CS4020 Feature Writing Course Syllabus PDF

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CS4020 Feature Writing AY2021-2022 Semester 1 Course Syllabus General Information Lecture:

Tuesday 10.30am-1.30pm (SCI Media CoLab)

Tutorial:

Tuesday 10.30am-1.30pm (SCI Media CoLab)

Instructor: Office: Contact: Consultation Sessions:

Asst Prof Andrew Duffy WKWSCI 02-03 Phone: 6790 6582 Email: [email protected] Monday 10-6 or by appointment

Course Aims This course will prepare students to work as journalists on lifestyle and special interest magazines, as well as for the lifestyle pages of newspapers. It is distinct from news reporting which is the basic writing style of journalism. The course will look at feature journalism, considering angles, packaging, working with commercial influences, and feature journalism’s place in society and readers’ lives. One important thing to be aware of is that feature writing is more difficult, more sophisticated and more advanced than news reporting. It is not ‘soft’ journalism. This is a writing course, and each week there will be writing exercises in class. Looking at eight forms of writing commonly used in magazines, it will help students develop their own voice, as well as understanding how to adapt their writing style for different publications with different readerships. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) These writing skills are transferrable across platforms as the fundamental principles and applied styles are not print-specific. At the end of the course, participants should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Angle feature stories to be relevant to a particular audience Write in a style suited to a particular audience Describe different kinds of feature story Critique the relationship between feature writing, consumerism and community Recognise how a reader’s interests are represented in features journalism Evaluate the writing style of a magazine Critique the ambivalent role features journalism has in society Propose feature ideas relevant to a specialist subject and publication Write a piece of shortform journalism Write a piece of long-form journalism

WEE KIM WEE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES | COURSE SYLLABUS | ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/2021 SEMESTER 2

Assessment Component 1. Class Participation 2. Shortform 3. Longform 4. In-class essay

ILO Tested 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 1, 2, 8, 9 1, 2, 8, 10 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Total:

Weighting 15% 25% 35% 25%

Team/Individual Individual Individual Individual Individual

100%

Description of Assessment Components: Class Participation (15%) You need to be present to get these marks… Assignment 1 (25%) Shortform review of arts, food, travel, event, product (750 words) Assignment 2 (35%) Longform feature on topic of specialist interest (1,500 words) Assignment 3 in-class essay on a choice of topics set by the lecturer (25%) Reading and References Required readings will be made available as and when, and distributed on NTULearn RECOMMENDED TEXTS Feature & Magazine Writing: Action, Angle, and Anecdotes. Sumner, David E., Miller, Holly G. Sumner, David E., 2013. Real Feature Writing: Story Shapes and Writing Strategies from the Real World of Journalism. Aamidor, Abraham; Fadem, Susan Sherman. 2006. Feature Writing for Journalists. Wheeler, Sharon, 2009. Writing Feature Articles. Hennessy, Brendan. 2006. Course Policies 1. General You are expected to complete all assigned pre-class readings and activities, attend all seminar classes punctually and take all scheduled assignments and tests by due dates. You are expected to take responsibility to follow up with course notes, assignments and course related announcements for seminar sessions they have missed. You are expected to participate in all seminar discussions and activities. 2. Absenteeism Absence from class without a valid reason will affect your overall course grade. Valid reasons include falling sick supported by a medical certificate and participation in NTU’s approved activities supported by an excuse letter from the relevant bodies.

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If you miss a lecture, you must inform the course instructor via email prior to the start of the class. 3. Other Course Policies ALL classes are interactive. Lecture and tutorial notes and readings will be posted on NTULearn to give students time to formulate questions and ideas. Silence in class is not an option. Presentation and comment. Students will be encouraged to bring in interesting feature stories for discussion, to look at their treatment and to analyse the story’s relevance to the reader; and to consider how the story could be improved, augmented or re-angled. Debate. Students will also discuss and debate issues arising in feature writing, discussing such topics as commercial requirements, servicing a niche, creating a community of interest and cultural and social sensitivities of the Singapore market. Attendance. Please be on time for lectures and tutorials. If you need to be away for any class, inform the lecturer beforehand. Marks will be given for class participation; if you’re not there, you miss out. For maximum marks, assignments must be written to length, to brief and handed in on time. This course involves reaching outside the university; remember that you are a representative of NTU in all your dealings with external bodies, and it’s essential to make a good impression. Show a professional attitude at all times. That includes turning off your handphone in all lectures, tutorials or meetings. Don’t set them to silent; set them to OFF. If the call is important, they’ll call back. You are master of your handphone, not vice versa. Academic Integrity Good academic work depends on honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as a student relies on adhering to the principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honour Code, a set of values shared by the whole university community. Truth, Trust and Justice are at the core of NTU’s shared values. As a student, it is important that you recognize your responsibilities in understanding and applying the principles of academic integrity in all the work you do at NTU. Not knowing what is involved in maintaining academic integrity does not excuse academic dishonesty. You need to actively equip yourself with strategies to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, academic fraud, collusion and cheating. If you are uncertain of the definitions of any of these terms, you should go to the academic integrity website for more information. Consult your instructor(s) if you need any clarification about the requirements of academic integrity in the course.

Weekly Schedule Week

Topic

ILO

Writing

Week 1

Features and society

1

What do you want?

Week 2

Reader needs Story ideas with readers in mind Lifestyle Consumer journalism

1,2

Lifescript

Week 3

Shared experience

3

Week 4

Press releases Different styles from PR to journalism Second-person problems

1) Product reviews

Week 5

Writing: vocabulary for audience Women and Men

2) Cultural reviews

Week 6

Writing: Specialist vocabulary Food and drink review Telling people what to think

3) Food reviews

Week 7

Describing the Other Showing and telling

4) Travel Writing Hand in Assignment 1 Short-form

RECESS WEEK Week 8

Interviews Revealing details

5) Profiles Using quotations

Week 9

First-person writing Identity and voice

6) Report on experience

Week 10

Multiple sources Finding meaning

7) Topic-based longform

Week 11

Community journalism Problem-solving

8) Longform news features

Week 12

Packaging Longform feature structures

Headlines, standfirsts, captions Hand in Assignment 2 Long-form

Week 13

In-class Essay 2 hours

Application for Short Leave of Absence Students must seek the Schools’ approval for short leave of absence if they cannot attend classes on the following occasions: a) On days when there are laboratory sessions b) On days when assessments (e.g. quizzes or tests) are conducted during classes c) On any other occasions that tutor(s) or lecturer(s) deem as compulsory for students' attendance. For the applications to be considered, they must be submitted with supporting documents to the respective Schools at least 7 working days in advance.

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Application for leave on the following grounds will not be approved:  

Returning to home country during festive periods e.g. Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, etc. Participating in activities (in and outside campus) organized by student bodies during the hours when students are required to attend class

Students should not go on leave until formal approval has been given.

Medical Leave Students who are absent on medical grounds on occasions (a) – (c) must submit a copy of their medical certificate (MC) to the School not later than 7 working days after the medical leave. Students whose family/household member has acute respiratory illness, should stay at home to reduce the risk of community transmission, and submit a copy of the MC of the family/ household member instead by the same deadline. Otherwise, they will be deemed as absent and will be given zero mark for any test or quiz or assessment component that they missed. Important Note:  

Students are to retain their original MC for 1 year for verification when necessary. The University only recognises medical certificates issued in Singapore by Medical Practitioners registered with the Singapore Medical Council or Dental Officers registered with the Singapore Dental Council.

Compassionate Leave Students will be granted leave in the event of the demise of an immediate family member (defined to include parents, parents-in-law, spouse, children, siblings and grandparents). Leave of absence on compassionate ground will be granted within 7 days of the death, and inclusive of Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday, and on the day of the funeral.

Application Process Students are to download and complete the short leave form, and submit this with the supporting document(s) to their home School within the stipulated timeframe. If they had missed an assessment (e.g. quizzes or tests), they should additionally send a scanned copy of the supporting document(s) via email on the same day as the session missed. The course instructor may contact them to arrange for another session, if required. Students must contact their School if they do not receive the outcome of their leave application via their NTU email address, after 5 working days.

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