More online readings: Ross F. Collins, Weird Ways of News.
Summer Session 2018: Four-week class, May 15-June 8
Three credits.
Instructor: Ross F. Collins, Ph.D., professor of communication, North Dakota State University, Fargo.
Email: ross.collins@ndsu.edu
Telephone: (701) 231-7295. You may call anytime during the day Monday-Friday, but I usually respond more quickly to email. For online students I will also usually responsd by email on weekends and evenings as well as during the week. As this is an online class, I can't (usually) meet with you in person, so am happy to do my best to respond quickly. If I'll be away from email for a few days, I'll let you know by Blackboard announcement. I will make announcements on Blackboard at least once a week. If you'd like to drop by for a face-to-face meeting, let me know by email to set up an appointment.
Instructor's website: www.rossfcollins.com Note: Readings and assignments posted to the university's Blackboard class management website are usually mirrored on this site. Choose the Classes link, choose Editing for links. A password is not required. However, note that assignments for grading need to be submitted on the class Blackboard site, and not by email.
Required text: Ross F. Collins, ed., Editing Across Media. Content and Process for Print and Online Publication (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013). Book sale proceeds help fund NDSU communication student scholarships. Note: a Facebook page is available in conjunction with this text. "Like" to learn more about editing, and have the opportunity to see sample exam questions.
A number of readings will also be assigned, as indicated.
Recommended texts: Brooks, Pinson and Wilson, Working with Words. A Handbook for Media Writers and Editors. 8th ed., 2013. Associated Press, AP Stylebook. Choose the most recent edition.
About InDesign: This class's basic online InDesign tutorials should be adequate for students in this beginning editing class. If you feel you need more in-depth study, you may wish to purchase a supplementary text. Many publishers offer books covering InDesign, but for cash-strapped editing students in a hurry, I prefer those from the Dummies and Visual QuickStart series. Many online resources also are available, including videos--my own as well as others on YouTube. Be sure YouTube videos cover the version of software you have. NDSU's clusters may have CS6 or CC 2017.
Course objectives
This course is designed to offer a general overview of basic knowledge and practical skills an editor needs to prepare publications for mass-media consumption. This includes editing for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, brochures and other publications and, of course, online content editing. Students are introduced to a variety of functions required of editors, including working with words, pictures, design and make-up. This is a highly practical course, offering students knowledge they will likely use no matter what mass media career they choose. Topics covered include:
Students who have completed the course should have a reasonably comprehensive understanding of duties expected of professional editors in mass media, and be able to edit professionally at a basic level.
Bulletin description
Principles of print media copy editing, headline composition, publication design, photo editing, and computer editing.
Projects and examinations
Students complete a set of basic readings, and have the opportunity to put their knowledge to work through a variety of exercises and projects. A comprehensive final examination is required, and will cover the textbook, supplementary readings, exercises, videos and other course material.
Tools students need
If working off campus: computer with reasonably fast internet connection for online class use. Ability to download PDF files, and to upload assignments to the instructor on the university's Blackboard class management software. Word or other word processing software. Access to InDesign computerized pagination software for at least a week or so to cover the design and make-up section of the course.
If working on campus at North Dakota State University: All university clusters include the required software and connections. Use of the Macintosh platform is suggested, as it better reflects the mass media industry standard, but PCs are all right.
Finding InDesign: Design and make-up exercises are based on computerized pagination software commonly used by editors. If you do not have access to these, you often can find them at libraries, quick print shops, schools and universities. Adobe.com sometimes offers a trial version. Most editors find experience in computerized pagination ("desktop publishing") necessary to complete their jobs, particularly working on smaller publications and in public relations capacities. Reminder: You must have access to InDesign to complete the capstone requirements for this course.
The final grade will be based on:
Exercises: 200 pts.
Design/editing capstone exercises: 150 pts.
Final exam: 250 pts.
Total: 600 pts. Actual point totals may be slightly above or below, based on possible alterations to course materials.
Grade percentages:
90-100=A
80-89=B
70-79=C
60-69=D
Below 60=F
Deadlines: This course is generally not self-paced. Students are expected to finish within the term. Assignment deadlines associated with the sections below are indicated when the assignments are made, and need to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline day.
Late assignments: Students who submit late assignments must realize the instructor may deduct the equivalent of one letter grade or more, depending on how late. He hopes this slightly draconian rule will dissuade online students from the inevitable temptation to procrastinate when enrolled in online classes. It also certainly reflects industry standards built around tight, inflexible deadlines. In the media industry you inevitably work against the clock.
Important reminder: This is a three-credit class compressed into a four-week summer session. That means it's intensive; you will have a lot to do each week. Please leave plenty of time in your schedule to complete the readings and assignments. On the plus side, only one month and you're done!
Section overviews
Section One: Words
Section Two: Headlines and headings
Section Three: Design and make-up
Academic honesty statement
If your work is precisely the same as another student's--either from this semester or last year--I will presume it's probably not a coincidence. Obvously you can consult with other students to help you complete the daily assignments, but I expect you to actually turn in your own work. I rely on the honor system. I can't force students to do their own work in an online course, but generally as exercises become more complicated, I won't give credit to students who submit identical, or nearly identical, work.
Official university notices
If you need accommodations for learning or have special needs, please let the instructor know as soon as possible.
The academic community is operated on the basis of honesty, integrity, and fair play. NDSU Policy 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct applies to cases in which cheating, plagiarism, or other academic misconduct have occurred in an instructional context. Students found guilty of academic misconduct are subject to penalties, up to and possibly including suspension and/or expulsion. Student academic misconduct records are maintained by the Office of Registration and Records. Informational resources about academic honesty for students and instructional staff members can be found at www.ndsu.edu/academichonesty.
Instructor's background
Professor Ross F. Collins holds a Ph.D. in journalism history (University of Cambridge, 1992). He combines academic background in history with a decade of media experience, work in media writing, photojournalism, editing, design and public relations. He has worked as a newspaper copy editor, and has edited several publications. He served as senior editor of the university's publishing division, the North Dakota State University Press, from 1994-2015. His research interests include World War I history, French journalism history and United States frontier journalism history. He is vice president of the American Journalism Historians Association. For a complete vita and other student resources, visit his website, www.rossfcollins.com.
Other resources
Want to test your editing skills with a real-world quiz? Complete one of the the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Editing internship program tests, self-scoring, to see how you'd do! (Consult the Blackboard announcements page for possible extra credit opportunities.)
Summer Session 2018: four weeks.
(General class resources page for the list below is at www.rossfcollins.com/313editing/313resources13.htm. Links to weekly readings will also be available Mondays on the class Blackboard site.)
Week One, May 15-18:
Section One (the words). Readings: Editing Across Media Introduction and chapters 1-2; Ross F. Collins, Weird Ways of News (online textbook,) Introduction and chapters 1-2. Online lecture synopses 1-3; online readings 1-6. Reading 6 includes four videos covering grammar; review these if you would like more in-depth explanation. Review PowerPoints 1-4. Watch warmup video, "The Drama of Editing." Watch introductory grammar video, "Ross's Big 5."
Assignments: Activity One, Activity Two. Section one exercises one, two and three. (Reminder: all submission deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Friday of the week assigned, unless otherwise noted. Submit to Blackboard, not email.)
Week Two, May 21-25:
Readings: Editing Across Media, Chapter 3; online readings 7-11. Review "Sneaky Word List" and "Proofreader's Marks." Weird Ways of News, chapter 7.
Prepare for Section Two (headlines and headings). Readings: Editing Across Media, chapters 4-5; online lecture synopsis 4; online readings 12-14; Weird Ways of News, chapters 5 and 8.
Assignments: Section One, exercises four, five, six, seven, eight and nine. Section Two, Exercise One. Extra credit (3 pts): proofreading marks.
Week Three, May 28-June 1:
Prepare for Section Three (photography, layout and make-up). Readings: Editing Across Media, chapters 7-9; lecture synopses 5-7; online readings 15-18; Weird Ways of News, chapter 6.
Assignments: Section Two, exercises two and three. Extra credit (3 pts): headline unit count. Section Three Exercise One(a), writing cutlines; Exercise Two(a), newletter page. Extra credit (5 pts): photo proportioning using Photoshop. Extra credit (5 pts): Exercise One, dummy sheet.
Week Four June 4-8:
Readings: Editing Across Media, chapters 10-11.
Assignments: Section Three, Exercise Two(b), broadsheet. Section Three, Part Two, Exercise Three (newsletter). Final exam. You may request the (open-book) final exam as soon as your other assignments are complete. It's due at the end of the day Sunday, June 10.