COM 212 : Field Experience-Student Newspaper Practicum
This course provides students experiential learning through the production of the student newspaper, with targeted instruction and guidance provided by a Communication Instructor who teaches COM 112 News Writing and Reporting and the Faculty/Staff Advisor of the student newspaper, The Hawk. This course will combine the academic study of journalism with the practical elements of an on-campus internship with The Hawk. Students will develop and advance their skills in writing, editing, graphic design, photography and/or the business aspects of newspaper production. This will complement their academic preparation and will help build their portfolio and résumé.
Prerequisite: ENG 101 and pre or co-requisite of COM 112, and/or permission of the instructor(s) and Communication program director.
Course Outcomes
Students will:
1. Identify and apply news criteria and practice critical thinking and audience adaption in proposing story ideas, creating story assignments with appropriate angle and focus instructions, and developing well-researched and edited stories for publication in The Hawk.
2. Successfully employ source interviewing strategies in gathering objective and complete information for stories.
3. Engage in secondary research to provide context to reporting using standard information literacy and research techniques.
4. Compile and edit stories from research using standard journalistic formats and styles (such as the inverted pyramid, the hourglass feature, Q&A and/or in-depth profiles).
5. Critique each other's work applying standard editing and proofing techniques to ensure the most accurate publication possible.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of applicable intellectual property laws and respect them in the print and on-line environments.
7. Participate in weekly production meetings and create editorial timelines and production schedules to achieve a timely monthly distribution.
8. Identify a particular area of interest in newspaper production (i.e. editorial, photography, graphic design, business management, or advertising sales) and collaborate with the instructor(s) and/or advisor to determine an individualized project for their portfolio.
9. Research newspaper practices, policies, and procedures at sister community colleges throughout the Massachusetts Higher Education system and beyond to inform a publication plan for Bristol's Hawk.
10. Learn and apply a consistent stylesheet (likely, the Associate Press style) in editing the publication.