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JOUR 4090 Multiplatform F21 Syllabus
Intro
Policies and procedures
Books and other required materials
Assignments and grades
Stories and process
Schedule
Learn the world
Find the stories
Produce them for an audience
Portfolios
Editing checklist
Beat memo
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Assignments and grades

You will be completing three basic kinds of assignments:
Homework (15% of final grade): Reading and discussion responses, as well as low-stakes practice items to prepare you for projects.
Prep (15% of final grade): Items such as research, interview summaries, and classmate edits and feedback that will go into production of major projects.
Beat memo (5% of final grade): A thorough work plan for your two story projects
Stories (50% of final grade): Two major story projects that will consist of all the following elements:
Mainbar: A video or written feature story about or stemming from a building project or other topic in the Athens area.
Secondary element 1: An infographic or photo package (minimum of three images) relating to the
Secondary element 2: A video or audio interview that can be embedded in the mainbar.

Other elements of your grade:
Attendance and participation (10%): If you meet the attendance requirements and participate in class and group discussions, you get full credit. You will lose points through excessive absences and/or lack of participation.
Portfolio (5%): You will produce a portfolio web page, or adapt your current page, for professional use, embedding work from this class on it. We will present portfolios during the final two days of class.
Grading details:
Story projects will be graded on a 0-10 scale. A '10' is reserved for an error-free story that is ready for publication/air.
Homework and prep assignments will be graded on a 0-2 scale. A '2' means you completed the assignment, a '1' means you threw something weak together, and a 0 means you didn't do it.
All work must be completed by the designated deadline. Late assignments receive a 0; no partial credit.
Be aware that any form of plagiarism will trigger harsh consequences, possibly including a failing grade for the class and expulsion from the University. If you are unclear on what constitutes plagiarism, please check with me.
Below are checklists of what grades I would expect to give for the quality of work presented:
Here are the guidelines for story grades
1
Component
100%
90%
80%
70%
1
Factual errors
Zero
Zero
Zero
Zero
2
Headline
Clear, relevant, implied verb, invites reader into story
Missing one of those characteristics
Missing two of those characteristics
Present, but missing all of the characteristics
3
Lede/intro
Hooks reader with compelling image or story in first graf/10 seconds of video
Explains topic but fails to include image or story
Double lede, news lede, failure to connect lede to rest of story
Generic lede
4
Nut graf/hook
Clearly encapsulates story and explains why it's important
Nut graf/hook clear and hook but misplaced
Nut graf/hook missing clear encapsulation,
No nut graf/hook
5
Grammar and style
Error-free
Fewer than two errors
2-3 errors
No more than 4 errors
6
Structure and sequencing
Clear, logical flow from paragraphs/points
Mostly clear flow with some difficult transitions
Many difficult transitions
Difficult to follow
7
Conclusion
Revisits character/point and/or looks ahead to the future
Offers basic ideas for what will happen next
Concludes by offering unsupported praise for subject
Stops abruptly
8
Length
Within 50 words/15 seconds of assigned length
Within 100 words/30 seconds
More than 100 words/30 seconds
More than 150 words/45 seconds
9
Image composition
Original photo, clear point of focus, relevance to story
Original photo, relevant to story, lacking clear point of focus/relevant details
Original photo, significant composition errors
Unoriginal photo
10
Image captions
Complete sentences explaining relationship of photo to story, including credit
Complete sentences explaining relationship of photo to story, missing credit
Vague captions but cleanly written
Vague captions and/or grammatical/stylistic errors
11
Infographic composition
Clean presentation; easy-to-comprehend process or relationship among variables
Fairly clean presentation; easy-to-comprehend process or relationship among variables
Problems with presentation; difficult-to-comprehend process or relationship among variables
Presented with poor executiion
12
Infographic chatter
Headline, descriptive sentence(s), and sourcelines all clearly explaining relevance of graphic to story
Missing one of elements at left
​
Missing two elements from left
13
Audio/video quality
Interviews in focus, little or no background noise/images
Poor focus or audio problems
​
Poor focus and audio problems
14
Audio/video transitions
Smooth transitions with little if any difference in audio levels, no jump cuts, no pops or other distractions
At least one problem from those at left
At least two problems from those at left
No more than three problems from those at left
15
Sources noted/quoted
At least five
At least five
At least five
Fewer than five
There are no rows in this table
15
Count
⁠
Extra credit
Special events will be announced throughout the semester, and attending one and live-tweeting it will generally be good for one point on your final grade. Also, you can participate in research studies for one point of extra credit apiece, up to a maximum of three. Sign up through the Grady Research Participation Pool (
http://grady.sona-systems.com
⁠
) or send your instructor a screenshot of the thank-you page for a non-Grady study to ensure you get credit.
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