JR 252 - Advanced News Writing and Reporting

Description
In this course students refine their reporting skills and compose editorials. The use of social media is emphasized as a way to connect with their audience, promote stories, and provide up-to-date news coverage. Students are assigned to a beat and learn how to generate their own beat stories. Students may use the skills learned in this course to serve in an editor role for The Collegiate, GRCC’s web-based student publication.

Credit Hours: 3
Contact Hours: 3
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: JR 251 (C or Higher)
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corequisite(s): None
Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
Programs Where This Course is a Requirement:
Pathway Degree with Humanities, English, Language, and Communication Studies

Other Courses Where This Course is a Prerequisite: None
Other Courses Where this Course is a Corequisite: None
Other Courses Where This course is included in within the Description: None

General Education Requirement:
None
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
NA
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Compose editorials.

2. Develop news stories specific to an assigned beat.

3. Compose effective headlines.

4. Select appropriate photos to accompany news stories.

5. Demonstrate effective use of social media.

6. Understand and apply the criteria for sound editorial judgment.

7. Update stories in a timely manner to reflect breaking news.

8. Use high-quality, credible, relevant sources to support writing.

9. Identify quality sources for data and information pertinent to a problem or issue being examined.
Course Outline:
I. Advanced interviewing techniques

II. Ethics and legal issues

III. Writing for a beat

IV. Photo selection

V. Feature story formats

VI. Editorial writing

VII. Social media

Approved for Online and Hybrid Delivery?:
No
Instructional Strategies:
Lecture: 30-40%

Facilitated discussion: 10-20%

Mediated instruction: 10-20%

Group work: 10-20%

Fieldwork: 30-40%
Mandatory Course Components:
None
Equivalent Courses:
None

Accepted GRCC Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Credit: None
AP Min. Score: NA
Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: None

Course prepares students to seek the following external certification:
No
Course-Specific Placement Test: None
Course Aligned with ARW/IRW Pairing: N/A

Mandatory Department Assessment Measures:
None

Course Type:
Elective- Offering designed to expand learning opportunities for degree seeking students. May or may not be required for students in a specific GRCC program.
Course Format:
Lecture - 1:1
Total Lecture Hours Per Week: 3
People Soft Course ID Number: 100726
Course CIP Code: 09.04
Maximum Course Enrollment: 25
High School Articulation Agreements exist?: No
If yes, with which high schools?: NA
Non-Credit GRCC Articulation Agreement With What Area: No
Identify the Non Credit Programs this Course is Accepted: NA

School: School of Liberal Arts
Department: Language & Thought
Discipline: JR
Faculty Credential Requirements:
18 graduate credit hours in discipline being taught (HLC Requirement), Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details:
Knowledge and experience in journalism: researching, interviewing, reporting, writing, and editing Knowledge and experience in uses of multi-media reporting using photo slideshows, video, and audio as modes of reporting Knowledge of newspaper page design and software Knowledge of photo journalism and software Ability to teach and manage groups of students with varying skills and abilities Ability to act as liaison between students and other staff at college

Major Course Revisions: N/A
Last Revision Date Effective: 20250228T14:44:09
Course Review & Revision Year: 2029-2030