JMC 2033

Writing for Mass Media at the University of Oklahoma has two components. Students attend a 50 minute lecture session and apply the lessons being taught during a supplemental two hour lab session. Regardless of the students' majors, the curriculum is designed to prepare each individual to achieve effective communication in all fields of mass media including print or broadcast journalism, advertising, public relations, and professional writing. By the end of the course, students are expected to excel in journalistic writing, build media literacy, and discover their professional skills and interests.

All students enrolled for JMC 2033 attend the same lecture with Kathryn Jenson White. White uses her professional experience and textbooks to transition students from academic writing to journalistic writing, which employs rules governed by the Associated Press. In addition to teaching the writing process and elements of journalistic writing, this course also focuses on diversity in the world of journalism. White holds her students accountable for information and assigned reading by giving quizzes at the beginning of each class. This also encourages good attendance.

The lab portion of this course, however, places students in groups of about 15 into classrooms with different teachers who serve as writing coaches. It is during this class when students apply what they have learned in lectures to their own writing. Students are given assignments with deadlines and are expected to write multiple drafts of an assignment before turning in their work. If a student's work does have a fact error, their grade is immediately lowered by 25-50%.