Brianna Kwasny- JMC Overview

Writing for Mass Media is class that is required for students to take in order to be accepted by the Gaylord School of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. It acts as one of the basic classes that introduces students to the different writing forms primarily used by journalists.

The class teaches aspiring media majors how to use words in a which will help them to achieve professional goals. It does not only focus on writing for a career in journalism; the students learn how to use words correctly for all mass media areas. Today, a professional can not link themselves to writing about a single media area.

Kathryn Jenson White, the professor of the lecture section of Writing for Mass Media, states that media exists "to inform, persuade and entertain," and this class will teach students how to achieve all three.

Attendance is essential to passing this class. Missing more than four classes in either the lecture or the lab will result in a failing grade. If a student is more than 10 minutes late to class, they will be counted absent for the day. Also, if a quiz is missed without an excused absence, a grade of 0% will be given for it. The quiz may only be made up if the student has a valid excuse. Quizzes are given at the begging of almost every lecture and are worth 25% of a student's grade, so students are advised to come fully prepared each day.

There will also be three exams that form another 25% of the final grade. These will be given about every five weeks and will cover all material that has been taught since the previous exam.

Writing for Mass Media consists of a lecture and a lab. In the lab, students practice the writing process, working on revising, editing and proofreading. Both in and out-of-class writing is required in order to meet the deadlines given by the instructor. The lab portion of the class is taken at a different time, but the grades in both classes are factored together to determine a final grade for the course. Lab amounts for 50% of the final grade.

The course calls for students to work hard and pay attention. It is a demanding class that requires many hours of work if a student wants to become proficient in writing and truly improve their skills. A minimum grade of 69.5% must be earned in order to be admitted into Gaylord College of Journalism.