Bob Mercer Fall 2004

C/o HC 2140; 604-291-5212 Harbour Centre Eve.

MAGAZINE PUBLISHING

Prerequisite: 60 credit hours.

Course Overview: CMNS 375 examines the magazine in the contexts of audience, markets, and society. Practically, the course addresses the basic concepts that govern magazine publishing:

- Editorial: writing, editing, design, and production;

- Business: planning & administration, marketing, advertising, and circulation.

As well, it provides a bare-bones introduction to desktop publishing (DTP).

Course content includes lectures, readings, tutorial labs, guest lectures and a panel discussion. Course requirements consist of individual written and practical assignments, one in-class test, and a major group project with presentation.

The course is organized in a sequence of interdependent deadlines – in the manner of real magazine production – so no late assignments can or will be accepted. Students are responsible for all material presented.

NOTES: There is no tutorial on day 1 and there is no final exam in this course.

Required Text: Either one of:

Johnson, Sammye and Patricial Prijatel, The Magazine From Cover to Cover: Inside a Dynamic Industry, NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Lincolnwood, Illinois.

Johnson, Sammye and Patricia Prijatel, Magazine Publishing, NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Lincolnwood, Illinois 2000, ISBN 0-8442-3356-0.

Additional readings may be required.

Course Evaluation:

1. Resume and cover letter (individual) 5%

2. Editor’s letter or page design (individual) l0%

3. Tutorial presentation (pairs, in class) 5%

4. Presentation preview (group, in class)* 10%

5. Business plan (group written assignment)* 30%

6. Final presentation (group, in class)* 20%

7. Project group participation 5%

8. End-of-term test (individual, in class) 15%

*NOTE: As a general rule all students within a project group receive the same mark for work done as a group, i.e.: those assignments marked by an asterisk. Two mark components exist to encourage full participation by all group members. No. 7, Project Group Participation is your instructors’ assessment of your effective participation – it is not a peer assessment. In extreme cases, where instructors determines that a student willingly or otherwise failed to contribute to the group’s agreed-upon objectives – instructors may withhold from that student all or part of their group marks (Nos. 4, 5 and 6).

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will also follow Policy T10.02 with respect to intellectual Honesty, and Academic Discipline (see the current Calendar, General Regulations Section).