Course Form
I. Summary of Proposed Changes
Dept / Program
Journalism
Prefix and Course
Course Title
Graduate Honors: Covering Native American Issues
JOUR 620
Short Title (max. 26 characters incl. spaces)
Summarize the change(s) proposed
Add co-convening designation to graduate course
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Requestor:
Jeremy Lurgio
3/18/12
Jason Begay
Phone/ email :
Program Chair/Director:
Other affected programs
Jeremy.lurgio@umontana.edu
406.243.2601
Jason.begay@umontana.edu
406.243.2191
Henriette Lowisch
N/A
Dean:
Peggy Kuhr
Are other departments/programs affected by this modification Please obtain signature(s) from the
because of
Chair/Director of any such department/
(a) required courses incl. prerequisites or corequisites,
program (above) before submission
(b) perceived overlap in content areas
(c) cross-listing of coursework
III: To Add a New Course Syllabus and assessment information is required (paste syllabus into
section V or attach). Course should have internal coherence and clear focus.
Common Course Numbering Review (Department Chair Must Initial):
YES
NO
Does an equivalent course exist elsewhere in the MUS? Check all relevant disciplines if
course is interdisciplinary. (http://www.mus.edu/Qtools/CCN/ccn_default.asp)
If YES: Do the proposed abbreviation, number, title and credits align with existing course(s)? Please indicate
equivalent course/campus. 
If NO: Course may be unique, but is subject to common course review. Be sure to include learning outcomes
on syllabus or paste below. The course number may be changed at the system level.
Exact entry to appear in the next catalog (Specify course abbreviation, level, number, title, credits,
repeatability (if applicable), frequency of offering, prerequisites, and a brief description.) 
Justification: How does the course fit with the existing curriculum? Why is it needed?
Are there curricular adjustments to accommodate teaching this course?
Complete for UG courses (UG courses should be assigned a 400 number).
Describe graduate increment - see procedure 301.30
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/committees/grad_council/procedures/default.aspx
Complete for Co-convented courses
Companion course number, title, and description (include syllabus of companion course in section V)
See procedure 301.20 http://umt.edu/facultysenate/committees/grad_council/procedures/default.aspx.
New fees and changes to existing fees are only approved once each biennium by the
Board of Regents. The coordination of fee submission is administered by Administration
and Finance. Fees may be requested only for courses meeting specific conditions
according to Policy 940.12.1 http://mus.edu/borpol/bor900/940-12-1.pdf . Please
indicate whether this course will be considered for a fee.
If YES, what is the proposed amount of the fee?
Justification:
YES
NO
IV. To Delete or Change an Existing Course – check X all that apply
Deletion
Title
Course Number Change
From:
Level U, UG, G x From:
Co-convened
To:
To:
Description Change
Change in Credits
Prerequisites
Add co-convening
designation to graduate
course
From:
To:
Consent of instructor
1. Current course information at it appears in catalog
(http://www.umt.edu/catalog) 
G 620 Graduate Honors: Covering Native American
Issues 3 cr. Offered spring. Prereq., consent of instr.
Researching, writing, photographing and/or editing in-depth
special reports on issues that affect the Indians who reside
within Montana's borders.
Repeatability
Yes
Cross Listing
(primary
program
initiates form)
Is there a fee associated with the
NO
course?
2. Full and exact entry (as proposed) 
G 620 Graduate Honors: Covering Native
American Issues 3 cr. Offered spring.
Prereq., consent of instr. Researching,
writing, photographing and/or editing indepth special reports on issues that affect the
Indians who reside within Montana's borders.
Co-convening course U 420/421.
3. If cross-listed course: secondary program & course
number
4. If co-convened course: companion course number, title, and description
(include syllabus of companion course in section V) See procedure 301.20
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/committees/grad_council/procedures/default.aspx.
Native News Honors Project J420/421
Spring 2012 • M 3:10-5 p.m. / W 3:10-4 p.m. • Rooms: DAH 301/306/316
J420 • J620
J421 • J620 ≈ Co-Instructor
Jeremy Lurgio
Office: DAH 434Phone: 243-2601
E-mail: jeremy.lurgio@mso.umt.edu
Office Hours: T 3-5, W 1:30 – 2:30 or
by appointment
Jason Begay
Office: DAH 410 Phone: 243-2191
E-mail: jason.begay@umontana.edu
Office Hours: T and W from 1:00 – 3:30 or
by appointment
INTRODUCTION
You have been selected to participate in Native News Honors Project because you are
among the school’s best students. As such, we expect you will be intelligent and aggressive in
researching story ideas and proposing stories that are unique and that show or tell readers about
people whose lives illustrate an important issue in the Native American community.
We’re confident in your abilities to research, write, photograph, produce and design. This is your
chance to put that to work in a project with major scope. We’ll be your coaches and editors, as will
your partner and peers.
EXPECTATIONS
• Attendance at each class
We’ll meet together twice a week to share story ideas, learn from experts and get progress reports.
Many meetings outside class will take place with your partner, your editor and one or both of the
professors. Later in the semester reporters/editors and photographers/designers will meet
separately.
• Solid research
Know where your story is going. Know everything you can about the topic before you do your first
interview. Document your facts. Share your ideas.
• Consistent work
Don’t neglect your work and try to whip this story out in a week. Though you’ll have only a few
deadlines, you must work consistently to meet them.
• Class participation
You’ll need to come to class each week prepared to discuss the status of your story idea or
coverage. You’ll also need to prepare yourself to make helpful suggestions about the projects other
reporters and photographers are working on.
• Teamwork
You’ll be assigned a partner (reporter or photographer) and an assigning editor. All members of
the team are equally responsible for research, story ideas and coverage. Never move ahead on a
story without consultation with the other member of your team and your assigning editor.
• Adherence to deadlines
This is crucial. The project must be completed by the last day of final exams. This project publishes
in one of the state’s newspapers and must be finished on deadline. That means reporters and
photographers must have their stories and photographs in by the deadline. You must leave
adequate time for the editors to line-edit or photo-edit, for the designers to design the pages and
website. If you don’t meet deadlines, your grade will be severely affected.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES









Work as part of an editorial team that produces an in-depth project about issues in the Native
American community.
To collaborate with a writer or photographer in producing a compelling project.
Research and analyze traditional and historical news coverage of Native American communities.
Apply solid research skills to find, research and pitch innovative story topics.
To learn apply crucial reporting skills for accurately and objectively covering stories in the Native
American community.
Hone your ability to produce publishable writing, photography and multimedia work on deadline.
Refine your ability to shoot, write and produce concise, thorough and effective multimedia projects
and print stories for the web.
Refine your visual reporting and storytelling skills.
Juggle the demands for producing content for both the print and web editions.
THE PROJECT AND TOPIC
This year we’ll be looking at work and careers. It is common knowledge that unemployment rates
are alarmingly high throughout Indian Country. We will not be looking at unemployment, but at
what people in Indian Country are doing to work and live. If careers define our lives and our
families, what does this mean on reservations where economic resources are scarce or blocked by
bureaucracy? When young adults return to or stay on the reservation what prospects do they have
for successful careers?
This topic is a bit more focused than general economic development, although that plays a
significant role in our topic’s foundation. Still, this covers a wide array of topics. For example, you
might want to investigate the entrepreneurial landscape, job creators, and the financial ecology –
where does money flow from and to, young people and their hopes, or many other ideas.
It is each team’s responsibility to find out what the economic and employment issues are on your
reservation or among urban Indians and to choose a compelling story that explains that issue
through the eyes of people who are involved in it. We don’t want policy stories, but instead stories
about people. None of us is an expert in the issues, but we’ll learn about them together by doing
what journalists do.
Each reservation will have an economic development department or business council. Check out
reservation websites to find links, personnel who deal with these issues.
The class will produce a 40-page special newspaper section that will publish in one of the state’s
premier newspapers; the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette or the Great Falls Tribune. The project will
also feature a robust online site that features in depth multimedia projects, text, photos and
graphics. The print edition publishes in May at the same time the website goes live.
COURSE STRUCTURE
We will meet on Mondays from 3:10 to 5 in DAH 301 or 316. On some Wednesdays from 3:10-4 the
reporters will meet together as a team, as will the photographers, photo editor, and designers.
Team 1 in Room 301/316; team 2 in Room 306/316. Many times we’ll be together.
Share your contacts with one another. This project stresses teamwork. Your work will be published
in a newspaper tabloid and online.
Individual team meetings need to be arranged before you leave for the reservation and immediately
upon your return. Travel to the reservations can take place anytime during the month of March but
no earlier than the first of the month. Most teams end up traveling to the reservation during Spring
break. Spring break is April 2-6, which is VERY late. That means you’ll have to get stories, photos
and multimedia done under deadline pressure because we must be ready for publication by the last
day of finals week.
Class Time: Attendance during all class periods will be essential to the progress of the team and the
project. Class will consist of lectures, discussions, student presentations and guest speakers. In
addition the classroom will also serve as our newsroom and as such we will be doing budget
meetings, story proposals, story editing and development, web and print design discussions. When
teams return from their designated reservation we will be meeting in small teams and those editing
sessions may occasionally run longer.
Staff Responsibilities: you will be working on a two-person reporting team or you will be working
as a photo-editor, print designer or web designer. You are responsible for meeting all deadlines that
pertain to your chosen role in the project. Those deadlines are essential to the project’s completion.
Student presentations: You will be required to make presentations on your research, proposals and
projects throughout the semester. Photographers will present and incorporate class feedback into
your multimedia projects. Designers will present and incorporate class feedback into your final
design packages.
TEXTBOOKS (on reserve) and Web links
Unlike many classes the reading list for this class changes each semester to pertain to the topic at
hand. Many of the readings are from selected texts, but throughout the semester there will be
assigned readings from guest lecturers, newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Those
readings will help you develop your understanding of reporting on Native American communities
and about the topic. Your goal is to become an expert on the topic and on reporting in Indian
country. There are many resources we will use.
Books
Bryan, William L. Jr. (1996). Montana’s Indians: yesterday and today. Helena, MT: Farcountry Press.
* This book is a bit outdated, but there is good material about reservation history.
Barbican Art Gallery. (1998). Native Nations. London, England: Booth-Clibborn Editions.
Hubbard, Jim. (1994). Shooting Back from the Reservation. New York, NY: The New Press.
Modica, Andrea. (2003). Real Indians: Portraits of Contemporary Native Americans and America’s Tribal
Colleges. New York, NY: Melcher Media.
Many good resources are available online.
Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, with links to all Montana reservations. It also has a feed
for important stories relating to tribal issues, plus archives where you might find articles pertaining
to your assigned reservation.
http://www.mtwytlc.com/
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee Website:
http://indian.senate.gov
Congress. Sen. Jon Tester is a member of that committee. http://tester.senate.gov
Bureau of Indian Affairs, www.bia.gov (Regional office is in Billings: 406-247-2976)
Good aggregation site for news stories about Indian issues: www.Indianz.com
Reporting in Indigenous Communities – great new resource about reporting
http://www.riic.ca/teachings-2/
Reporting From Native America: http://www.reznetnews.org/
National Native News on NPR: http://www.nativenews.net/ - on MTPR at 6:30 pm every weekday.
There will be copies of several years of Best Newspaper Writing that reporters might want to look
at. You will also be expected to read stories from your assigned reservations in past Native News
tabs. Several of those over the last 20 years relate to economic development.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
You will pay for travel expenses and then be reimbursed. You will need to approve your travel
dates with Jason and Jeremy and then you need to fill out forms with Kathleen Whetzel, the dean’s
assistant, before you travel. If you need an advance, a budget must be done at least a week before
you leave. Receipts also have to be accounted for and any unused money returned. You must keep
lodging and gasoline receipts or you can’t be reimbursed. Period. Turn in your expenses to
Kathleen Whetzel in DAH 203 by any Friday afternoon for reimbursement the next week.
Here’s the reimbursement schedule:
• $70 plus tax (must have receipt) per day for lodging. * Ask for the state rate when you
reserve lodging.
• Gasoline receipts for actual use. (Fill up as you leave town and as you return.)
GRADING
• Depth of research
• Teamwork
• Class participation and attendance
• How well you write/photograph/edit/design your stories
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and fulfill requirements
AFTER-HOURS ACCESS
For after hours access to Don Anderson Hall, complete and submit this form
online: http://jour.umt.edu/after-hours/ by Friday, February 3. Complete only one request form per
semester – be sure to list all courses you are taking. Codes will remain active until the last day of the
semester. There will be no after hours access granted after that.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
All work turned in for this class must be your own. Failure to comply with this and you will be
assigned an F for your final grade. It is expected that you shoot all new work for this class. Any act
of academic dishonesty will result in referral to the proper university authorities or disciplinary
action. Students must be familiar with the conduct code.
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
*** read carefully
You may not submit for this course any assignment that has previously, or will be concurrently,
submitted for another class, unless you receive prior approval from the professor for this course. To
do so without permission will result in an F for the assignment.
ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
This course is accessible to otherwise qualified students with disabilities. To request reasonable
program modifications, please consult with instructor. Disability Services for Students will assist
the instructor and student in the accommodation process. For more information, visit
http://life.umt.edu/dss.
Below are all of the deadlines for publication deadlines for all team
members.
ASSIGNMENTS & DEADLINES
Reporters
You will be expected to do research and come up with two well-documented story ideas. At every
point, you should consult with the photojournalist. Teamwork is critical. You may write either one
or two stories, but that will be decided after consultation. The edited versions of the stories from
last year’s tab came in around 2,000 to 3,500 words. We expect the writing to be creative, insightful
and authoritative.
SUBMIT 12 HARD COPIES OF YOUR STORIES, plus an electronic version.
Deadline for your completed story: ALL stories must be submitted by noon, April 13.
Group 1 critique of stories Monday, April 16. Final version due Friday, April 20.
Group 2 critique of stories Wednesday, April 18. Final version due Monday, April 23.
Photojournalists
Native News is an opportunity for photojournalists to learn to work as a team with a reporter.
Photojournalists in Native News will combine shooting skills with reporting skills and in the
process, become experts on the subjects they will be covering. Each photojournalist will conduct
research and contribute two story ideas. Photographers will shoot digitally and shoot in RAW. You
will save all your RAW files and you will be submitting your RAW files along with a TIFF files.
Those images should be saved at 12 inches on the long side at 300 DPI.
Each photographer will also be producing a four-minute multimedia story to accompany the article
and photos on the website.
You will be given a workflow sheet that you will need to follow for your file specifications,
captions, etc. A large project like this takes organization.
Deadline for photos and captions
First edit(150 images – just RAW files):
2 p.m. Wed., April 11
Second Edit (40 images Printed out on paper): 2 p.m. Mon., April 16
Final TIFF files due:
2 p.m. Wed., April 20
Deadlines for multimedia projects
First Draft Rough Assembly Cut:
2 p.m. Wed., April 16
Second draft of multimedia project :
2 p.m. Mon., April 23
Final draft of multimedia project:
2 p.m. Mon., April 30
Final Revised draft of multimedia project:
2 p.m. Mon., May 4
Designer(s)
The designers will also participate in the story research and selection. This project is a collaborative
effort. You will pay special attention during the research phase and look for story ideas that can be
told graphically. You will be designing a project that will appear as a special insert in a tabloid
format.
Deadline for design inspiration (clips)
2 p.m. Mon., Feb. 13
Deadline for preliminary designs and font
and headline styles:
2 p.m. Wed., March 7
Deadline for the design template:
2 p.m. Wed., March 28
Deadline for first draft design
with cover options:
2 p.m. Mon., April 23
Deadline for final design:
Deadline for changes to final design
2 p.m. Wed., May 2
2 p.m. Fri., May 11
Web designer
The web designer will participate in class research, lectures and discussions to become familiar
with the theme and stories. Ideas and suggestions will be generated by the group and implemented
into the website design, which will be posted on the School of Journalism website. The print and
Web designers will work independently, but collaboratively.
Deadline for website design inspiration. (publications and ideas inspiring the Web
design process.):
2 p.m. Mon., Feb. 13
Deadline for website structure chart
and preliminary designs:
2 p.m. Wed., March 7
Deadline for design template:(old material) 2 p.m. Mon., April 16
Deadline for site draft 1:
2 p.m. Wed., May 2
Deadline for final site design:
2 p.m. Fri., May 11
All students
We will continue to build our database of contacts and places to stay. You must turn in an
electronic list of contacts/sources, their titles, and phone numbers. Also provide a list of places
you stayed with phone numbers, addresses and a brief description of the place and include the cost
of the room per night for one and two people. Also, please add any Websites that you discovered
to be helpful.
YOU MUST ALSO GIVE US A LIST OF SOURCES YOU INTERVIEWED, ALONG WITH
THEIR ADDRESSES, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE CERTAIN THEY ARE MAILED A TAB.
Deadline: Mon. April 11.
Final Exam Period:
Our last class will be during the final exam period.
May 9th at 3:20 – 5:20 – this class is mandatory. We will be editing our final proofs of the
project.
5. Is this a course with MUS Common Course Numbering?
http://www.mus.edu/Qtools/CCN/ccn_default.asp
If yes, please explain below whether this change will eliminate the course’s common course
status.
6. Graduate increment if level of course is changed to UG.
Reference procedure 301.30:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/committees/
grad_council/procedures/default.aspx
(syllabus required in section V)
7. Other programs affected by the change
8. Justification for proposed change
YES NO
Have you reviewed the graduate
increment guidelines? Please check (X)
space provided.
The Native News Honors Project is a projectbased course with a team of 20-25 graduate
and undergraduate students. Those students
produce in-depth special reports on issues that
affect the Indians of Montana. The course,
Graduate Honors: Covering Native American
Issues, is the graduate increment for the
project.
Our Master’s Program is too small (ca. 8
students per year) to be able to staff the
project solely with graduate students. To have
graduate and undergraduate students work
together on producing the print and online
publication is thus the only chance for our
graduate students to participate in this unique
opportunity to report on communities often
underreported by the news media. That’s why
we’ve always offered a graduate-level version
of the Native News Honors Project. Pursuant
to the new Graduate Council guidelines, we
are now seeking a co-convening designation
for JOUR 620.
As required, the syllabus for JOUR 620
represents more extensive student learning
outcomes, additional class meeting times, and
ultimately increased responsibility in the
project. Additional work includes
researching, organizing and leading class
discussions, developing editorial excellence in
reporter/photographer teams, acting as print,
photo and multimedia editors and drafting the
introductory article for the finished project.
Please see passages highlighted in graduate
course syllabus below.
V. Syllabus/Assessment Information (must include learning outcomes)
Required for new courses and course change from U to UG. Paste syllabus in field below or attach and send
digital copy with form.
Graduate Honors: Covering Native American Issues J620
Spring 2012 • M 3:10-5 p.m. / W 3:10-4 p.m. • Rooms: DAH 301/306/316
*Graduate students will have additional class meetings, see Course Structure below.
J420 • J620
J421 • J620 ≈ Co-Instructor
Jeremy Lurgio
Office: DAH 434Phone: 243-2601
E-mail: jeremy.lurgio@mso.umt.edu
Office Hours: T 3-5, W 1:30 – 2:30 or
by appointment
Jason Begay
Office: DAH 410 Phone: 243-2191
E-mail: jason.begay@umontana.edu
Office Hours: T and W from 1:00 – 3:30 or
by appointment
INTRODUCTION
You have been selected to participate in Native News Honors Project because you are
among the school’s best students. As such, we expect you will be intelligent and aggressive in
researching story ideas and proposing stories that are unique and that show or tell readers about
people whose lives illustrate an important issue in the Native American community.
We’re confident in your abilities to research, write, photograph, produce and design. This is your
chance to put that to work in a project with major scope. We’ll be your coaches and editors, as will
your partner and peers. As graduate students we expect you to be leaders in the class. You will be
in responsible for leading numerous classroom discussions and brainstorming sessions. You will
also work as photo and multimedia editors during the project. You will also be required to do
additional research and writing for the project including the introductory section of the project.
EXPECTATIONS
• Attendance at each class
We’ll meet together twice a week to share story ideas, learn from experts and get progress reports.
Many meetings outside class will take place with your partner, your editor and one or both of the
professors. Later in the semester reporters/editors and photographers/designers will meet
separately.
• Solid research
Know where your story is going. Know everything you can about the topic before you do your first
interview. Document your facts. Share your ideas.
• Consistent work
Don’t neglect your work and try to whip this story out in a week. Though you’ll have only a few
deadlines, you must work consistently to meet them.
• Class participation
You’ll need to come to class each week prepared to discuss the status of your story idea or
coverage. You’ll also need to prepare yourself to make helpful suggestions about the projects other
reporters and photographers are working on.
• Teamwork
You’ll be assigned a partner (reporter or photographer) and an assigning editor. All members of
the team are equally responsible for research, story ideas and coverage. Never move ahead on a
story without consultation with the other member of your team and your assigning editor.
• Adherence to deadlines
This is crucial. The project must be completed by the last day of final exams. This project publishes
in one of the state’s newspapers and must be finished on deadline. That means reporters and
photographers must have their stories and photographs in by the deadline. You must leave
adequate time for the editors to line-edit or photo-edit, for the designers to design the pages and
website. If you don’t meet deadlines, your grade will be severely affected.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES










Work as part of an editorial team that produces an in-depth project about issues in the Native
American community.
To collaborate with a writer in producing a compelling project.
Research and analyze traditional and historical news coverage of Native American communities
Apply solid research skills to find, research and pitch innovative story topics.
To learn apply crucial reporting skills for accurately and objectively covering stories in the Native
American community.
Refine your ability to produce publishable photography and multimedia work on deadline.
Refine your ability to shoot and produce concise, thorough and effective multimedia projects for
the web.
Juggle the demands for producing content for both the print and web editions.
Lead a team of reporters and photographers in brainstorming discussions about themes, issues and
story ideas related to the topic.
Develop abilities to work as editors, photo-editors and multimedia producers while taking the lead
in the editorial process
TOPIC
This year we’ll be looking at work and careers. It is common knowledge that unemployment rates
are alarmingly high throughout Indian Country. We will not be looking at unemployment, but at
what people in Indian Country are doing to work and live. If careers define our lives and our
families, what does this mean on reservations where economic resources are scarce or blocked by
bureaucracy? When young adults return to or stay on the reservation what prospects do they have
for successful careers?
This topic is a bit more focused than general economic development, although that plays a
significant role in our topic’s foundation. Still, this covers a wide array of topics. For example, you
might want to investigate the entrepreneurial landscape, job creators, and the financial ecology –
where does money flow from and to, young people and their hopes, or many other ideas.
It is each team’s responsibility to find out what the economic and employment issues are on your
reservation or among urban Indians and to choose a compelling story that explains that issue
through the eyes of people who are involved in it. We don’t want policy stories, but instead stories
about people. None of us is an expert in the issues, but we’ll learn about them together by doing
what journalists do.
Each reservation will have an economic development department or business council. Check out
reservation websites to find links, personnel who deal with these issues.
The class will produce a 40-page special newspaper section that will publish in one of the state’s
premier newspapers; the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette or the Great Falls Tribune. The project will
also feature a robust online site that features in depth multimedia projects, text, photos and
graphics. The print edition publishes in May at the same time the website goes live.
COURSE STRUCTURE
We will meet on Mondays from 3:10 to 5 in DAH 301 or 316. On some Wednesdays from 3:10-4 the
reporters will meet together as a team, as will the photographers, photo editor, and designers.
Team 1 in Room 301/316; team 2 in Room 306/316. Many times we’ll be together.
Share your contacts with one another. This project stresses teamwork. Your work will be published
in a newspaper tabloid and online.
Individual team meetings need to be arranged before you leave for the reservation and immediately
upon your return. Travel to the reservations can take place anytime during the month of March but
no earlier than the first of the month. Most teams end up traveling to the reservation during Spring
break. Spring break is April 2-6, which is VERY late. That means you’ll have to get stories, photos
and multimedia done under deadline pressure because we must be ready for publication by the last
day of finals week.
Class Time: Attendance during all class periods will be essential to the progress of the team and the
project. Class will consist of lectures, discussions, student presentations and guest speakers. In
addition the classroom will also serve as our newsroom and as such we will be doing budget
meetings, story proposals, story editing and development, web and print design discussions. When
teams return from their designated reservation we will be meeting in small teams and those editing
sessions may occasionally run longer.
Staff Responsibilities: you will be working on a two-person reporting team or you will be working
as a photo-editor, print designer or web designer. You are responsible for meeting all deadlines that
pertain to your chosen role in the project. Those deadlines are essential to the project’s completion.
Student presentations: You will be required to make presentations on your research, proposals and
projects throughout the semester. Photographers will present and incorporate class feedback into
your multimedia projects. Designers will present and incorporate class feedback into your final
design packages.
Graduate student presentations: You will be required to perform all of the above tasks in your
designated role. In addition you will do the following: lead story brainstorming sessions, present
about the ethics and issues of reporting in Indian country, act as photo, writing and multimedia
editors for the project and lead additional editing sessions.
Graduate student meetings: Graduate students in this class will have to meet at least every other
week to plan the class discussions you will lead and to chart the overall direction of the entire
project. We will also meet to develop your abilities as editors and group leaders. During these
sessions we will also discuss your additional writing responsibilities. You will be in charge of
writing the overall introduction to the finished product. This will require an overall knowledge of
the topic and how it’s reflected in our stories, which span all seven of Montana’s Indian
Reservations.
TEXTBOOKS (on reserve) and Web links
Unlike many classes the reading list for this class changes each semester to pertain to the topic at
hand. Many of the readings are from selected texts, but throughout the semester there will be
assigned readings from guest lecturers, newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Those
readings will help you develop your understanding of reporting on Native American communities
and about the topic at hand. Your goal is to become an expert on the topic and on reporting in
Indian country. There are many resources we will use.
Books
Bryan, William L. Jr. (1996). Montana’s Indians: yesterday and today. Helena, MT: Farcountry Press.

This book is a bit outdated, but there is good material about reservation history.
Barbican Art Gallery. (1998). Native Nations. London, England: Booth-Clibborn Editions.
Hubbard, Jim. (1994). Shooting Back from the Reservation. New York, NY: The New Press.
Modica, Andrea. (2003). Real Indians: Portraits of Contemporary Native Americans and America’s Tribal
Colleges. New York, NY: Melcher Media.
Fields O’Connor, Nancy (compiler). (1984). Fred E. Miller: Photographer of The Crows. Missoula:
University of Montana, Carnan VidFilm, Inc.
Johnson, Tim (editor). (1998). Spirit Capture: Photographs from the National Museum of the American
Indian. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Lippard, Lucy. (1992). Partial Recall: Photographs of Native North Americans. New York: The New
Press.
Roalf, Peggy (editor). (1986). Strong Hearts: Native American Visions and Voices. New York: Aperture
Foundation, Inc.
Many good resources are available online.
Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, with links to all Montana reservations. It also has a feed
for important stories relating to tribal issues, plus archives where you might find articles pertaining
to your assigned reservation.
http://www.mtwytlc.com/
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee Website:
http://indian.senate.gov
Congress. Sen. Jon Tester is a member of that committee. http://tester.senate.gov
Bureau of Indian Affairs, www.bia.gov (Regional office is in Billings: 406-247-2976)
Good aggregation site for news stories about Indian issues: www.Indianz.com
Reporting in Indigenous Communities – great new resource about reporting
http://www.riic.ca/teachings-2/
Reporting From Native America: http://www.reznetnews.org/
National Native News on NPR: http://www.nativenews.net/ - on MTPR at 6:30 pm every weekday.
There will be copies of several years of Best Newspaper Writing that reporters might want to look
at. You will also be expected to read stories from your assigned reservations in past Native News
tabs. Several of those over the last 20 years relate to economic development.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
You will pay for travel expenses and then be reimbursed. You will need to approve your travel
dates with Jason and Jeremy and then you need to fill out forms with Kathleen Whetzel, the dean’s
assistant, before you travel. If you need an advance, a budget must be done at least a week before
you leave. Receipts also have to be accounted for and any unused money returned. You must keep
lodging and gasoline receipts or you can’t be reimbursed. Period. Turn in your expenses to
Kathleen Whetzel in DAH 203 by any Friday afternoon for reimbursement the next week.
Here’s the reimbursement schedule:
• $70 plus tax (must have receipt) per day for lodging. * Ask for the state rate when you
reserve lodging.
• Gasoline receipts for actual use. (Fill up as you leave town and as you return.)
GRADING
• Depth of research
• Teamwork
• Class participation and attendance
• How well you write/photograph/edit/design your stories
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and fulfill requirements
• How well you provide leadership during the project
AFTER-HOURS ACCESS
For after hours access to Don Anderson Hall, complete and submit this form
online: http://jour.umt.edu/after-hours/ by Friday, February 3. Complete only one request form per
semester – be sure to list all courses you are taking. Codes will remain active until the last day of the
semester. There will be no after hours access granted after that.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
All work turned in for this class must be your own. Failure to comply with this and you will be
assigned an F for your final grade. It is expected that you shoot all new work for this class. Any act
of academic dishonesty will result in referral to the proper university authorities or disciplinary
action. Students must be familiar with the conduct code.
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
*** read carefully
You may not submit for this course any assignment that has previously, or will be concurrently,
submitted for another class, unless you receive prior approval from the professor for this course. To
do so without permission will result in an F for the assignment.
ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
This course is accessible to otherwise qualified students with disabilities. To request reasonable
program modifications, please consult with instructor. Disability Services for Students will assist
the instructor and student in the accommodation process. For more information, visit
http://life.umt.edu/dss.
Below are all of the deadlines for publication deadlines for all team
members.
ASSIGNMENTS & DEADLINES
Reporters
You will be expected to do research and come up with two well-documented story ideas. At every
point, you should consult with the photojournalist. Teamwork is critical. You may write either one
or two stories, but that will be decided after consultation. The edited versions of the stories from
last year’s tab came in around 2,000 to 3,500 words. We expect the writing to be creative, insightful
and authoritative.
SUBMIT 12 HARD COPIES OF YOUR STORIES, plus an electronic version.
Deadline for your completed story: ALL stories must be submitted by noon, April 13.
Group 1 critique of stories Monday, April 16. Final version due Friday, April 20.
Group 2 critique of stories Wednesday, April 18. Final version due Monday, April 23.
Photojournalists
Native News is an opportunity for photojournalists to learn to work as a team with a reporter.
Photojournalists in Native News will combine shooting skills with reporting skills and in the
process, become experts on the subjects they will be covering. Each photojournalist will conduct
research and contribute two story ideas. Photographers will shoot digitally and shoot in RAW. You
will save all your RAW files and you will be submitting your RAW files along with a TIFF files.
Those images should be saved at 12 inches on the long side at 300 DPI.
Each photographer will also be producing a four-minute multimedia story to accompany the article
and photos on the website.
You will be given a workflow sheet that you will need to follow for your file specifications,
captions, etc. A large project like this takes organization.
Deadline for photos and captions
First edit(150 images – just RAW files):
2 p.m. Wed., April 11
Second Edit (40 images Printed out on paper): 2 p.m. Mon., April 16
Final TIFF files due:
2 p.m. Wed., April 20
Deadlines for multimedia projects
First Draft Rough Assembly Cut:
2 p.m. Wed., April 16
Second draft of multimedia project :
2 p.m. Mon., April 23
Final draft of multimedia project:
2 p.m. Mon., April 30
Final Revised draft of multimedia project:
2 p.m. Mon., May 4
Designer(s)
The designers will also participate in the story research and selection. This project is a collaborative
effort. You will pay special attention during the research phase and look for story ideas that can be
told graphically. You will be designing a project that will appear as a special insert in a tabloid
format.
Deadline for design inspiration (clips)
2 p.m. Mon., Feb. 13
Deadline for preliminary designs and font
and headline styles:
2 p.m. Wed., March 7
Deadline for the design template:
2 p.m. Wed., March 28
Deadline for first draft design
with cover options:
2 p.m. Mon., April 23
Deadline for final design:
2 p.m. Wed., May 2
Deadline for changes to final design
2 p.m. Fri., May 11
Web designer
The web designer will participate in class research, lectures and discussions to become familiar
with the theme and stories. Ideas and suggestions will be generated by the group and implemented
into the website design, which will be posted on the School of Journalism website. The print and
Web designers will work independently, but collaboratively.
Deadline for website design inspiration. (publications and ideas inspiring the Web
design process.):
2 p.m. Mon., Feb. 13
Deadline for website structure chart
and preliminary designs:
Deadline for design template:(old material)
Deadline for site draft 1:
Deadline for final site design:
2 p.m. Wed., March 7
2 p.m. Mon., April 16
2 p.m. Wed., May 2
2 p.m. Fri., May 11
All students
We will continue to build our database of contacts and places to stay. You must turn in an
electronic list of contacts/sources, their titles, and phone numbers. Also provide a list of places
you stayed with phone numbers, addresses and a brief description of the place and include the cost
of the room per night for one and two people. Also, please add any Websites that you discovered
to be helpful.
YOU MUST ALSO GIVE US A LIST OF SOURCES YOU INTERVIEWED, ALONG WITH
THEIR ADDRESSES, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE CERTAIN THEY ARE MAILED A TAB.
Deadline: Mon. April 11.
Final Exam Period:
Our last class will be during the final exam period.
May 9th at 3:20 – 5:20 – this class is mandatory. We will be editing our final proofs of the
project.
VI Department Summary (Required if several forms are submitted) In a separate document list course
number, title, and proposed change for all proposals.
VII Copies and Electronic Submission. After approval, submit original, one copy, summary of
proposals and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.
Revised 8-23-11