Unit 2:
Local Beats
(Writing for Local Communities)

This unit moves to writing news that matters to local communities, across multiple beats. Students will consider the range of content in local/regional newspapers, studying the rhetoric and style of those pieces as well as beginning to study and conduct community-level research in constructing new pieces.

The week’s major assignment will be handed out during Thursday’s class time. You will have time to work in news writing/editing teams during class, with final submission deadlines of 11:59 p.m. that night.

By the end of Unit 2, students should be able to:

• Speak thoughtfully about what community newswriting entails and what value it performs.

• Complete and critique a series of community-based newswriting projects.

Files:

• Unit 2: Major Assignment

• Grading Rubric

  • Reminder: Major Assignments submitted late receive a 1-time, automatic 20% penalty, per the syllabus (see p. 3, “Late Work”). Assignments submitted but failing to meet the minimum guidelines will be counted late—as in, you can revise and resubmit, with that 20% penalty attached to your grade.

  • You may revise Major Assignments 1-3, per the course policy (see the syllabus, p. 5, “Revision Opportunities”)