J492/592 International Journalism Assignments
Fall 2005
General Requirements and Grading Policy
Under Development: Last Updated
11-10-05
Subject to change by in-class announcement
Examinations and Writing Assignments
Important: Academic Integrity
You are expected to do your own work and to give credit to
those whose work you are using. Cheating or plagiarism will result in
an "F" for the assignment and possibly for the course. If you have
questions about university guidelines for ethical conduct, please
consult the
Student
Conduct Code.
Classroom Conduct
Students are expected to attend class, participate civilly in
discussions and behave respectfully toward other students. That
means: no cellphones, no video games, no noisemaking, and no
unrelated conversations. Students who cannot behave or speak
professionally will be required to leave the classroom and may be
reported to the Student Judicial Affairs Office.
Other general requirements
Check your writing for clarity and composition.
Remember, this is a journalism course. Your papers will be
evaluated professionally on organization, accuracy, and writing, in
addition to the depth of research and the validity of your reasoning.
Sources must be cited, using an appropriate reference system.
Examinations
Questions for the midterm examination will be
distributed on Wednesday, October 19. The completed examination is
due at the beginning of class on Monday, October 24.
Questions for the final examination will be distributed
on Wednesday, November 30. The completed examination is due on
Monday, December 5.
Quizzes: In addition to the take-home examinations,
there will be occasional in-class quizzes on current international
news and journalism topics.
Writing Assignments
Undergraduates must complete two short papers
(approximately five pages each, double-space, standard font, 12-point
type) that compare international news coverage on selected
topics.
Comparative news paper deadlines: Papers are due at the
beginning of class on Wednesday, October 12, and Wednesday November
16. Instructions are described below and will be discussed
additionally in class.
Graduate Students (J592)
Graduate students are expected to complete two analytical book
reviews (2-3 pages, double-space, 12 point) and one research essay
(15-20 pages) or journalistic project on an international
news-related topic approved by the instructor.
Written proposals for the research essay/journalistic
project are due in class on Wednesday, October 12. A progress
report and expanded outline is due in class on Wednesday, November 9,
and the completed paper must be turned by Wednesday, December 7.
The analytical book reviews are due at the beginning of class
on Wednesday, October 5, and Wednesday, November 2. Books may be
selected from a list provided by the instructor or suggested by
students with the instructor's approval.
Grades
Final grades will be based on the midterm examination (20%),
the writing assignments (50%), attendance/participation in class
discussions and quizzes (10%), and the final examination (20%).
NOTE: On all assignments, deadlines will be enforced. Late
assignments will be penalized the equivalent of one letter grade per
day.
Comparing International News
Finding Foreign News: Undergraduate Paper #1, due
October 12
Students must locate news sources in three countries, using
print or online resources, and compare the topics, priority and
amount of news from outside each country. For example, in a leading
Brazilian newspaper, you would look for news from outside of Brazil.
That could be compared with the amount of foreign news in leading
newspapers in Britain and Japan, as examples.
Finding original sources: Sources of international news
for these assignments will be discussed in class. Students are
expected to locate appropriate newspapers and periodicals in the
Knight Library; radio and television broadcasts; online news services
and data bases, or whatever personal resources may be available.
Indexes and some sources are available on the
Resources
page.
Questions to ask: How many international
stories, compared to other news stories? What length and depth?
What prominence were they given? Who wrote or presented them?
International news services? Local journalists? From your
observations, how much international news do readers of newspapers in
different countries receive? How does that help to shape their views
of the rest of the world?
Nationalism and News: Paper #2, due November 16
Assumption: News media of any nation tend to be
nationalistic, that is, reflect that country's foreign policy
orientation.
Hypothesis: news coverage of any foreign policy
conflict will be reflected of the home nation's perspective and not
necessarily that of the other nation in the conflict.
Assignment: Students should select leading news sources
in two nations who are in military or diplomatic conflict and examine
their respective news coverages of that conflict. Compare those
perspectives with news of the conflict from a leading news source in
a third nation which is not directly involved in the conflict.
Questions to ask: What patterns of coverage did you
find? Did the coverage differ in the news media of different nations?
What differences and similarities do you see? Why? Who were the
sources of information? Did they reflect more than one point of view?
What were those points of view? From your observations, do news
audiences in a nation in conflict receive balanced and complete news
of that conflict?
Sources
Secondary sources on nations and their news
media
Background sources in the Knight Library Reference Section
which may be helpful: Political Handbook of the World,
Ulrich's, and Editor and Publisher International Yearbook.
Check the
Resources
page for other online reference sources. Also, check periodical
indexes in the Knight Library for recent articles describing the news
media in particular countries.
Questions to find out with secondary sources: Who owns
the news media you are researching? What is their relationship with
the government or other ruling authority?