn in and keep your graded assignments until the end of the semester.
A lot of papers will change hands in this class, and sometimes papers
get lost.
If there are discrepancies between our records and yours, you need to
have your
graded assignments to help us resolve the problem.
Papers are due on the class period marked on
the schedule. Late papers will not be accepted without prior approval.
If an
emergency arises, contact me as soon as possible. Papers cannot be
rewritten
for a higher grade.
SOME ADVICE ON WRITING J310
ASSIGNMENTS
1. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKED. This
seems
obvious enough, but this is where students typically lose the most
points.
Don't begin writing until you are sure you understand what you are
being asked
to write about. If you are unclear about the intent of the assignment
ask the
professor.
2. DON'T ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT AREN'T ASKED.
Students sometimes have a tendency to ramble on about things that
aren't
directly related to the assignment. Don't pad your answer with
unrelated
information.
3. DON'T TURN IN MORE THAN TWO PAGES. If you
think
you need more space to answer the question, you probably don't
understand the
question. Read #1 and #2 again.
4. DON'T ASSUME THE TA KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE
TALKING
ABOUT. Explain things clearly in your answer. Otherwise, we'll assume
you don't
know what you are talking about. Make sure your argument or assessment
proceeds
in a clear, logical fashion.
5. DON'T TURN IN FEWER THAN TWO PAGES. If you
think
you have answered the question in one page, you probably have not fully
explained yourself. Read #4 again.
6. WRITE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. Don't just
list
elements of your answer or jot down sentence fragments. Quality of
writing
counts.
7. REMEMBER THE RULES. Use 11- or 12-point
type.
Double space your answer. Use normal margins (about 1 inch). Don't
squeeze more
on one page by using tiny type or eliminating the margins. That makes
us
cranky.
8. IF YOU DON'T THINK YOUR GRADE ON AN
ASSIGNMENT IS
FAIR, don't be afraid to ask for an explanation. The first step is to
talk with
the TA who graded your paper. If you want a formal re-evaluation of
your grade,
write a short (one paragraph to one page) explanation of why you think
a higher
grade is warranted. Be specific. If you can't work it out with the TA,
ask the
professor to resolve the dispute.
Important
Note for Students
with Disabilities: The