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Journalism

Course Description:
Students will write in a variety of journalistic genres, from news to features to reflective writing. The articles produced for class will form the basis for the school newspaper. In addition to newspaper articles, students will complete homework, in-class work, and a final article. The course is a half-year elective.

Teacher's Expectations:
In this classroom, my expectation for you is that you bring four key ingredients each day to class. These will ensure your success. These ingredients are professionalism, passion, patience, and all of the spirit, fun, depth and uniqueness of your own personality.
Professionalism:
As a member of this class, you are also a valuable member of the Courier staff for this semester. And your work -- whether it is a news story, a photograph, a photo caption, or a page layout -- will be seen by your peers, your teachers, your administrators and probably your parents. Therefore, your number one expectation in this class is a sense of professionalism. You need to be fair, balanced and accurate in your articles. You also need to be thorough; good reporting involves talking with a lot of people, people whose views and opinions reflect the diversity in this large school. For the journalism student, this means going well beyond your classmates and best friends as you gather information.
Passion:
You need to be self-motivated. More than one-third of your class time you will spend in "workshop" -- time in which you will be working with others or alone on one very important aspect of the newspaper. If you do your best, the newspaper will reflect it.
Patience:
It's a key ingredient for any kind of publication work! Everything takes longer than you think it will, and very little works exactly the way you thought it would.
Personality:
This is the most important ingredient to bring into the classroom; a diverse blend of personalties makes for an interesting and spirited team. Do expect to compromise with your classmates, but don't be afraid to show who you are and say what you think.

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