Goal
Better understanding the people and processes behind great work, as well as an opportunity to make a new contact in the business.
Key dates
- Monday, Aug. 24: Launch assignment and set into groups by due date
- Monday, Sept. 14: Round 1 due (Kaylin Carpenter, Miranda Foster, Jett Johnson, Steven Plaisance)
- Monday, Oct. 12: Round 2 due (Blake Douglas, Hogan Gore, Jonathan Kyncl, Parker Primrose)
- Monday, Nov. 9: Round 3 due (Chandler Engelbrecht, Christian Hans, KaraLee Langford, Vic Reynolds, Mary Catherine Wells)
- Monday, Dec 7: Round 4 due (Ari Fife, Jordan Hayden, Sydnee Lyons, Cassandra Snow)
The assignment
You will research and interview one of your favorite writers to understand the story behind a great story.
Due the Monday of your turn: An approximately 10-15 minute podcast directing us to the piece in question, and edited into a compelling conversation that covers the writer’s path to their current job, the backstory to the piece, how and why they elected to write it that way and any other key takeaways that could apply to our work in this course.
In class: Each student will lead an approximately 15-minute discussion on his or her piece.
Rubric (250 points total)
- Interview and podcast | 50 percent
- Reached reporter of feature story and interviewed them in significant depth
- Asked compelling and probing questions that unearthed challenges of the particular story as well as the reporter’s writing process
- Asked questions about any reactions to the story from sources or public
- Podcast minimum is 10 minutes
- Presentation and discussion | 50 percent
- Leads a 10-minute recap of the story, its backstory and key takeaways that could apply to our work
- Covers the reporter’s career experience and advice
- Deductions
- Fact errors: -50 percent
- Miss deadline: -Letter grade
Seth Prince 