MC 2015
Visual Communication
Summer 1997, Section 1, Session B
Hodges B-10 (Hodges Computer Lab)
Lecture/Lab Sessions: 9:10 - 10:40 MTuWThF

Special Note: You will need to have access to e-mail and the Internet to successfully complete this course. This web page serves as your syllabus. Bookmark and write down the URL address. Check it daily for updates on class activities, assignments and readings. There will be no printed syllabus or assignments. Links to online assigned readings will be posted on this page.

You can use your TIGER account or any other account that you have regular access to for e-mail. You may access the Internet through your home account, use the terminals in the Manship School of Mass Communication or the Middleton Library. We will be publishing actual web pages in the course. You will need to visit Geocities and go ahead and sign up for two MB of free web space with them. If you would prefer not to use the LSU TIGER system, Geocities also has free e-mail accounts that can be accessed using Netscape instead of Telnet.

Instructor: Tracy Todd Pearson

Phone: 766-9332 Please do not call after 8:30 p.m.

e-mail: [email protected]

Mailbox: in graduate student mailboxes, 2nd floor of Journalism Building

Office Hours: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, Gibbs-Adams Room, 2nd floor of Journalism Building

Please note: I do not have an office at the Manship School. I will be available at the school during office hours. If the office hours are not convenient for you, please contact me by phone or e-mail to schedule an appointment.

Course Description:

MC 2015 is a lecture and laboratory course designed to introduce the mass communication student to the principles, skills and professional practice of visual communication from the perspectives of print media, broadcast media and the Internet.

General Course Objective:

The primary goal of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in your mass communication education and career. The assignments are intensive and do take some time and dedication to the task. However, I strongly believe that if you persevere, the reward will be well worth the effort required. It is very important to attend the lectures and lab sessions, ask questions, practice on your own and with others and become involved in mastering the concepts and skills outlined in the course.

Specific Course Objectives:

1. To provide students with basic visual communication skills required for effective mass communication in print media, broadcast media and the Internet.
2. To provide students with a good understanding of the roles of visual communication in mass media.
3. To provide students with opportunities to demonstrate in their work a basic level of creativity, news judgment, and ethcial considerations appropriate for today's mass media.
4. To introduce students to visual communication concerns of emerging mass media technologies.

Required Reading:

Rathbone, Windows 3.11 for Dummies

Harrower, The Newspaper Designer's Handbook

Burrows, Gross and Wood, Television Production: Disciplines and Techniques

Additional readings from the Internet will be assigned throughout the semester. Links to the assigned readings and sites will be placed on the Online Readings page.

Recommended Reading:

Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual

Webster's New World College Dictionary

You should also read and examine good quality daily newspapers on a daily basis; watch local, network and cable television news programs; read newsmagazines; and browse the Internet for news and media related sites.

Recommended newspapers, newsmagazines, Internet sites and television news programs are:

One listing of media sites is located at the LSU Society of Professional Journalists Journalism Links Page.

Assignments:

Students will complete lab assignments, homework assignments and major lab projects. Assignment Sheets will be posted on this site. No printed copies will be distributed.

Grades:

Final course grades wil be based on:

• major lab projects (40 percent)
• lab assignments (20 percent)
• mid-term exam (15 percent)
• final exam (15 percent)
• and homework assignments (10 percent)

Grading:

The grading scale is traditional:

Attendance and Deadlines:

Since this course meets for such a limited number of days, it is very important to attend all classes and lab periods. Missing one day is about the equivalent of missing an entire week of a typical semester. If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor of such circumstances in advance. You are responsible for any work due while you will be away from campus. It must be submitted in advance to receive credit. Otherwise the grade will be a zero. Deadlines must be strictly observed and will not be extended except for extreme circumstances such as a death in your family or an illness which requires you to see a doctor (a note is required.) Please contact the instructor immediately in these cases. A late assignment is one that is not available when the instructor collects the assignments. Late assignments will receive a grade of zero.

Honesty:

Louisiana State University has published specific guidelines concerning academic honesty and expects you to adhere to these guidelines. (See the LSU General Catalog) All work must be your own and must be produced during the current term.

Materials:

You will need about 10 high-density double sided 1.4 megabyte IBM formatted computer disks. These may be bought at the LSU bookstore or at any computer supplies store or general store, such as Wal-Mart. The lab also has a 100 mb zip drive for your use. Each student will need one 100 MB IBM formatted ZIP disk. Groups will also need about two or three high quality S-VHS videotapes.

Class Calendar:

Please check the class calendar frequently for assigned readings, assignment due dates and the exam schedule. The calendar will be updated throughout the class.