A Slice of Syllabus

Week Five/September 18: Jon Franklin and his thoughts about writing for story.

Assignment due Tuesday, September 19: A list of three or more possible profile subjects with reasons why such a profile would illuminate an issue of contemporary relevance.

New assignment: Due Thursday, 9/28. Pick a newspaper or magazine or other site featuring non fiction – online only is fine -- as the intended market for your final profile. (You can change your mind later. This is only an exercise.) Write an analysis of at least 750 words on how you will need to position your profile so that it will serve what appears to be this publication's particular approach to life. Are you comfortable with the frame – the pervading stance or viewpoint - this publication imposes? Can you imagine coming up with an accurate, well-written story that the publication would not want to use because it might not suit their take on things? Write your analysis in a style and tone suitable for that market.

Multimedia element: Insert hyperlinks in your analysis to support your description of your source. (See “Short doesn’t mean shallow.”)

Read: Jon Franklin, pp. 91-168.

Week Six/September 25: The trend story.

Assignment due Thursday, September 28: The Market Analysis (4).

New assignment: A trend story of at least 500 words due Thursday 10/5. Read excerpts from Janet Malcolm’s “The Journalist and the Murderer” that I will make available.

Multimedia element due same day: A photo set of at least eight photos illustrating the trend or a 90-second video interview with one of your trenders or trend experts.

Week Seven/October 2: Discuss “The Journalist and the Murderer,” by Janet Malcolm.

Assignment due Thursday, October 5: Trend Story (5).

New assignment: Begin work on final profile by writing a story of at least 500 words due Thursday, 3/19 describing your First Contact with a prospective subject for your 2,000-4,000-word “issues” profile.