Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Journalism and Mass Communications 2033 is a lower-division course that teaches students how to write professionally for mass media. JMC 2033 is not just a journalism class; it is a class that teaches professional writing and language skills. Kathryn Jenson White is the JMC 2033 instructor whose objective is "to inform, persuade, and entertain."

JMC 2033 is comprised of a lecture and a lab. The lecture makes up 50% of the course grade and the lab makes up the other 50%. The course as a whole strives to teach students how to gather information and report that information for the various media outlets. During the lectures, students are given the tools needed to develop a framework for the specific writing that the labs require. The labs take the skills and tools taught in the lecture and sharpen them so that they may be used in mass media fields. Jenson White and the lab instructors coach students through their learning. Their job is to help students fix errors and point out weaknesses.

Students taking JMC 2033 will learn how to understand all aspects of the media and communicate effectively the information that they gather. To be successful in the course students must work hard to achieve the course goals: improve their writing, build media literacy, develop professional skills, and begin to define their interests as communicators. Language skills or media and news quizzes are taken in every lecture. Consistent attendance, preparation, and promptness are expected of all students. Attendance is taken in every lecture and lab. Missing more than four lectures or labs will result in an “F” for the student. This attendance policy ensures that the students are continuously developing and improving their understanding of media writing.

JMC 2033 - Lab #2

Taught in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, JMC 2033, provides knowledge to students eager to indulge in the writing for mass media. This course allows students to better their writing skills and become successful communicators.

The prerequisite for JMC 2033 is Introduction to Mass Communication (JMC 1013), which analyzes the background information of mass media. Through understanding media’s past, students now begin to understand its future as they progress into JMC 2033, a course requiring both a lecture and a lab building experience for writers in the 21st century.

The lecture 2033-010 is taught under the guidance of Professor Kathryn Jenson White. Students are required to attend two fifty minutes classes per week. In this time, Professor Jenson White discusses the best quality of writing a student must acquire to turn journalism into a profession. Through constant repetition, JMC 2033 focuses on turning excellent writing techniques into a habit through a series of daily quizzes, which are given to improve the comprehension of grammar and editing skills.

The lab portion of JMC 2033 is offered at a variety of times by numerous professors. By attending a two hour class twice a week, students will acquire a great amount of learning in not only journalism, but also advertising, public relations, broadcast journalism, and film or novel writing. As the lab instructor becomes students' editors, spoon-feeding is tossed out the window, paving the way for encouragement and guidance within the classroom and allowing students to think for themselves.

JMC 2033-Writing for the Mass Media

JMC 2033 is a required mass communication course offered through the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The course is used to teach students on the elements of writing for the mass media. Whether students are seeking a career in public relations, marketing, journalism, broadcast writing, or professional writing, a strong understanding of media writing is vital for a career in mass communications.
JMC 2033 not only teaches the fundamentals of writing for the mass media, but also seeks to develop and perfect these skills in those seeking to effectively communicate. In order to both teach students and coach their writing, the course is broken up into lecture and lab sections.
In the lecture, students will learn about grammar, styles, techniques on writing and reporting, gathering information and other essential skills. The knowledge gained from the lecture will then be put to the test through various lab assignments, taught in a smaller setting. The lab instructor will work as a coach that will guide students and help them reach their full potential. The lab writing assignments will cover numerous lines of mass communication work.
According to the course syllabus, JMC 2033's goal is to improve writing, build media literacy, develop professional skills, and give students opportunities to practice various types of media writing. Through the lecture and lab segments, the course also strives to help students understand the specific conventions of writing for mass media/multimedia outlets along with learning the core values of the various professions, all while beginning to define interests in possible future careers.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What in the World is JMC 2033?

JMC 2033 is the Writing for Mass Media course in the Gaylord Collge of Journalism and Mass Communication and a requirement for a degree in the college and is required before taking other upper-level journalism courses. This course will expose students to the different aspects of journalism and help them gain various skills.

Below are just a few of the main objectives of Writing for Mass Media as mentioned in the JMC 2033 course syllabus:

While students's writing for academics may be good- or even great- they'll learn how to write in the journalistic style for various media, whether it be broadcast, print, public relations, or even advertising. Here, they will not only gain various skills, they will polish them and improve as a journalist.

They'll learn how to write specifically for the different media and outlets, and get a grasp of their core values and principles.This class will help students gain all the tools they need to be a successful journalists, media practitioners, and overall communicators by helping them practice the various styles.

Because there are different fields of journalism in the world of mass communication- such as broadcast, print in newspaper or magazine, public relations, and advertising- students may not be sure exactly what they want to do when they first walk into the class, but this course will help them decide by exposing them to the different areas of journalism and their features.

-Rei L.

Blog 1: JMC Overview

Jennifer Bradley


JMC 2033 is a class that prepares students to become better writers. It teaches them to use words efficiently and effectively in a way they have probably not learned before. It provides a basic understanding of cultural audiences and the ethics of print journalism. Students will discover which branch of journalism they belong in, and learn how to write specifically for that profession.
The class consists of a lecture and a lab section. Kathryn Jenson White teaches key concepts in the lectures, while the labs exist to practice those concepts with a writing coach nearby to help. There will be a quiz in almost every lecture and attendance is required.

Students will learn how to write with proper language and grammar by the end of the course. The texts required for the class are guides for writing style and grammar. The students will learn to revise their written work in a style that will inform, persuade, or entertain their audience.

Many journalism professions will be discussed by White in the lecture, allowing the students to figure out which path is best suited for their interests and skills. By learning the core concepts, students will be able to define their interests and discover their strengths. Once students narrow down their field, they will learn how to make ethical judgments in their individual writing.

JMC 2033-019 BLOG ONE

JMC 2033 is a journalism class within the Gaylord College of Mass Communication that focuses on writing for the mass media. To enroll for this specific course, students must pass the prior class, JMC 1013: Intro to Mass Communication, as well as the Language Skills Test. JMC 2033 is a class that teaches students how to write for different aspects of media such as news broadcasting, public relations, print broadcasting, and advertising.

Split up into two different class settings, JMC 2033 is a class comprised of a lecture section and a two-hour lab section. These two settings provide students with a well-rounded opportunity to listen and learn in the lecture, and then apply what they learned during the lab section of the class. Lectures are the primary source of conceptual information, where specific language and writing skills are taught by Professor Kathryn Jenson White to the students.

The lab section is the outlet in which student practices information learned during the lecture, as well as experience hands on learning. Paper writing, blogging, revising, and editing are all activities that are practiced and refined through out the course of the lab.

The specific goals and concepts of JMC 2033 are found within the class syllabus: to improve students writing, understand the specific conventions of writing for mass media/multimedia outlets, understand the core values of different professions, build media literacy, practice various types of media writing, to develop professional skills, and begin to define specific interests.

Blog Assignment 1

Zack Hedrick
Blog 1 - JMC overview

JMC 2033 is an intensive writing course for various media disciplines. During the span of the course students will learn the intricacies and customs of writing for the mass media. The lectures and labs of this class provide students an opportunity to write for various mass media fields, including broadcast journalism, print journalism, advertising, and public relations.

Once students have passed the required Language Skills Test, they begin the process of becoming professional communicators by enrolling in JMC 2033. During the 2033 lectures, students will begin to prepare and develop specific skills to enter the evolving media spectrum, mainly focusing on concepts and skills to improve effective communication. According to the class syllabus, the main goal of the course is to improve students' writing and to also help them become "more effective communicators with words no matter what area of mass media" they pursue. The lectures of 2033 lay the foundation for what the students practice in the lab.

The lab component gives students hands-on experience and the opportunity to practice the skills they have discussed in the lecture section of the class. Students will venture into the blogosphere for daily assignments and study the various rules for different conventions of media in supplemental lectures provided by the lab professor. As stated in the syllabus, “It (JMC 2033) blends discipline and creativity. Media work done well is not easy, and this is not an easy course." JMC 2033 builds media literacy, develops professional skills, and begins to define students' interest in a specific media field.