ENG 357: Editing for Publication

T-TH, 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Fall 2007 Syllabus
Adjunct Professor Richard C. Lewis
Office Hours: TBA
Phone: TBA
E-mail: richard.lewis@salve.edu
Course Description
Editing for Publication will cover the skills needed to be an effective writer and editor. They
include: writing for clarity and accuracy, editing for content and style, checking facts and
designing pages. The course also will look at some of the ethical issues that journalists face.
I have designed this class so that it will be useful for all of you no matter whether youre
mulling a journalistic career. Thats because active, clear writing and accurate, precise editing
transcend journalism; they are skills vital to any occupation. My goals are to strengthen your
writing and editing abilities, to introduce you to page and photo design and to acquaint you with
how journalism is practiced.
I want this course to be lively, entertaining and informative. I am a journalist, and Im in the
thick of things every day. Its fun! I want to explore with you the craft of journalism and to
discuss with you the issues journalists face, and the choices we make. I want to know what you
think of those decisions. I hope you will come away from this course with a broader
understanding how journalism is practiced, so you will be a more educated and discerning news
consumer.
Course Objectives
Writing and editing are base elements of communication. The better you write and edit, the more
effective you will be at communicating your message whether its a story, a press release, a
personal Web page, a blog, a term paper or a legal brief.
To that end, the course will:
Help you master basic rules of writing and better recognize good writing from shoddy
writing
Help you master basic rules of editing and better recognize good editing from shoddy
editing

 Give you experience with two software programs (Quark Xpress and Adobe Photoshop)
that are used in journalism.
Widen your knowledge of the legal and ethical issues in journalism
Required Texts*
The AP Stylebook (2007 edition)
Fellow, Anthony, and Thomas Clanin. Copy Editors Handbook for Newspapers. 3rd ed.
Englewood, Colo.: Morton Publishing, 2007
Harrower, Tim. The Newspaper Designer's Handbook. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008
A dictionary
There will be periodic handouts from me.
*Textbooks and dictionaries are available in the Salve Regina University bookstore.

Course Policies
1. Participation/Readings. Please come prepared for class by doing the assigned readings and
ready to discuss. I reserve the right to call upon students at will. Dont make me resort to doing
that. A bonus to being prepared is well have more lively discussions, and youll learn much
more.
2. Attendance. I am not a police officer, so please dont force me to act like one. Attend class.
Youll do far better on the tests if you do. If you cannot make a class, I ask you to send me an email beforehand explaining why. You are responsible for all the material presented in class on
missed days. Arrange to have someone in class take notes for you and ask them to pick up extra
copies of any materials distributed in class.
3. Office Hours: I plan to hold regular office hours, location and times TBA. You are welcome to
visit. If you fall behind, get confused or become even modestly lost, drop by immediately.
Editing for Publication builds on skills introduced throughout the term, and the exams will
reflect the buildup. If you dont understand something or are having difficulty, come to office
hours. Im happy to talk with you.
4. Academic honesty: Plagiarism is representing someone else's work as your own. It includes
(but is not limited to) submitting a paper someone else has written, copying from a friend or
roommate, buying a paper on the Internet and taking copy from books, magazines or other
sources without attribution. Fabrication is making up quotes or other information in a story or

paper. Recycling is submitting the same assignment to two different courses. You will fail the
course if you breach any of these standards.
NOTE: The same guidelines apply for computer assignments and for tests or quizzes. Any
sharing of information, code, etc. that interferes with my ability to assess your learning as your
own will be grounds for failing the course. This applies to tests, quizzes and out-of-class work.

5. Exams. I do not offer makeup exams. If you miss an exam, you receive a grade of zero. The
only exceptions are for a family emergency or an act of God. And I will check your reason for
missing an exam (I am a journalist, after all). If you do have a valid excuse and miss an exam,
you are required to discuss alternatives with me.
6. Computer lab: Yes, its tempting to log on and play, but computers in this course can be used
only for taking notes. You are prohibited from using the Internet (i.e. e-mail, IM, Web surfing,
etc.) once class starts unless told otherwise by me.
7. Cell phones and other classroom courtesies: Please remember to turn off your cell phone
before class begins. Do what you need to do snacks, bathroom breaks, phone calls, etc.
before class begins. Class time is my time, and I expect you to respect that.
ADA Accommodation
Salve Regina University is committed to providing equal and integrated access for students with
disabilities to all of its educational programs as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students with disabilities should meet
in person with the director of the Academic Development Center to determine appropriate
accommodations, and then submit a signed and current Notification of Accommodations form to
the professor within the first two weeks of class. This form is available from the Office of
Disability Services in the Academic Development Center in McKillop Library, Room 308.
Students are advised to speak directly with the professor concerning requests for reasonable
accommodations.

Grading
Attendance & Participation*

20 percent

Exam #1

20 percent

Exam #2

20 percent

Final design project

40 percent

*Includes completing the assigned readings and homework for the scheduled class.

Course Schedule
The course schedule includes a snapshot of what will be discussed in class that day and your
assignment for the next class. All readings are to be completed for the class indicated. You
should bring your textbooks (leave the dictionary at home) with you to every class.
I may amend the course schedule as events and time warrant. I will send you a revised syllabus if
any major changes are made.
Section I Writing
Sept. 6

Why We Write
Assignment for next class: Read Chapters 1-2 from Fellow and Clanin.

Sept. 11
(Patriot Day)

Keys to Good Writing

Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 13 from Fellow and Clanin.

Sept. 13
Keys to Good Reporting
(Rosh Hashanah
Assignment for next class: Read professor handout
Ramadan begins night
before)
Note: Last day to change semester registration
Sept. 18

The Interview Tricks to the Trade

Assignment for next class: Read professor handout

Sept. 20

Sourcing How many is enough?

Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 4, Fellow and Clanin

Sept. 25

Quotes Use and abuse

Assignment for next class: Prepare for exam

Sept. 27

Exam
No Assignment
Section II Editing

Oct. 2

Why We Edit

Assignment for next class: Read Chapters 5-6 from Fellow and Clanin +
selected material from the AP Stylebook
Oct. 4

The AP Stylebook
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 3 from Fellow and Clanin

Oct. 9

Punctuation
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 4 from Fellow and Clanin +
selected material from the AP Stylebook

Oct. 11

The Common Mistakes

Assignment for next class: Prepare for exam

Oct. 16
(Natl. Boss Day)

Exam
No Assignment

Oct. 18

Fact Checking The Internet as the beauty and the beast

Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 12 from Fellow and Clanin
Section III Designing

Oct. 23

Why We Design
Assignment for next class: Read Introduction + Chapter 1 from Harrower

Oct. 25

What Makes a Good Front Page

Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 9 from Farrow and Clanin

Oct. 30

Headlines
Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 10 from Farrow and Clanin +
Chapter 4 from Harrower + pgs. 379-386 in the AP Stylebook

Nov. 1

Photos
Assignment for next class: TBA

Nov. 6
(Election Day)

Quark Express workshop

Nov. 8

Quark Express workshop

Nov. 13

Adobe Photoshop workshop

Nov. 15

Adobe Photoshop workshop

Assignment for next class: Chapter 8 from Fellow and Clanin

Section IV Ethics*
Nov. 20

Why Ethics Matter

Assignment for next class: Draft of final project

Nov. 22

No class Thanksgiving

Nov. 27

Fact vs. Opinion

Assignment for next class: AP Stylebook pgs. 352-364 + Professor
handout

Nov. 29

Libel and Slander

Assignment for next class: AP Stylebook pgs. 348-352 + Professor
handout

Dec. 4
(Hanukkah begins)

The First Amendment Whats an invasion of privacy?

Assignment for next class: TBA

Dec. 6
(Last class)

Editor vs. Publisher

Dec. 14

Final Project Due