Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form (2/14)
I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement
Dept/Program
Course # (i.e. ANTY
Journalism
Subject
455) or sequence
Print/Photo
Course(s) Title
Feature Writing
Description of the requirement if it is not a single course.
JRNL 362
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Jule
Banville
Phone / Email
406-2432237
Program Chair
Dennis
Swibold
Dean
Larry
Abramson
Date
10/10/2014
III. Type of request
New
Renew X
Reason for new course, change
or deletion
One-time Only
Change
Remove
IV Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description
Offered autumn and spring. Instruction and practical experience in applying featurewriting techniques and journalistic storytelling. Culminates with a longform feature that
requires revision from students.
V Learning Outcomes: Provide examples of how the course will support students in
achieving each learning outcome.
Identify and pursue
sophisticated questions for
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
academic inquiry
Find, evaluate, analyze, and
synthesize information
effectively and ethically from
diverse sources (see:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/libraryinformation-literacytables#Table2) Subject liaison
librarians are available to
assist you embed information
literacy into your course:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/node/115
#instructors
Manage multiple perspectives
as appropriate
Learning Outcomes/Support

 Write feature stories of publishable quality/stories are edited
according professional journalistic standard
 Develop their eye for detail and nuanced pacing modeled on
professional features/dissection as a class and as assignments
of many forms of highly regarded published features.
 Understand and execute multisource sourcing for each
assignment/taught professional standards of sourcing features.
 Improve capacity to engage readers from lead to
kicker/taught throughout course importance of pacing,
structure and how both apply to reporting and storytelling.
 Meet all deadlines/deadlines and consequences clearly
communicated in syllabus and in class.
 Understand differences among types of features through
varied, sophisticated assignments/Students write multiple
features that fit established types within professional
journalism.
 Learn to provide constructive critiques to classmates in a
workshop setting/students read each others’ work and offer
criticism and encouragement.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Successful journalistic feature writing at this level depends on a
diversity of sources, reporting methods involving research and inperson interviews. It also requires students take all that source material
and synthesize into an article that meets professional journalistic
standards. On at least one assignment, students are required to do
personal, complicated reporting and research about a person’s life,
incorporate instructor’s edits, and send that revised version back to
sources. This is an ethics lesson where students learn the necessity to
get their facts and tone correct beyond the standards of the instructor.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Students are required to report stories with multiple sources, often at
odds with one another, to tell a complete and accurate story. It is made
clear by the instructor that feature stories that tell only one side of an
issue are not acceptable.
Recognize the purposes and
needs of discipline-specific
audiences and adopt the
academic voice necessary for
the chosen discipline
Use multiple drafts, revision,
and editing in conducting
inquiry and preparing written
work
Follow the conventions of
citation, documentation, and
formal presentation
appropriate to that discipline
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
The aim of the course is to produce features that could be considered
publishable by existing, professional journalism organizations. Several
have been published following feedback and revision that began in
this class.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
At least half of the four major assignments in this class require
revision based on feedback and edits. All writing in the course is
edited and returned to students. It’s in editing and revision that
journalism students succeed at this level.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
 Yes
If yes, how will student learning be supported?
Again, the aim of this course is to produce features that could be
accepted by professional journalistic outlets. Students are taught to
and encouraged to pitch their stories to professional editors. This
could not happen if the work they do in class did not meat
conventions, citation, documentation and the formal presentation
accepted by journalists and editors.
 No
If no, course may not be eligible
VI. Writing Course Requirements
Enrollment is capped at 25
students.
If not, list maximum course
enrollment. Explain how
outcomes will be adequately
met for this number of
students. Justify the request
for variance.
Briefly explain how students
are provided with tools and
strategies for effective writing
and editing in the major.
According to the requirements of our accreditation review, enrollment
is capped at 20.
Which written assignment(s)
includes revision in response
to instructor’s feedback?
 The Reported Obituary: Students revive a lost art, that of the
obit writer who interviews the family and friends of someone
recently deceased. Obitsl include but go beyond the obvious
details of someone’s job and whom they left behind to get to the
real heart of how someone lived. Students are required to revise
after being edited by instructor and share with those they
interviewed for the story.
Students are taught through lecture, dissection and
discussion of professional features, feedback and
workshopping of their own work the strategies for effective
feature writing and editing. Major topics we focus on are
in-depth reporting techniques and practice, writing visual
and telling details, structuring writing and pacing and
rhythm of written storytelling.
 The Longform Narrative (filed in three parts and counting as
three assignments): Students culminate what they’ve learned
throughout the semester to write a pitch. That pitch is revised
based on instructor’s feedback until it is accepted by instructor.
Student then file a draft of the narrative that is highly edited by
instructor – both as a content edit and line edit on grammar,
word choice, style rules, etc. For the final, students must
incorporate those edits to receive full credit.
VII. Writing Assignments:
Please describe course assignments. Students should be required
to individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade
should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Quality of content and writing are
integral parts of the grade on any writing assignment.
Formal Graded Assignments
 The Personal Feature: You will interview at least one person
close to you and tell a specific story about something that
happened. You’ll do it with some nice quotes and a few sweet
details in a story that has a clear beginning, middle and end.
WORD COUNT: Writer’s choice, but at least 500.
WORKING DEADLINE: Friday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.
 The Reported Obituary: You’ll revive a lost art, that of the
obit writer who interviews the family and friends of someone
recently deceased. Your obits will include but go beyond the
obvious details of someone’s job and whom they left behind to
get to the real heart of how someone lived. This assignment will
probably scare the crap out of you. And make you better for it.
WORD COUNT: 800-1,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m
 The Tragedy Feature: You’ll find the compelling, human
angle within hard news by focusing on a crime, criminals,
victims of tragedy or any combination of the three. The idea is:
Something bad happened; your story tries to make sense if it.
This story will require an approved pitch. The pitch will count
toward your grade. So make it good.
WORD COUNT: At least 1,000
WORKING PITCH DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 11, 8 p.m.
WORKING DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 25, 10 a.m.
 The Longform Pitch: Getting an idea that works for a
multitiered longform feature is tough. Getting an editor to say
yes to it is tougher. So you’ll have to take this seriously and
convey you know what a feature pitch should contain: A clear
idea of the story, why it matters, how you plan to report and
write it, etc. You must get an approved pitch to pass this
assignment. If the first pitch is no good, you’ll keep at it until
you’re approved.
WORD COUNT: Longer than a paragraph, shorter than the
story you’re pitching
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, March 27, midnight.
 The Longform Narrative (filed in two parts and counting as
two assignments): You’ll take what you’ve learned through
other assignments, readings, critiques and edits to write a story
worthy of about 4,000 words. You’ll file the first half of the
story, incorporating feedback, before filing the story in its
entirety. This will count as your final.
PART 1
WORD COUNT: At least 1,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, May 1, 10 a.m.
ENTIRE FEATURE
WORD COUNT: 2,500-4,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Monday, May 12, 10 a.m.
Informal Ungraded
Class discussion, workshopping, many readings.
Assignments
Paste or attach a sample writing assignment, including instructions for students.
 The Longform Pitch: Getting an idea that works for a multitiered longform feature is tough.
Getting an editor to say yes to it is tougher. So you’ll have to take this seriously and convey
you know what a feature pitch should contain: A clear idea of the story, why it matters, how
you plan to report and write it, etc. You must get an approved pitch to pass this assignment. If
the first pitch is no good, you’ll keep at it until you’re approved.
WORD COUNT: Longer than a paragraph, shorter than the story you’re pitching
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, March 27, midnight.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.
The syllabus must include the list of Writing Course learning outcomes above.
Paste syllabus here.
feature writing
JRNL 362  SPRING 2014  MW  9:40-11 A.M.  DAH 005
Asst. Prof. Jule Banville (or just Jule)
Don Anderson Hall 427
(406) 243-2237
jule.banville@umontana.edu
Office hours: Fridays 9-noon and by appointment.
Yet, many of us proles also care about the language, in our humble way, and care passionately
about the art and craft of telling stories on paper.
−Stephen King, “On Writing”
The editor is always right.
−Stephen King, “On Writing”
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
Writing is hard. If you already know this, this class will help you come to a more
intimate knowledge of that truth. If you do not think writing is hard, this class will
prove you are wrong. But writing features can also be incredibly rewarding, especially
when you refuse to half-ass the reporting and when you turn that rare phrase that
makes your nailbeds tingle. In this class, you will write. A lot. You’ll go beyond hard
news without sacrificing timeliness and relevance. You’ll tell stories with a sense of
voice, pacing, tone, mood, narrative, dialogue and detail that is just enough and not too
much. You’ll care about language and how it sounds or you will not enjoy this class.
Through this course, you will become better writers by reporting numerous features,
with editing to focus on detail, storytelling and style. You will study the work of
professional feature writers and your classmates by reading them not as reader, but as a
writer, dissecting, questioning and learning.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the semester, successful students will:
 Write feature stories of publishable quality.
 Develop their eye for detail and their command of language and style.
 Improve their capacity to engage readers from lead to kicker.
 Meet all deadlines.
 Understand differences among types of features through varied assignments.
 Learn to provide constructive critiques to classmates in a workshop setting.
 Read and be able to analyze the work of professional feature writers.
PREREQUISITE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Students must have successfully passed J270.
ABOUT MOODLE/UM ONLINE
I use it for this class. You should, too! Your grades and assignments will be posted there.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
There will be six major assignments in this class (the last one counts as two). All major
assignments must be filed by deadline via email as an attached Word doc (.doc, .docx).
Deadlines and word counts are listed, but subject to change. Final deadlines will be
announced in class.
The major assignments, in order, are:
 The Personal Feature: You will interview at least one person close to you and tell a
specific story about something that happened. You’ll do it with some nice quotes and a few
sweet details in a story that has a clear beginning, middle and end.
WORD COUNT: Writer’s choice, but at least 500.
WORKING DEADLINE: Friday, Feb. 7, 10 a.m.
 The Reported Obituary: You’ll revive a lost art, that of the obit writer who interviews
the family and friends of someone recently deceased. Your obits will include but go
beyond the obvious details of someone’s job and whom they left behind to get to the real
heart of how someone lived. This assignment will probably scare the crap out of you.
And make you better for it.
WORD COUNT: 800-1,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, Feb. 27, 10 a.m
 The Tragedy Feature: You’ll find the compelling, human angle within hard news by
focusing on a crime, criminals, victims of tragedy or any combination of the three. The
idea is: Something bad happened; your story tries to make sense if it. This story will
require an approved pitch. The pitch will count toward your grade. So make it good.
WORD COUNT: At least 1,000
WORKING PITCH DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 11, 8 p.m.
WORKING DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 25, 10 a.m.
 The Longform Pitch: Getting an idea that works for a multitiered longform feature is
tough. Getting an editor to say yes to it is tougher. So you’ll have to take this seriously
and convey you know what a feature pitch should contain: A clear idea of the story, why
it matters, how you plan to report and write it, etc. You must get an approved pitch to
pass this assignment. If the first pitch is no good, you’ll keep at it until you’re approved.
WORD COUNT: Longer than a paragraph, shorter than the story you’re pitching
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, March 27, midnight.
 The Longform Narrative (filed in two parts and counting as two assignments): You’ll
take what you’ve learned through other assignments, readings, critiques and edits to
write a story worthy of about 4,000 words. You’ll file the first half of the story,
incorporating feedback, before filing the story in its entirety. This will count as your
final.
PART 1
WORD COUNT: At least 1,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Thursday, May 1, 10 a.m.
ENTIRE FEATURE
WORD COUNT: 2,500-4,000
WORKING DEADLINE: Monday, May 12, 10 a.m.
READING ASSIGNMENTS
You’ll do a good amount of reading in this class from materials provided to you by me.
These will take three forms:
• Features by pros that serve as inspiration for assignments and discussions.
• Writings about writing by writers.
• Your classmates’ work in advance of workshop critiques. About workshops: You’ll be
assigned to a group that will meet during class to thoughtfully critique and discuss peer
work. You’ll get your classmates’ work the class before you meet and I expect you to
read (not skim) their stories so that you can be fully engaged in this process.
Note: All reading assignments are fodder for quizzes, announced and not.
GRADING
Major Assignments: 80 percent
Attendance, Participation and Final Assessment by Instructor: 20 percent
Rewrites: Not accepted. Do your best job the first time around. I don’t have time to edit
you twice.
Attendance: It matters, as does punctuality. I’ll be keeping a list of all unexcused
absences and people rolling in late. At the end of the semester, that list will be
considered when deciding what ends up being a full fifth of your grade.
Grades will be based on a scale of 100 percent and will use the University of Montana's
plus/minus system. Letter grades will not be used in this course, although the final
grade (per requirement) will be given as a letter grade. The equivalents are as follows:
90 - 100 percent: A
80 - 89 percent: B
70 - 79 percent: C
60 - 69 percent: D
50 - 59 percent: F
UM's plus/minus system also makes the following distinctions:
A+: 97-100
A: 93-96
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D+: 67-69
D: 63-66
D-: 60-62
F: 59 or lower
Please note: My grading philosophy is based on a professional scale; that means 90
percent and above is reserved for those assignments that could, without major revisions,
be accepted by working editors at respected publications. Students who expect an easy
A in this course should reconsider taking it.
ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES
• Always check your spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. This is a writing
course. Students may find it helpful to read their assignments out loud and, thereby,
catch awkward phrases. Sloppy copy errors will be reflected in final grades.
• Again: Reread your assignments for spelling, punctuation and grammar before you
file your copy to me. I’m a former copy editor and a current copy nerd. It matters; trust
me. If you suck at grammar and spelling, let Word help you and/or find a peer who
doesn’t suck to edit you before you turn it in.
• All major assignments must include a list of sources and contact information for
them. Most editors reserve the right to call your sources and check accuracy. That is true
in this class, as well.
• Be sure to follow the Associated Press Style Book. There is a partial online guide here:
http://www.wwu.edu/journalism/syllabi/207labmanual.htm. A better online source is
posted on the class Moodle page. Or just buy the damn thing. You’ll be glad you did.
• Students with disabilities and/or special needs should notify the instructor at his or
her earliest convenience and contact Disabilities Services for Students,
http://www.umt.edu/dss/ or x2243.
• Academic Misconduct and the Student Conduct Code: All students must practice
academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course
instructor and/or disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be
familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at
www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/Index.cfm/page/1321. And, more on academic honesty, is
available here: http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
PLAGIARIASM: Have pride in your work and banish the idea of turning in something
written by someone else. Penalties range from failing this class to expulsion from
school.
CLASS WORK: You may not submit for this course any assignment that was, 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 and could result in an F for the course. You are, however, encouraged to
publish any and all work you do for this class.