J 321C Fundamentals of Multimedia Journalism

Fall 2011
MW 4:00 - 5:30 p.m., CMA A3.124
School of Journalism
The University of Texas at Austin

Instructor: Hsiang Iris Chyi, Ph.D.

Office: CMA A5.108
Phone: (512) 471-0553
Email: chyi@mail.utexas.edu
Office hours: M 11-11:30, 5:30-6, W 5:30-6 or by appointment

Lab Group 1 (07430): TTH 8:30 - 10:30 a.m., CMA A4.308

TA: Hsuan-Ting Chen
Email: hsuanting.chen@gmail.com

Lab Group 2 (07435): TTH 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., CMA A4.308
TA: Lei Guo
Email: guolei1985@gmail.com

Prerequisites

J 310 and J 315 with a grade of at least C in each, a score of 45 or better on the Grammar,
Spelling, Punctuation (GSP) test, a score of 29 or better on the Word Processing (WP) test, and
acceptance to a Journalism Upper Division sequence.

Course Description and Goals

The purpose of this course is to give journalism students a broad perspective and practical
experience in the emergence of new forms of journalism based on the Internet and other digital
platforms. As news companies adapt their operations from single distribution channels to a
converged multiplatform and multichannel delivery systems, the new generation of journalists
must reflect on these ongoing transformative processes and prepare to work in the new media
environment.

The course is divided into two tracks. The first is dedicated to the study of multimedia journalism
through readings, lectures and class discussions. The second track of the course is dedicated to
the hands-on experience of producing journalistic pieces using multimedia elements, such as a
combination of text, photos, video and animation.

Our main focus is on the understanding of the Internet phenomenon and its impact on journalism
with special attention to the search for a new style of narrative - one that could take advantage of
the simultaneous use of text, hypertext, photos, images in motion, audio and databases. We will
produce multimedia projects that reflect this new genre of journalism.

The three main goals of this course are:

1. To prepare journalism students to work for news enterprises that use the Internet to reach the
audiences through this new genre of journalism, and to understand its repercussions in society;

2. To apply critical thinking on the analysis of this new journalistic genre, and to experiment with
innovative storytelling techniques and writing styles that take advantage of the multimedia
presentation capabilities of the World Wide Web;

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3. To create conditions for the students to master or at least have a good knowledge of the
software and other tools used to produce news for the Web.

Required Readings

Briggs, Mark. (2007). Journalism2.0: How to Survive and Thrive, J-Lab and the Knight Citizen
News Network. Free PDF version at: http://www.kcnn.org/resources/journalism_20/

Readings from different sources will be made available on the course’s Blackboard site at
http://courses.utexas.edu.

Create a Daily Me which incorporates multiple online news sources so that you can keep up with
the latest development in the industry. (Instructions will be provided.) Being a critical user of
online news is the first step toward becoming a good online journalist/online journalism
researcher.

Participate actively in various online activities.

Recommended Text

Foust, James C. (2011). Online Journalism: Principles and Practices of News for the Web, the
third edition. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.

Computer Skills and Supplies Needed

Access to a computer and the Internet and the ability to operate both are required for participation
in this course. Students are required to check the class Web site regularly, to blog, and to create
multimedia projects. Students may need to spend extra time outside class to familiarize
themselves with Web production applications.

We will have equipment available from IMC on the 5th floor of the CMA building for you to use
throughout the semester as you work on your projects.

You will need to purchase a few Mini-DV tapes while working on video projects. You may need a
USB drive (or Flash drive) to save a backup of your files. You may also want to consider
purchasing an external portable hard drive or borrowing one from the IMC during the semester to
hold larger multimedia files. You will receive access to a class folder on the College server, but
you should always back up your own files.

Course Requirements

Participation (15%):

This class is taught through lectures and lab training, making it difficult for absent students to
make up later. Therefore, attendance to lectures and lab sessions is essential and you are
expected to actively participate in class activities and discussions. For example, we will set up a
blog as a platform for everyone to share information with one another. The URL is
________________________.blogspot.com

In class, the instructor/TA will monitor attendance or give in-class exercises from time to time. No
make-ups for such exercises will be granted. There is no need to justify your absence, but more
than 3 absences will result in an F (60/100) for participation, and more than 6 absences will result
in a zero for participation.

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Mid-term Exam (25%): The mid-term exam will cover materials discussed in class and readings.
The exam may combine multiple-choice, short answer and analytical questions.

Hands-on Exercises (30%): A series of hands-on exercises (e.g., Photoshop, HTML, Audio
slideshow, video, content management systems, etc.) will help you apply
production/reporting/editing skills acquired in class.

Final Project (30%): You will produce a multimedia package. The purpose of this assignment is
for you to apply the multimedia journalism skills acquired in class to online news publishing.

Missed Classes/Deadlines and Late Assignments

Please form a study group of three and write down the contact information of two members here:

1.

2.

If you miss a class/lab, please arrange with your study group member to find out before you
return to class/lab what you missed while you were gone. You are responsible for the content of
all class sessions, whether it is included in the text or not.

If an emergency prevents a student from taking a scheduled exam or meeting the deadline of a
presentation, the student must notify the instructor/TA prior to the exam or presentation.
Otherwise, the student will not be eligible for a make-up. Make-up exams/presentations will be
granted only for a limited time and only for valid, documented reasons, such as serious illness,
family emergency, jury duty or military reserve obligation. Absence excuses are subject to
verification. Presenting a false excuse will be considered a violation of the academic integrity
rules.

If the deadline of an assignment is missed, all late work must be turned in within one week after it
is due and will be downgraded for one letter grade no matter it is 1 or 7 days late. No late work
beyond the one-week period will be accepted. Missed assignments will receive a zero.

Disruptive Behavior
Mutual respect is essential in this class. Therefore, please do not read newspapers or use your
laptop computer in class, unless the instructor/TA has requested that you do so. In accordance
with university policy, disruptive behavior will be documented and may lead to sanctions.
Examples of disruptive behaviors in the classroom include arriving late to class, chatting, etc.

Academic Integrity
Be academically honest in every aspect of class work. All students are subject to the student
code of conduct, including the University Code of Academic Integrity. For this course, academic
dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) the following: fabrication (i.e., making up data, sources
or information), plagiarism (using someone else’s work in your work without giving proper credit),
duplication (doing an assignment for this course and for any other course in this or any prior
semester without the express consent of the instructor), and cheating (exchanging information
with another individual during an exam). Violations of the academic integrity code will result in
penalties in this course and all violations will be reported to the University. It is your responsibility
to be aware of the rules of academic dishonesty -- ignorance is not a defense. When in doubt,
consult the instructor before doing anything about which you are uncertain.

The University of Texas Honor Code

The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership,

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individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold
these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

University Electronic Mail Notification Policy

All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy.
It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail
address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay
current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be
time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week.
The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at
http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

In this class, e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You are responsible
for checking your e-mail regularly for class work and announcements. We will use your e-mail
address available in Blackboard.

Use of Blackboard
This course uses Blackboard, a Web-based course management system in which a password-
protected site is created for each course. Student enrollments in each course are updated each
evening. Blackboard can be used to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate
online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to take online quizzes and surveys.

You will be responsible for checking the Blackboard course site regularly for class work and
announcements. As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled downtimes as
well as unanticipated disruptions. Notification of these disruptions will be posted on the
Blackboard login page. Scheduled downtimes are not an excuse for late work. Blackboard is
available at http://courses.utexas.edu. Support is provided by the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400
Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm, so plan accordingly.

Student Feedback
Come see me during office hours if you have any questions/suggestions.

Documented Disability Statement

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations
for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with
Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone).

Religious Holy Days

By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to
the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work
assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to
complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)

If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns
Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service
is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and
Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of
Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

Q Drop Policy
The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic
reasons to six (6). As stated in Senate Bill 1231: “Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an
institution of higher education may not permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six
dropped courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of
higher education, unless the student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.”

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Course Calendar & Readings 1.0 (Subject to change)
You are expected to complete the assigned readings before class.

1. Week of Aug. 24: Overview of the course; class survey; introduction

Lab: No session

2. Week of Aug. 29: Introducing Web 2.0 technologies; digital basics:

understanding the Web as a publishing medium
Read: Introduction, Ch1-3 (textbook)

Lab: Web 2.0 technologies - blog (text, image and video);

RSS with Firefox; creating the Daily Me using Google
Reader; Twitter

3. Week of Sept. 5: Labor Day Holiday (Mon.)

Digital photography; image processing
Read: Ch 8 (textbook)

Lab: Photo retouching with Photoshop/Webspace

4. Week of Sept. 12: Audio processing

Read: Ch 7 and Ch 11 (textbook)
Bull, Andy. (2010). Ch 4: Audio and Podcasting, in
Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide.
Lab: Audacity

5. Week of Sept. 19: Evolution of online journalism: the past and the future;
challenges facing today’s news industry
Read:
Carlson, D. (2003). The history of online journalism. Digital
Journalism (edited by Kevin Kawamoto). Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield.

Lab: Soundslides

6. Week of Sept. 26: Usability; information architecture

Read: Foust, J. (2008). Ch 6: Web page design, in Online
Journalism, second edition.

Lab: Soundslides

7. Week of Oct. 3: Design principles; writing for the Web

Read: Ch 4 and Ch 6 (textbook)

Lab: HTML

8. Week of Oct. 10: Web development

Lab: HTML

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9. Week of Oct. 17: Internet audience measurement
Read: Lacy, Sarah. (2006, Oct. 23). Web Numbers: What's
Real? Business Week, available at:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_43/b40
06095.htm (see also the related items).

Proposal due (Oct. 19)

Lab: Dreamweaver

10. Week of Oct. 24: Video shooting and editing

Read: Ch 9 (textbook);
Satter, A. (2007). Video production principles.

Lab: Video shooting and editing - Final Cut Pro

11. Week of Oct. 31: Web 2.0 and implications for journalism
Read: Ch 10 (textbook);
Weinberger, David. (2007). The new order of order.
Everything is Miscellaneous.

Lab: Video editing - Final Cut Pro

12. Week of Nov. 7: Revenue sources and business models

Lab: Content management system/Final project production

13. Week of Nov. 14: Mid-term Exam (Nov. 14)

Lab: Final project production

14. Week of Nov. 21: Citizen Journalism; the future of the news
Read: Ch 5 (textbook);
Jeff Jarvis. (2009). “If Google ruled the world: Media” in
What would Google do?

Lab: Final project production

15. Week of Nov. 28: Conclusion

Read: Mindich, David. (2005). Ch 3 in Tuned Out: Why
Americans Under 40 Don't Follow the News. Oxford
University Press.

Lab: Final project presentation

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 J321C Student Information Form

1. Name: ______________________

2. Sophomore/Junior/Senior/Graduate; in _________________sequence

3. Estimated time spent online per week ________

4. On a 10-point scale, how would you evaluate your skills with the following technologies?
(1 = Not familiar at all; 10 = Very familiar)

a. General computer use ____

b. Powerpoint _____
c. HTML _____
d. CSS _____
e. Photoshop _____
f. Dreamweaver ____
g. Audacity or Audition _____
h. Soundslides _____
i. Final Cut Pro _____
(other video editing programs e.g. iMovie/Premiere) ______
j. Flash _____
k. Content management systems (e.g., Wordpress) _____

5. How often do you use… (1 = Never 10 = Everyday)

a. online news sites _____
b. blogs (as an author) _____
c. YouTube _____
d. Google Reader or other RSS aggregator _____
e. iGoogle _____
f. Twitter ____
g. Facebook _____
h. Google Plus _____

6. Previous (or current) online journalism/new media courses taken (please list all of them):

7. What is your expectation of this course?

8. Do you have any concerns about taking this course? If so, what are they?