Textbook

• Chapter 1
• AP Stylebook Items A-F

Other Readings

• 10 Tips on Writing, David Ogilvy
• How to Talk Like a Human: Writing Content Without Marketing Jargon

• Video 1.1: The Slow Journalism Revolution
• Video 1.2: How to Become More Creative, Ira Glass.
• Video 1.3: 3 Tools to Become More Creative.
• Video 1.4: Building Writing Skills.
• Video 1.5: Brand Strategy and Creative Marketing.
• Video 1.6: Strategic Communication Planning.

• Lesson 1 Discussion: The Car Personality Test!
• Lesson 1 Discussion: What Kind of Strategic Communications Writer Will You Become?

Textbook

• Chapter 2
• AP Stylebook Items G-L

Other Readings

• Career Trends in Media and Communication Occupations
• A Daily Miracle: A Student Guide to Journalism and the Newspaper Business

• Video 2.1: What is Public Relations?
• Video 2.2: How to Land a Job in PR—and Thrive.
• Video 2.3: Working in an Advertising Agency.
• Video 2.4: Life as an Advertising Creative Director.
• Video 2.5: Pros and Cons of a Creative Day Job.
• Video 2.6: Preparing for a Career in Journalism.
• Video 2.7: A Day in the Life of a Journalist.
• Video 2.8: How the 21st Century Changed Journalism.

• Lesson 2 Assignment: Skill Assignment 1: Professional Interview
• Lesson 2 AP Style Quiz #1: Addresses

Textbook

• Chapter 3
• AP Stylebook: Items M-R

Other Readings

• Associated Press Style Guide
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• How to Choose Who vs. Whom

• Video 3.1: Active and Passive Voice.
• Video 3.2: Word Crimes, Weird Al Yankovic.
• Video 3.3: How to Identify and Resolve Sentence Errors.

• Lesson 3 Discussion: Grammar and Style in Media Relations

Textbook

• Chapter 8
• AP Stylebook: Items S-Z

Other Readings

• Truth and the PRSA Code of Ethics
• Billionaires, Libel, and the Future of Journalism
• The PRSA Code of Ethics
• The SPJ Code of Ethics
• The AAAA Code of Conduct

• Video 4.1: Journalism Ethics and Rules.
• Video 4.2: The 5-5 Code of Journalism Ethics.
• Video 4.3: The Ethics of Privacy in the Media.
• Video 4.4: Senator Jeff Flake Defends the First Amendment.
• Video 4.5: Ethics and Public Relations.
• Video 4.6: Ethical Issues in Advertising.

• Lesson 4 Assignment: Skill Assignment 2: News Reporting and the First Amendment

Textbook

• Chapter 4

Other Readings

• The Duke Reporters Lab
• The Art of the Follow-Up, Jake Tapper

• Video 5.1: How to Conduct an Interview, Katie Couric.
• Video 5.2: Using Social Media for Reporting.
• Video 5.3: How to get Reluctant Sources to Talk.
• Video 5.4: Interviewing for Journalists: Asking the Right Questions.

• Lesson 5 Discussion: How Does Katie Couric Do It?
• Lesson 5 AP Style Quiz #2: Time

Textbook

• Chapter 5

Other Readings

• How to Write News Stories with Impact

• Video 6.1: Principles of Good News Writing.
• Video 6.2: What is a Feature Story?
• Video 6.3: How do Features Differ from Hard News?

• Lesson 6 Skill Assignment 3: News Feature Story

Textbook

• Chapter 6

Other Readings

• How to Write a Script for TV News

• Video 7.1: The Career of a Broadcast Journalist.
• Video 7.2: Writing for Broadcast.
• Video 7.3: Writing Essentials for TV News Reporters.
• Video 7.4: A Day in the Life of Newsroom.
• Video 7.5: What You Need to Know About Writing for Television.
• Video 7.6: News Release Writing Tips from a TV Anchor.

• Lesson 7 Discussion: Where’s the News This Year?
• Midterm Exam

Textbook

• Chapter 7

Other Readings

• How to Edit Your Own Writing
• The Comma Queen Will See You, Now
• The Importance of Copy Editors

• Video 8.1: Why be a Copy Editor?
• Video 8.2: Working as a Freelance Editor.
• Video 8.3: Top Copy-Editing Tips.
• Video 8.4: How to Write Headlines.

• Lesson 8 Skill Assignment 4: Instructor Approval
• Lesson 8 Skill Assignment 4: Editing and Rewriting for Clarity
• Lesson 8 AP Style Quiz 3: Spelling

Textbook

• Chapter 9

Other Readings

• Important Lessons in Visual Content

• Video 9.1: 5 Easy Tips For Writing Social Media Posts.
• Video 9.2: Social Media Writing for Facebook.
• Video 9.3: Adapting Persuasive Message Skills to Social Media.
• Video 9.4: Social Media Revolution 2018.
• Video 9.5: How Social Media has Affected Traditional PR.
• Video 9.6: Writing Successful Twitter Posts.
• Video 9.7: How to Double Instagram Growth and Engagement.

• Lesson 9 Discussion: The Social Media Revolution and Media Writing

Textbook

• Chapter 10

• Video 10.1: Web Copy Writing Tips for Beginners.
• Video 10.2: How to Write Copy for the Web.
• Video 10.3: 5 Tips for Writing for the Web.
• Video 10.4: 5 Steps to Writing Web Copy.

• Lesson 10 Skill Assignment 5: Blogging for Your Client

Textbook

• Chapter 11

Other Readings

• Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Tips
• Freud's Nephew and the Origins of Public Relations

• Video 11.1: What Aristotle and Joshua Bell can teach us about persuasion.
• Video 11.2: The Art of Persuasion.
• Video 11.3: The Walk from “No” to “Yes.”
• Video 11.4: Persuasive Techniques in Advertising.

• Lesson 11 Discussion: Eat’n Park and the Persuasion Imperatives
• Lesson 11 AP Style Quiz #4: Abbreviations

Textbook

• Chapter 12

Other Readings

• How to Write Bright Headlines and Compelling Boilerplates
• 8 Rules for More Effective White Papers
• How to Turbocharge Your PR Writing
• Beware the 4 Killers of Clarity in PR Writing
• Social Media News Release Examples
• Social Media News Release, Version 2.0
• 5 Speech Writing Reminders

• Video 12.1: How to Write a News Release.
• Video 12.2: The Public Relations Process.
• Video 12.3: How to Make a Media Pitch.
• Video 12.4: How to Grab Media Attention with Your News Release.
• Video 12.5: How to Write an E-Mail Pitch.
• Video 12.6: Journalists’ Perspective: How to Pitch a News Story.
• Video 12.7: Secrets of a Speech Writing Legend.
• Video 12.8: Speech Writing in the Age of Social Media.

• Lesson 12 Skill Assignment 6: Writing a News Release

Textbook

• Chapter 13

Other Readings

• How to Write Successful Text Ads
• 17 Clever Print Ad Examples
• Why Good Advertising Works

• Video 13.1: What is an Ad Copywriter?
• Video 13.2: Persuasive Approaches in TV Commercials.
• Video 13.3: David Ogilvy - Big Ideas.

• Lesson 13 Discussion: How Ad Copywriters Create Strategy-Driven Copy

Textbook

• Chapter 14

Other Readings

• How to Write a Business Letter

• Video 14.1: The Importance of Writing in Business.
• Video 14.2: Routine Writing Skills in the Workplace.
• Video 14.3: E-Mail in Real Life.
• Video 14.4: Executive Communication and Business Writing.

• Lesson 14 Skill Assignment 7: Writing a Business Letter
• Lesson 14 AP Style Quiz #5: Word Choice

Other Readings

• In Introduction to Crisis Management
• Crisis Communications: Preparation is Key

• Video 15.1: How to Handle a PR Crisis in Under 2 Minutes.
• Video 15.2: The Secret to Successful Crisis Management in the 21st Century - Melissa Agnes TEDx Talk.
• Video 15.3: The Best Way to Write a Crisis Communications Plan.
• Video 15.4: How to Write a News Release for a Public Health Crisis or Emergency.
• Video 15.5: Papa John’s Pizza: 3 Crisis Communication, Public Relations, & Marketing Lessons to Learn

• Lesson 15 Discussion: Crisis Communication: What Would YOU Do?
• Final Exam