CM120: Newswriting Practicum
Semesters taught: Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015
Catalogue Description: Applications of newswriting in an interdisciplinary context.
I have been teaching in a college classroom since 2004. I have not had a more rewarding experience as a teacher than I have in CM120, even though it is a course without a textbook, without defined assignments, and in which I do very little lecturing and give no quizzes. Instead, I serve in an advisory position as students work collaboratively to build their own student publication.
The course was originally conceptualized as a supporting course to The Tower, the student newspaper. However, the staff there was hesitant to join in, expressing some concerns that it would lead to a faculty take-over of the newspaper. Since I wanted to support the students that were enrolled in the practicum rather than impose help on newspaper students from the outside, I asked my students what they were interested in doing instead—they wanted to start a student culture/lifestyle magazine. I learned all I could and helped them through the process. The product, Loco Mag, is (in my opinion) the best student media outlet on campus, integrating news, features, video, and photo into a web publication. They are now beginning work on their nineteenth issue, and are receiving thousands of hits per issue. You can find it at locomag.com.
CM120: Course Evaluations (raw PDF)
CM120: Selected Student Comments:
“I take this very seriously, and want to see the magazine do well. I couldn’t have done this on my own. It will be so valuable in the future.”
— Student in CM120, Fall 2011
“In the beginning, everyone was a little unsure of how to proceed, but once we started work on the online publication, everything went smoothly.”
— Student in CM120, Fall 2011
“We as students have complete creative control, but at the same time we have the necessary guidance we need….The course was very valuable, and I think the whole class would agree. It gives us real life experience taking on a publication, building it from the ground up.”
— Student in CM120, Spring 2012
“We created something real. I plan on taking this class as often as possible.”
— Student in CM120, Spring 2012
“It is much more hand-on than most of my classes and I feel like I’m able to see the results of my hard work.”
— Student in CM120, Spring 2013
“The greatest benefits of the course include the customizable nature of it. For instance, any student with different interests will be able to apply their skills to running a publication, to showcase those skills and keep students independently motivated.”
— Student in CM120, Fall 2014