CALENDAR DESCRIPTION: This course reviews some of the basic concepts and principles involved in reporting on scientific and environmental media issues. Through a series of case studies located at the local, regional, and national levels, it considers some of the problems faced by journalists in defining dimensions of scientific and environmental issues and developing and assessing evidence.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a course about the practice of writing stories about science, technology and the environment for a mass audience. It looks at the way that newspaper and magazine writers research, structure and write science stories, and emphasizes the practical side of this kind of work.
The course looks at the types of evidence and the strategies used for evaluating evidence in science, the justice system, and journalism, and makes distinctions between science and the types of pseudoscience that have crept into the media.
The relationships between governments, corporations, scientists, special interest groups, and the media will be examined, and how the relationships influence the way events are reported. Of particular interest will be issues involving the natural resources of British Columbia.
Assignments will be written in the style of newspapers and the Canadian Press, with emphasis on the news value of the work.
COURSE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES: The students learn strategies for researching stories, evaluating sources (particularly science experts and environmental advocates) and producing interesting, easy-to-read newspaper and magazine copy. Students are encouraged to put stories in publishable form and to seek publication.
Prerequisites: Admission to the journalism program and Journalism 320, or 60 credit hours and permission of the instructor.
Corequisites: None
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Benidickson, Jamie, Environmental Law. Toronto: Irwin Law, 1997.
Buckley, Peter, ed., The Canadian Press Stylebook, Toronto: The Canadian Press, 1997.
Canadian Press, Caps and Spelling, Toronto: The Canadian Press, 1996.
Cappon, Rene J., The Associated Press Guide to News Writing, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1997.
Careless, Ric, To Save the Wild Earth: Field notes from the environmental frontline, Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 1997.
Davis, Mike, Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster, New York: Vintage Books, 1999.
Discover magazine and a steady diet of science stories in daily newspapers and magazines, including web publications like Environment News Service at ens.lycos.com, Tidepool.org and Headwatersnews.org.
A lively and pertinent handbook of articles for sale in the university bookstore.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Anton, Ted and Rick McCourt, eds, The New Science Journalists, New York: Ballantine, 1995.
Darwin, Charles, The Voyage of the Beagle, New York: Meridian, 1996.
Gelbspan, Ross, The Heat is On: The Climate Crisis, the Cover-up, the Prescription, Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books, 1998.
Harden, Blaine, A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia, New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.
Horgan, John. The End of Science. New York: Broadway Books, 1996.
Houghton, John, Global Warming: The Complete Briefing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Kuhn, Thomas S., The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Quammen, David, Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, New York: Avon, 1985.
Leakey, Richard and Roger Lewin, The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of life and the future of humankind, New York: Anchor Books, 1996.
Murray, John A. The Sierra Club Nature Writing Handbook. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1995.
Penrose, Ann M. and Steven B. Katz. Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.
Sagan,Carl. The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, New York: Ballantine, 1996.
Sherman, Michael, Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition and Other Confusions of Our Time, New York: W.H. Freeman, 1997.
STUDENT EVALUATION:
There will be two graded story assignments, counting for 70 per cent of the mark. Part of the mark for assignments will involve writing a one-paragraph explanation of the news value and news angle of the story, with a list of proposed sources, due 10 days before the assignment and discussed with the instructor at that time. Students are marked on their ability to write stories according to publishing standards for newspapers and magazines. Two seminar presentations will count for 30 per cent. There are no exams.
For students who are doing internships during the time of the course, if an assignment in the course falls due during a period of internship, the assignment will be due two weeks after the internship ends.
SYLLABUS:
1. Introduction: The science and environment beats.
2. Writing technical stories for deadline: A case history of a fire at the Kamloops Weyerhaeuser mill; Writing strategies.
3. The case for understanding environmental law.
4. Paradigms and perception in science and reporting.
5. Versions of truth and evidence.
6. Kamloops and L.A.: Writing about the problems of urban areas encroaching on mountains.
7. The wilderness: Ways of imagining the wild.
8. The scientist in the wilderness: The Birute Galdikas file.
9. The media and the environmentalists.
10. Longer narrative forms.
11. The tropes of evolution and extinction.
12. The media, the environmentalists, and the Makah whale hunt.
13. Back to the future: Darwin and Galapagos.
Week 1. Lecture: Introduction: The science and environment beats.
Reading: "The Real Chief Seattle" and "Rediscovering Grey Owl" from the handbook.
Assignment: TBA
Week 2.Lecture: Writing technical stories for deadline: A case history of a fire at the Kamloops Weyerhaeuser mill; Writing strategies.
Reading: CP Stylebook pp. 283-286, "Damselfly" in handbook, "The El Nino factor" in the handbook.
Assignment: TBA
Week 3.The case for understanding environmental law. Guest lecture by environmentalist Bronwen Scott.
Reading: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 12,13 and 14 from Environmental Law.
Assignment: TBA
Week 4.Lecture: Paradigms and perception in science and reporting.
Reading: "The Dialectic of Ordinary Disaster" and "How Eden Lost its Garden" in Ecology of Fear.
Assignment: Outline of first story due Jan. 26.
Week 5.Versions of truth and evidence.
Reading: "Face on Mars", "The Jungle Took Her," "Statement of claim" in Galdikas libel action, and "Gorilla Warfare," all from the handbook.
Assignment: First story due on Feb. 4: Pre-deadline for Newsbreak in Maxine's journalism 430 class.
Week 6.Lecture: Kamloops and L.A.: Writing about the problems of urban areas encroaching on mountains.
Reading: "A Growth Plan Run Amok" from the handbook and "The Case for Letting Malibu Burn" from Ecology of Fear.
Assignment: Final edit in Maxine's class for Newsbreak Feb. 11.
Week 7.Lecture: The wilderness: Ways of imagining the wild.
Reading: "Birthright," and "Tatshenshini" from To Save the Wild Earth, "Maneaters of the Sierra Madre" from Ecology of Fear, and "Anything but Empty: The Sororan Desert" from the handbook.
Assignment: TBA
Week 8.Lecture: The scientist in the wilderness: The Birute Galdikas file.
Reading: "The Jungle Took Her" from the handbook.
Assignment: TBA
Week 9.Lecture: The media and the environmentalists.
Reading: "Height of the Rockies" from To Save the Wild Earth.
Assignment: Outline for second story due March 8.
Week 10.Lecture: Longer narrative forms.
Reading: "Driving Mr. Albert: A trip across America with Einstein's brain" from the handbook.
Assignment: Second story due on March 17; Pre-deadline for Newsbreak.
Week 11.Lecture: The tropes of evolution and extinction.
Reading: "Planet of Weeds" from the handbook.
Assignment: Final edit for Newsbreak in Maxine's class March 24.
Week 12.Lecture: The media, the environmentalists, and the Makah whale hunt
Reading: "The Great American Whale Hunt" and "The Media, the Makah, and the Missing Whale" from the handbook.
Assignment: TBA
Week 13.Lecture: Back to beginnings: Darwin and Galapagos
Reading: None.
Assignment: TBA
SPECIAL COURSE ACTIVITIES: Participation in the program's publications.
METHODS FOR PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT:
USE OF TECHNOLOGY: Power Point and co-ordination of out-of-classroom writing opportunities by e-mail.
Criteria for grading stories:
Criteria for grading stories:
A+ The story exceeds the criteria of an A and would be suitable for publication in a mainstream newspaper or magazine. A+ = 90-100%
A The idea originated or was developed in an ingenious way by the student; the story was taken to an unusual depth; the major points of view of an issue are represented, whether or not they were expressed at a meeting or by a source; the significant or controversial facts have been double checked; the background information is present, along with a sense of where the issue is going and what will be the next development; the story has a good lead and clear news value; the story is balanced and fair; the story confirms perfectly to Canadian Press style; the phrasing is good, with a clear, simple, and accurate choice of words; there are lively, colourful and informative quotations; the story is personalized through interviews with people and made immediate and relevant for readers; the sources are both people and documents; the story is delivered on deadline at the require length; whenever possible, a photo is included. A= 85-89%, A-= 80-84%
B The story is well-written and researched, with clear news value and a good lead; the story is balanced and fair and the major points of view are expressed; there is background information and information on the next stage of the issue or process; there are good quotations; people and not just documents are used as sources; the story shows knowledge of Canadian Press style; the story was delivered on deadline at the required length; whenever possible, a photo is included. B+= 75-79%, B = 70-74%, B- = 65-69%
C The story covered the basics but missed the deadline by two hours or less; the news value is ambiguous and the lead weak; there are problems of balance and fairness; there are Canadian Press style errors; the language is ambiguous or too technical; there are problems in the organization of the story; there was no direct contact with sources; the story is longer or shorter than the required length. C+ = 60-64%, C = 55-59%
D The deadline was missed by more than two hours; there are errors in names or locations; there are factual errors; the quotations do not contribute to the story; the story doesn't show an understanding of news value; the story is disorganized or hard to follow; there are errors in Canadian Press style; the lead is weak; there was no direct contact with sources; the material is not original; the story is longer or shorter than the required length. D (marginal pass) = 50-54%
F Fail. Below 50%
Story assignments and seminars:
Every student will submit on deadline two 750-word stories dealing with science or the environment. The stories will meet Canadian Press style and news standards.
Every student will chose an area in the science or environment beat to monitor and evaluate and deliver findings in two, 20-minute seminar presentations. The seminars will evaluate how well the press has been doing its job in that area. That could involve looking at the evolution of an on-going story, comparing coverage of one story by different newspapers and different media, or compiling a case history of a single story. Most of the seminar will be devoted to analysis and not simply an explanation of the content of the material being examined.
N.B. While participation in the program publications is encouraged, stories for grading go through the instructor first and are not to be edited by other instructors or student editors for the publications and then submitted for grading.
It is essential that journalists ensure the originality of their work and proper attribution. Any stories submitted by students must be original work for this course. Any interviewing done by students should also be original work. However, if the use of material from an interview done by another interviewer is unavoidable, that borrowing must be made clear in the attribution. If you have questions about originality or attribution or the use of work done for other courses, consult the instructor. The Faculty of Arts also produces a monograph "Plagiarism -- What it is, and How to Avoid It," available in the university bookstore. The practice of journalism has some features not covered in the monograph.