Syllabus

Specialized Writing and Reporting: Literary Journalism

Comm177F/277F - 5 units Winter Quarter 2008	Instructor: Jim Bettinger Stanford University

Literary Journalism Winter 2008
Communication 177F/277F

MWF 10 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
McClatchy Hall Room 410

Jim Bettinger
jimb@stanford.edu

McClatchy Hall, Room 428

725-1189 (office)

323-7027 (home)

Office hours: MW 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

Course email list:
lit-journalism@lists

Course Texts:

Literary Journalism
Communication 177F/277F
McClatchy Hall, Room 410

Winter 2008
MWF 10a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

Jim Bettinger
McClatchy Hall, Room 428

Office hours: MW 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

725-1189 (office)
323- 7027 (home)
jimb@stanford.edu

- pdf version -

            This course is designed for journalists and other writers who want to learn how to use some techniques of literature to tell the true stories of journalism. Although the kind of stories that you’ll be writing could be published in several different media, we’ll focus on stories most commonly found in newspapers and magazines, including newspaper Sunday magazines.

            We’ll cover some theory and history, but we’ll concentrate more on the practical and the concrete. At the end of the course I want you to be able to use the techniques of literary journalism, not just to describe its place in the universe. During our discussions, we’ll concentrate on such tools as characterization, narrative plotting, scene-setting, point of view, tone and style. We will also discuss the techniques of reporting for literary journalism, interviewing, story organization, word choice, self-editing, invasion of privacy, libel, etc.

            I will hand out readings at unpredictable points during the quarter, so if you miss a class, check with one of your colleagues or with me.

Prerequisites and priorities

            This course is not a beginning journalism course. Preference will be given to those who have either taken Communication 104 (Reporting, Writing and Analyzing the News), or who have journalism experience, either on a student newspaper or some other publication. If you don’t have this experience but are willing to commit to backgrounding yourself on some basic journalism, using materials I will provide, I will consider you for the class.

            The class will have a maximum of 15 students. Priority for inclusion in the class goes to MA Journalism students and Communication seniors. In the past I have been able to accommodate students not taking the class for credit, and I will endeavor to do that again as space permits.

Reading

            One required book: “Creative Nonfiction,” by Phillip Gerard, plus course reader. There should be sufficient copies in the bookstore.

            There will be some deadlines for reading in the Gerard book, but I honestly recommend that you just power through it as soon as you can. It’s only about 200 pages and well written, so the reading is not difficult.

            The reader consists of articles that we’ll be referring to directly in class plus some others that I have found useful.

            There are a few books that I’ve found valuable for writers to have and to refer to. I’ve listed those on a separate sheet. I recommend that you get your hands on at least a couple of them and read around in them. If you’re wondering which ones, ask me.

Writing

            You’ll write three stories:

            • A story reconstructing or explaining an event or situation

            • A profile of a person

            • A final story of either type.

            Learning how to rewrite your stories after an editor has edited them is essential. When I read your stories I will make extensive comments on them. You will then rewrite them, often with additional reporting.


            Story deadlines:

            • A story reconstructing or explaining a situation, event or phenomenon, up to 1,500 words, due Monday, Jan. 28. Rewrite due Monday, Feb. 4.*

            • A profile, up to 1,500 words, due at noon Monday, Feb. 18 (yes, I know it’s President’s Day; you can file electronically). Rewrite due: Monday, Feb. 25.*

            • A final story, up to 3,000 words, due Friday, March 14.

            *I generally return stories by the next class. If I don’t make that deadline, your rewrite deadline will be extended, too.

            Stick to the assigned lengths. Fifty or 100 words too many isn’t a problem, but if a story supposed to be 1,500 words comes in at 3,000, I’ll mark it down. To help you with this chore, please list the number of words in your story. Also please list all sources of information for your story that are not clearly identified in the body of the story.

STORY TOPICS: While it is a great boon to be able to turn one’s personal experiences into stories, that is not what we’ll be doing in this class. You’ll be going outside your own experiences to find and write your stories. This means going beyond your family and your immediate circle of friends, too, not to mention your doctor, your favorite high school teacher, your roommate, etc. It also means that you will generally not be writing stories in the first person. Moreover, although you may be using the Internet for some background information, the bulk of what is in your stories will not come from online sources, but from direct, in-person reporting.

            Each story and rewrite will either be posted to the class website, so that you can see each other’s work. We’ll discuss them from time to time in class.

            Our class discussions on particular techniques will be akin to story conferences, in which we will use the stories you are actually working on as examples. (That is, when we discuss reporting and researching techniques, I’ll expect you to talk about your story and how you are reporting it, and to give suggestions to your colleagues about their stories as well.) Thus you should come prepared each time to give an update on your story.

            The only other requirement is to choose a published story that exemplifies some aspect of literary journalism and make a brief (5-10 minute) class presentation on it. For this, I ask you to distribute copies of the story ahead of time to everyone in the class.

            No final exam. The first two stories will count about 25 per cent each, the final story about 40 percent. The other 10 percent will be for your presentation on the published story and other class contributions.

Details

            Stories are due at 10 a.m., at the start of class. The real world of journalism is a deadline-oriented world, and stories turned in late will be marked down, unless you and I have agreed on a different deadline.


            Please turn in your story by email OR provide me with one on a disk. The story should be in Microsoft Word or some similar word-processing application and NO FANCY FORMATTING, OK? Stories should be double-spaced, with paragraph indents and without extra spacing between paragraphs. (That is, not block style.)

            Although literary journalists use a wide range of techniques, certain standards apply: Spelling, accuracy, grammar are among them. In particular (given that you will be experimenting with the techniques of literature), DO NOT MAKE ANYTHING UP, including composite characters, and don’t make it seem like you were present when you were not. And if it isn’t in your notes, it shouldn’t be in your story. Questions about style should be resolved with the Associated Press Stylebook (available at the Bookstore or in the reference section of the Law Library).

Syllabus

Specialized Writing and Reporting: Literary Journalism

Specialized Writing and Reporting:
Literary Journalism