Journalism 331 Graphics Spring 2010

Instructor, Ezra Shapiro

W
henever words are presented, design and Contact
technology affect the reader’s reactions to The syllabus, the semester calendar,
what is being said. In this course, we will a list of assignments and other useful
be exploring the interaction between what material will be posted online at our
is written and modern production techniques through class website.
a series of lectures, readings, and exercises intended
to increase your familiarity, skill, and comfort with the web: www.j331.net
vocabulary and tools of web and print production. instructor: ezra.shapiro@csun.edu
alternate address: ezramail@gmail.com
Key points: office phone: 1-818-677-2846
• You’ll learn about various media tools for print department phone: 1-818-677-3135 
publications and the World Wide Web.
• We’ll start with an introduction to emerging web . . .Actually, as an experiment I’m going to
use a Posterous site to host documents and
technologies and some discussion of audiences and
messages for the class at:
how to reach them.
• You will design web pages, newsletters, and http://j331. posterous.com
magazines. The accent will be on web design.
• You’ll build example projects with HTML and CSS,
SimpleCSS, MS Word, Adobe InDesign, Powerpoint,
News U.
Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, and online software. We will be using 5 modules from the
Poynter Institute’s News U. web site.
• Most projects must be completed during class You must register at:
sessions; work done outside of class may not receive
www.newsu.org
full credit, at the discretion of the instructor.
This is not optional.

Required texts
Jason Beaird, The Principles of
Beautiful Web Design, Sitepoint,
2007, ISBN 0-9758419-6-3.
You need a ruler Castro, Creating a Web Page with
You’ll need a graphic arts ruler to measure inches, picas, and HTML, Peachpit Press, 2005, ISBN
points both in your own and in professional publications. You 0-321-27847-X.
will also have to determine type sizes. Any combination of
equipment that gives you precise measurements is okay. If Also recommended
you have no ruler as yet, there are two good transparent ones Krug, Don’t Make Me Think!, 2nd ed.,
from the C-Thru Ruler Company. The 13” N-369 Newspaper New Riders, 2006, ISBN 0-321-34475-8.
Column Ruler and the 13” GA-96 Graphic Arts Combo (above)
White, Editing by Design, 3rd ed.,
are both available at Continental Art Supply on Reseda Blvd.
Allworth, 2003, ISBN 1-58115-302-3.
(and many other places around town -- but not on campus).
Conover, Designing for Print, Wiley,
Not only is Continental the closest good art supply store
2003, ISBN 0-471-23723-X.
to campus, show them your student i.d. for a discount! An
acceptable third choice would be the 18” GA-86 Graphic Arts Castro, HTML, XHTML & CSS, 6th ed.,
Ruler, although it isn’t transparent. The GA-86 is sometimes Peachpit, 2007, ISBN 0-321-43084-0.
available in the bookstore. Printers’ metal or plastic pica rulers Shufflebotham, InDesign CS2 in Easy
are good for determining page dimensions but lack the fine Steps, Barnes & Noble, 2006, ISBN
gradations necessary to measure type and leading accurately. 0-7607-7861-2.
Kids’ wood and plastic rulers are useless. All are trade books.
 Journalism 331 More info
Philosophy
Benefits of this course are best realized
by spending time in class working on
the assignments in the proper sequence.
Attendance is therefore mandatory.
Lecture policy
The instructor does not repeat lectures.
Develop a friendship with someone who
takes good notes.
Email policy
Off-hours email will be answered at
the instructor’s convenience. A 24-hour
turnaround is typical. No email on weekends
or holidays unless it’s a true emergency.
The question “What did we do in class
yesterday?” will not be answered in detail,
see lecture policy above.
In-class projects
Most projects must be completed during class
sessions; work done outside of class may
not receive full credit, at the discretion of the
instructor.
Missed classes
Excuses must be written and verifiable,
including serious illnesses, major accidents,
court appearances, and so forth. Parking
hassles, business trips, and routine medical
appointments don’t count.
As a rule, missed tests and quizzes that have
been excused will be given at the instructor’s
earliest convenience.
Ungraded projects that have been excused
may be completed within a week of the
absence.
Courtesy and rules
Cell phones: okay (for incoming emergencies
only). Food: not okay. Foul-smelling food:
REALLY not okay. Beverages: okay (if
kept off desks and far from computers).
Interrupting for a question when instructor is
speaking: okay. Chatting or typing or texting
or reading mail when instructor is speaking:
not okay. Computer note-taking: not okay
without medical need. iPods and similar
devices: okay during projects, not okay
during lectures and discussion.
Backup
The lab computers are not a safe place to
store data -- backup is your responsibility!
Get yourself a flash drive or a supply of
CD-R or CD-RW discs, or plan to use a
decent email service to send yourself copies of important files.
The instructor has found Gmail to be excellent at transferring
documents up to 10 mb. For some reason, we have had terrible luck
with Yahoo! -- please consider a change if you use it for mail.
Regular saves and backups are really, really important!
Plagiarism
Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated, and
anyone caught cheating will fail the course and will be reported to
the University for possible further action. For a further explanation
of the behavior defined as academic dishonesty, and a more detailed
discussion of disciplinary procedures, consult pages 588-589 of the
2008-2010 CSUN catalog.
Please also remember that much of the information posted on the
Internet is protectged by US copyright laws. Passing this information
off as your own is a violation of CSUN’s plagiarism policy and carries
the penalties outlined above.
Diversity
In addition to adhering to the university’s nondiscrimination and
sexual harassment policies (pp. 534-535 of the CSUN catalog),
students in this course are strongly encouraged to make every
effort, with the instructor’s help, to include people and subjects in
their assignments who traditionally have been overlooked by the
mainstream media. (Such people include ethnic, racial and religious
minorities; the elderly, disabled and poor; gay men and lesbians;
and other similar groups.) The intent is to ensure that student work
reflects the diversity of the community.
Student Learning Outcomes
The Department of Journalism strives to prepare its students to
become well-educated, principled citizens who are capable of
initiating careers as skilled journalists, public relations practitioners
and other related communication professionals. The Department will
help students to achieve the following objectives by the end of their
program of study:
• Attain competency in writing basics such as grammar and
punctuation, word usage and spelling, sentence and story structure
and journalistic style;
• Attain competency in the gathering and critical analysis of
information using such techniques as interviewing;
• Acquire expertise in thinking critically and creatively, while
exercising news judgment, the organization and presentation of
information in multiple journalistic forms (i.e., print, visual and
electronic, and public relations).
• Develop an ethical basis for making journalistic decisions;
• Develop flexibility in working in evolving mass communication
media and environments using a variety of technologies and
techniques;
• Understand the historical, theoretical, legal and societal contexts
within which journalists and public relations practitioners work.
• In addition, students in J331 will be able to choose technologies
for communicating with diverse audiences; communicate effectively
with graphic arts practitioners and photographers; and have the
ability to produce stories in multiple formats for print and online
products.
 Journalism 331 Grading
System Extra credit
Standard CSUN plus/minus system is used. Points are totaled No such animal.
and grouped into a rough curve. You will be kept aware of
your total during the semester. Final grades will be based on
the top point total in the class, not total points. Late work
Unless specifically exempted by the
You should be aware that it is likely that half the students in a instructor, either in advance or by approved
excuse (see “Missed classes” above), work
class will receive final grades of C+ and below.
submitted after the deadline will not receive
credit.
Grades for individual items
Percent* Means roughly
91-100 Outstanding A Evidence of planning
81-90 Above average B If you cannot finish a project in the
71-80 Average C allotted time, please try to indicate how
61-70 Barely passing D it would have been completed. Prepare
Below Failing F stylesheets and master pages (if
applicable). Place images and headlines.
* Your grade for any given exercise, project, test, or quiz will If your work shows this or similar
be expressed as a point total. It’s up to you to convert the evidence of planning, it will be graded
total to get an idea of the grade. For example, on a quiz worth higher than if it is simply unfinished.
20 points a grade of 18 would be “outstanding.” Note that this
is only an approximation; you’re wiser to compare your grades
to the rest of the class. Typeface hunt
You will be expected to learn to identify
Course work six categories of typefaces:
Measuring things: You’ll also be asked to measure existing
publications during the semester. Worth 20 points each. blackletter
cursive
Tests and quizzes: There will be several quizzes during the oldstyle
semester on terminology and basics, usually worth 20 to 50 modern
points each. There will be a typeface identification test, worth slab serif
30 points. There may be a test of computer skills. There will sans serif
be no comprehensive midterm or final exam. Pop quizzes on
readings are unusual but can happen, usually worth 10 points. and eight specific sans serif typefaces:

Original design: Each student is expected to design parts of Futura

newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and web sites. Avant Garde
Eurostile
Most original design is not graded competitively. Points Gill Sans
are not awarded for these projects. However, up to Optima
10 points per project will be deducted for work that Eras
is not submitted or is incomplete, work that is sloppy, Kabel
or work that fails to meet certain criteria (such as full Peignot
stylesheets for type).
It is nearly impossible to master all this
Bonus points may be awarded for outstanding work. shortly before being tested, so PLEASE
bring in samples week by week to see
if you’ve got the ability to recognize
typefaces in use.
 Journalism 331 Logistics
F
Furlough days and holidays
Where to find me on campus
January 28, Thursday
February 16, Tuesday
February 26, Friday
March 10, Wednesday
March 18, Thursday
March 31 (Chavez), Wednesday
April 2, Friday
April 5-9 (Spring Break)
April 27, Tuesday
May 5, Wednesday
May 13, Thursday
 Journalism 331 Calendar Spring 2010

Focus: Readings Other stuff Font

Unit 1 Intro to typography, nomenclature, NewsU: Typography for News Design
type identification, choosing fonts
Unit 2 Net history, intro to html Beaird: Chapter 4 Futura
Unit 3 Intro to CSS Castro Test1:Type Avant
Garde
Unit 4 CSS Castro TIME measuring Euro-
stile
Unit 5 Resume project Castro Gill
Sans
Unit 6 Intro to Word, convert styles Test2: Net, HTML Optima
Unit 7 Color, Word newsletter project NewsU: Color in News Design Eras
Beaird: Chapter 2
Unit 8 Intro to InDesign, cover project Test3: Color Kabel
Unit 9 Grid systems, InDesign newsletter Beaird: Chapter 1 Peignot
Unit 10 Using Images, newsletter 2 NewsU: Best of Photojournalism: What Test4: Layout old-
Makes a Winner, Language of the Image style
Beaird: Chapter 5
Unit 11 Magazine layout Magazine measure mod-
ern
Unit 12 PowerPoint, Tufte: Powerpoint is Evil Test5: Photograpy slab
Tweaking and embedding Atkinson: Q&A with Don Norman serif
Unit 13 Final project Test6: Type ID

Tuesday/Thursday Tuesday night Friday

Unit 1 January 19, 21 January 19 January 22
Unit 2 January 26. February 2 January 26 January 29
Unit 3 February 4, 9 February 2 February 5
Unit 4 February 11, 18 February 9 February 12
Unit 5 February 23, 25 February 23 February 19
Unit 6 March 2, 4 March 2 March 5
Unit 7 March 9, 11 March 9 March 12
Unit 8 March 16, 23 March 16 March 19
Unit 9 March 25, 30 March 23 March 26
Unit 10 April 1, 13 March 30 April 16
Unit 11 April 15, 20 April 13 April 23
Unit 12 April 22, 29 April 20 April 30
Unit 13 May 4, 6 May 4 May 7