JMC 2033 Overview by Lauren Stanfill

In order to proceed with any degree in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Oklahoma, all students are required to take Writing for the Mass Media, JMC 2033, and pass with a grade of a C or higher. This course, taught by Professor Kathryn Jenson White, serves to educate journalism students on the proper way to communicate effectively in writing.

Every week, students meet twice in a lecture setting, and twice in a lab setting. Helpful information and writing tips for lectures or labs can be pulled from the four texts required for this course: Stovall’s “Writing for the Mass Media”, G. Arnold’s “Media Writer’s Handbook,” Fifth Edition, “The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual”, and Padgett’s “New Directions in Diversity”.

Kathryn Jenson White, who teaches the lecture aspect of the course, has over twenty-five years of professional writing experience in various media outlets. Her lectures consist of a combination of Language Skills quizzes, Media and News quizzes, and lectures aided by slide shows. The lecture classes also employ a strict behavior policy. Sarah Cavanah, the lecture class teaching assistant, takes attendance and watches the classroom to make sure students are not on cell phones or other electronic devices, not working on assignments for other classes, and are paying attention. Students who violate these rules will be asked to leave the room and will be counted absent for the day. Students who are absent for more than four lectures or labs will fail the course.

The labs are taught in a much smaller group. Each student is given access to a computer and a writing coach to aid them with writing assignments. The grammar reviews, writing assignments, and the ongoing class blog, all of which are assigned and started in lab but may need to be completed at home, will account for fifty percent of the overall grade for the course.