As a way to quickly and cost-effectively compile data for stories, information gathering through a computer will continue to play an integral role in journalism. Grammar and style are dealt with in the context of writing advertising copy. The students write copy for 15 to 20 ads and learn to distinguish good copy from bad copy by critically examining their work and the work of others. A final project deals with designing an advertising campaign for a business or a service agency. A minimum of 12 pages of final draft prose is required.
Evaluation includes style, form and content.
A study of the regulation of mass communication in relation to the First Amendment, principles of press and broadcast law. Emphasis will be placed on the duties and responsibilities of the mass media. Case studies and reports will be included. This course covers the methods and principles for distinguishing good reasoning from bad, Aristotelian and truth-functional logic, inductive logic and scientific methods, recognition of fallacy in argument, relationships between statements, and consistency, truth, and validity, in order to develop competence in methods of critical thinking and argument.