Instructor Information

Name: Dr. Lauren Furey

Office: Building 1, Room 307
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon or by appointment
Phone number: (909) 869-4588
Email: ldfurey@cpp.edu (Email is the fastest way to reach me.)

Course Information
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to teach you the ins and outs of the magazine business and how
to write for them. It places emphasis on the function of magazines, their design and different
genres; how to develop story ideas and research the market for those stories; how to write the
different elements of a feature story and the different types of magazine articles; in-depth
interviewing and reporting techniques; as well as how to write query letters and sell your work.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Write different types of magazine articles (e.g. profile, how-to, etc.).
• Identify a target audience and magazine for publication, as well as develop tailored story
ideas for that audience and publication.
• Use a variety of research and in-depth interviewing techniques to draw out useful and
colorful information from sources.
• Integrate various non-fiction storytelling techniques into feature stories (e.g. anecdotes,
description and dialogue).
• Soundly structure a feature story using those elements and tie them together with a clear
and compelling focus.
• Write tight, clear and colorful copy under deadline constraints.
• Write query letters to sell your stories and promote your work on social media.
• Develop improved reporting and writing skills as well as gain clips to help you work toward
media jobs and internships.

Course Materials
Required Readings
• Associated Press Stylebook
• Follow the Story, by James B. Stewart
• Writer’s Market 2018, edited by Robert Lee Brewer

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Course Assessments
Magazine Production Project
You will be working in teams (with a minimum of four to a maximum of six students per group) to
design and produce your own magazine. You get to choose the magazine genre (e.g. women’s,
men’s, family, health and fitness, entertainment, etc.), its name, target audience as well as the
role of each team member (e.g. editor-in-chief, design editor, copy editor, photo editor, etc.).

Your magazine, which you will submit as a PDF file on Blackboard, will be graded on the
inclusion and execution of the different elements of a magazine (e.g. cover, table of contents,
masthead, letter from the editor, articles, photos/graphics and ads) more so than the actual
design. You will also be presenting your magazines the last week of class. For more detail, a
grading rubric will be provided under the assignments tab on Blackboard.

Magazine Articles
You will write two magazine articles this quarter. The first will either be a group profile or a trend
story. The second will be a how-to or numbers story. These articles will be used as the editorial
content for your magazine production project. You will pitch the topic for your individual articles,
but they must fit your team’s magazine genre as well as your target audience.

Your articles will be graded based on a “content” grade minus a “mechanics” grade. The content
grade reflects the overall structure, how well you covered your topic, etc., while the mechanics
grade is based on your writing, including proper use of grammar, spelling and AP Style. In
addition, two points will be deducted for each factual error (e.g. misspelling someone’s name).
For more detail, see the grading rubrics available under the assignments tab on Blackboard.
Also, your articles must adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

• Type your assignments in Microsoft Word and submit them as an attachment under the
assignments tab on Blackboard. Please do NOT use Pages, copy and paste your work
into the submission box on Blackboard or submit your work as a PDF.
• Use 12-point Times New Roman font. Double space your papers with one-inch margins,
and tab the start of each paragraph.
• Your work must be free of factual, grammatical, AP Style and spelling errors.
• Your articles must range from 1,000 to 1,500 words in length.
• Each article must include at least three human sources, who you talked to in person or
by phone (email interviews are NOT allowed) and who contributed significant information
to the story. These sources must be credible. For instance, you cannot use your friends,
family or classmates (both former and present) as personal sources. Also, any websites
or documents you use must be reputable sources.
• Each article must include at least one visual element (e.g. a photo or graphic) that you
created yourself.
• You must include contact information and/or links for all sources on the last page of each
of your stories.

Query Letters
Along with each article, you will write a one-page, single-spaced query letter addressed to a
magazine you would like to sell your story to. To find a publication, consult the Writer’s Market
2018. More details about the structure and how to write a query letter will be provided in class.
Also, there is a grading rubric under the assignments tab on Blackboard. If a magazine agrees
to publish one or both of your stories, you will receive an extra credit point on each article.

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Magazine Quiz
A 20-question, multiple-choice quiz covering the major takeaways from this course (from the
readings and lecture material) will be given toward the end of the quarter. More details and a
study guide will be provided closer to the quiz date.

Participation
Participation is a key, required component of this class. That means you'll be expected to read
the assigned readings, listen attentively to lectures and the comments of classmates as well as
contribute to class discussions and thoughtfully complete in-class assignments. Contributions may
include asking and answering questions, sharing comments that build upon discussion,
responding to a classmate’s point or sharing relevant examples with the class and/or professor.
Quality class participation is determined through consistent contributions, not by dominating the
discussion or steering discussion away from material relevant to the course or the course’s
learning objectives. One point will be given for each class.

In addition, as part of this grade, your participation on the magazine production project will be
monitored through peer evaluations. More specifically, each team member will submit a peer
evaluation toward the end of the quarter. So be aware that investing comparable time and effort
on your magazine will improve your individual grade.

Grading
Final Grade Breakdown
Your final grade in the course will be arrived at through the following combination:
• Magazine Production Project 20 points
• Group Profile/Trend Story 20 points
• How-To/Numbers Story 20 points
• Query Letters 10 points
• Magazine Quiz 10 points
• Participation/Peer Evaluation 20 points
• Total Possible 100 points

Grading Scale
A = 94-100 B = 84-86 C = 74-76 D = 64-66
A- = 90-93 B- = 80-83 C- =70-73 D- = 60-63
B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79 D+ = 67-69 F = 59 and below

Course Policies
Attendance and Tardiness
Attendance in this class is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of class. We will be
doing valuable in-class activities and having important discussions, so it is essential you attend
class and arrive promptly. You can miss one class without documentation or penalty against
your participation points. However, if there is a quiz or presentation on the day you miss, your
grade on that assessment could be affected.

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Late Work Policy
Journalism is a deadline-driven industry, and it is my job to prepare you for the realities of
working in this profession. Therefore, my late work policy for this course is especially stringent. I
excuse absences resulting from family emergencies, documented/known illnesses, legal or
military obligations, athletic participation, religious holidays, conferences or other engagements I
deem beneficial to your career. However, work shifts are no excuse for absences or late work.

If you feel an extension is necessary, you must request one at least one day in advance of any
quizzes or deadlines. If you fail to show up to class when there is a quiz or turn in an
assignment past the deadline, you do not have the luxury of make-up work unless it is
due to extreme circumstances (e.g. severe medical or family emergency) or you made
prior arrangements with me. I reserve the right to require documentation for make-up work.

Technology Policy
Computers are for completing in-class assignments as instructed and note-taking purposes
only. However, students are strongly encouraged to take notes by hand given that research
shows that hand-written notes result in greater levels of comprehension and better exam
performance. Cell phones must be on silent or remain off. Yes, communication is a technology-
driven field, and there will be times we will use technology as part of class, but it should be a
learning tool not a distraction. If it is an emergency, quietly excuse yourself from the classroom.
Using devices for unexcused reasons could result in the loss of participation points.

Classroom Demeanor
I want this class to be fun and energetic with great discussions. Therefore, I expect you to be
attentive and courteous to your fellow classmates and to me. Please do not engage in side
conversations. Also, this is a safe space to share and express opinions. Please be polite to
others while both expressing opinions and responding to them.

Academic Integrity
Cal Poly Pomona students live by an honor code that prohibits academic dishonesty such as
(but not limited to) cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of sources or information from sources,
reusing a paper from another class, writing a similar paper for two classes, drawing too heavily
on another’s work for your own and having someone else complete your work for you. If you’re
unsure of whether something constitutes a violation of academic integrity, refer to the University
catalog and/or ask me before turning in an assignment. Ignorance is not an excuse.

My default practice for an academic integrity violation is a failing grade for the assignment
and possibly the entire course, and the instance will be reported to Student Conduct and
Integrity, where the student may face additional consequences.

Journalistic Integrity
The fastest way to kill a career in journalism is by fabricating sources, quotes or embellishing
facts. You have a professional, ethical and often legal obligation to report news accurately and
fairly. Knowingly writing erroneous, falsified or exaggerated information is grounds for failure of
this course. Moreover, negligence is no excuse for violations in journalism ethics. Always fact-
check, clarify and follow up when necessary. Again, when in doubt, consult me.

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Disability Assistance
Students with disabilities who seek reasonable accommodations in the classroom or other
aspects of performing their coursework must first register with CPP’s Disability Resource
Center. The center will provide documentation, and then you must meet with me within the first
two weeks of the quarter, so appropriate accommodations can be made. The DRC is located
in Building 9, Room 103, and you can contact them by calling (909) 869-3333. For more
information, visit the DRC’s website.

Student Success and Seeking Help

All of your instructors have high expectations of you, including myself. We are responsible for
conveying those expectations to you. You are responsible for ensuring you meet your course
obligations. Sometimes it will be draining and frustrating like it is in the communications field.
But ultimately, it should also be enjoyable and purposeful. You are always encouraged to
come to me both inside and outside of class with questions or concerns about this class and
your assignments or the communications field in general.

Course Schedule
Here is the tentative schedule for this quarter. All readings scheduled are due on the date listed
on the syllabus, meaning you need to have read them prior to coming to class that day. The
schedule is subject to change depending on the needs of the class.

Week Date Topic Readings & Activities

1 March 27 Course overview – What
makes writing for magazines
different

March 29 The world of magazines – Bring a copy of your favorite magazine to

Different types of magazines class
and why people read them

2 April 3 Generating story ideas – Pitch your group’s magazine name

How to develop original and genre
ideas and a focus Read Follow the Story, Chapters 1-2

April 5 Shaping story ideas – Read Follow the Story, Chapter 3

Different types of features
and the elements of a
feature story

3 April 10 Magazine and market Read “How to Find Success in the

research – Researching your Magazine World” from Writer’s Market
topic and finding an 2018 (read through “Know the
audience for your stories Guidelines”)

April 12 Interviewing 2.0 – Interview Pitch your story ideas and the target
techniques for long-form audience for your group’s magazine
journalism Read Follow the Story, Chapter 4

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4 April 17 Writing the key elements – Read Follow the Story, Chapters 5-6 and
Writing provoking leads, Chapter 12
purposeful nut graphs and
endings that resonate

April 19 Making the middle move – Read Follow the Story, Chapters 7-10
Following a structure and
incorporating elements like
anecdotes, description and
dialogue into a story

5 April 24 Giving yourself a voice – Read Follow the Story, Chapter 11

Developing your own
personal writing style

April 26 Other writing tips – Writing Group Profile/Trend Story Due

tips for specific types of
features and editing your
work

6 May 1 Selling your work – Writing Read “Before Your First Sale” and
query letters “Query Letter Clinic” from Writer’s
Market 2018

May 3 Selling yourself – Building Read “Write Better Queries & Sell More
your audience and Articles” and “Create Content to Grow
establishing yourself as a Your Audience” from Writer’s Market
freelancer 2018

7 May 8 Magazine production – The Bring back the magazine you brought
anatomy of a magazine and the first week of class as well as
what goes into publishing magazines similar to your group’s vision

May 10 Magazines and multimedia – Group Profile/Trend Query Letter Due

How the industry is changing
and the benefits and
challenges that come with it

8 May 15 Publication rights – Legal Read “Contract, Copyrights, and Taxes”

and ethical considerations from Writer’s Market 2018
for feature writers

May 17 Careers in magazines –

What working for magazines
is like and how to break into
the industry

9 May 22 Class time to work on your

magazine production
projects

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 May 24 COM DAY – How-To/Numbers Story Due
CLASS CANCELLED How-To/Numbers Query Letter Due

10 May 29 Class time to work on your Magazine Quiz

magazine production
projects

May 31 Magazine Production Project Magazine Production Project – Peer

Presentations Evaluation Due

Finals June 5 Your magazine production projects are due Tuesday by noon.