Applied Fact Finding

JOU 3110

Fall 2006                                                                                      

Lecture: Section 5043, Mondays, Periods 8-9, FLG 280, Wednesdays, Period 8

Dr. Cory L. Armstrong

3045 Weimer Hall

Phone: 392-0847

carmstrong@jou.ufl.edu

Office Hours: Mondays 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Tuesdays 1 to 3 p.m. or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Billy Shields

G035 Weimer Hall

Phone: 846-1060

bshields@ufl.edu

Office Hours: 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays

Course Objective:

Fact Finding is designed to give student journalists the skills to locate, interpret and analyze a broad variety of informational resources crucial to your success as a working journalist, including standard reference materials, public records, and Internet resources. You will learn and practice investigative journalism techniques and discover how to analyze and interpret commonly used data, including charts, reports and statistics often provided to journalists. Public records and other publicly available sources of information will be reviewed. A large component of the course will also focus on the practical applications of these search techniques by good reporters and editors.

Required Texts: 

Behind the Message: Information Strategies for Communicators, Kathleen A. Hansen, Nora Paul. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004.

Package: Florida Public Records Handbook, Joe Adams, First Amendment Foundation, Tallahassee, FL (2003) and semester-long subscription to “I Dig Answers About My Date.” Both the book and web site subscription can be obtained at http://idiganswers.com/pages/date_class_signup.html

Choose from one of the following two:

No Place to Hide, Robert O’ Harrow. Free Press, 2005. Available in main library

OR The Search, John Battelle, Penguin Group, 2005. Available on reserve in journalism library.

Also required:

Electronic Reserves: Found at

http://eres.uflib.ufl.edu/eres/    Choose the appropriate course, week and material.

Investigative Resource Blog: Found at: http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/carmstrong/blog/

Course Description: 

This is a course designed to give specific methods of research and the application of that research in a journalism setting. As such, lecture and discussion will be a necessary component to the course. However, the course also requires hands-on training, so the setup of the course will include both lectures and computer lab work, including online chat exercises.

The course will cover all aspects needed for a thorough journalistic search, including:

• Research in standard references and libraries, such as the College’s library or Library West.
• Immersion in Florida public records for major governmental agencies, including the Clerk of the Courts, Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and law-enforcement agencies.
• Online research in commercial and government databases, with an emphasis on the Internet and the World Wide Web.
• Manipulating newsworthy data, including the use of spreadsheets such as Excel.
• Critical thinking and interpretation of information and data collected.

Requirements:

Computers: You must have a good working knowledge of computers as they are essential to this course and will be extensively used during all phases of work. A good at-home computer would be a plus in this course, since you will be doing quite a bit of work outside of the class time; a laptop is even better (but not required) as you will be able to work along with the instructors during labs and lecture at times. Computer lab time is available throughout the campus but not in great abundance.

Attendance : Online lab sessions will be held three times throughout the course of the semester via Vista WebCT on the University of Florida server at http://lss.at.ufl.edu, which is accessible with your GatorLink account. Attendance at these sessions is REQUIRED for the course, as we will be conducting live news exercises and laboratory discussions. You may not receive all assignments if you don’t participate in the labs. Take some time to familiarize yourself with Vista WebCT now, and not later, as some computers and web browsers react differently with Vista WebCT, especially its Chat Room functions. Now is the time to find that out, not on the day of an online lab.

Online lab materials: http://lss.at.ufl.edu/services/webct/

In addition, two times throughout the semester you will be required to attend a computer class meeting to train on Microsoft Excel and to prepare for your final project. You MUST attend during your allotted times. No exceptions. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to obtain material missed in class. Certain meetings are required and your grade will be affected if you miss those meetings

Assignments and Readings: All assignments must be turned in at the BEGINNING of class or earlier. No exceptions. All readings are to be completed before the start of lecture on the day assigned.

Online Segments: It is assumed that you will check email and Web CT regularly as part of the course. As noted above, you will be required to attend three online chats as part of the course. There will also be an optional discussion page where questions/answers will be posted about assignments and, in particular, the final project. Please check these regularly for updates.

My Blog: I maintain a Weblog that provides additional insight into the course, generally through Web sites and other public information and investigations. I require that you check this blog at least once per week and that you are familiar with its content. You are not required to comment on the info, but I maintain the blog to help you through the course.

 Software: The purchase of Microsoft Excel 2002 (or more recent version) is recommended for your participation in this course. A lower-cost student edition of Microsoft Office, which includes Excel plus Word and Powerpoint, can be purchased at the bookstore or through various online retailers. While this software is available on labs throughout the campus, you will maximize your learning experience by having it on your primary computer at home.

Evaluation:

Earning your grade:

Midterm examination—100 points                                                        15 percent 

Final Examination—100 points                                                   15 percent

Library and online assignment—100 points                                             10 percent

Attendance                                                                                              5 percent        

Criminal Records assignment—100 points                                              10 percent       

Book Review                                                                                         15 percent

Research project—100 points                                                               30 percent 

Grading Scale:

A = 90-100

B+ = 88-89.99

B = 80-87.99

C+ = 78-79.99

C = 70-77.99

D+ = 68-69.99

D = 60-67.99

Below 60 = E

Exam notes: Exams are open book and note. To review graded exams, please visit me during office hours. Any exams taken from the classroom at the time of the exam or from my office will result in a grade of zero, with the possibility that the student will be turned over to the university for cheating. Please be prepared to show a photo ID upon request at each exam. The final exam is scheduled for Dec. 12 at 10 a.m.

 Makeup: Make-up assignments and exams are not permitted. However, under an extreme circumstance, if you have an excused absence AND the professor was notified in advance, an exception may be made.

Group Projects:  This course includes extensive work in groups. Each group is responsible for the content within the final project and to attempt to work out differences among members before alerting the professor. Under extenuating circumstances, grades may be differentiated based on work level.

Miscellaneous:

Plagiarism/Cheating:It is expected that you will exhibit ethical behavior in this class. Students are expected to do their own work, use their own words in papers, and to reference outside sources appropriately. Students are further expected to observe intellectual property rights and to comply with copyright laws. That means you must obtain written permission to use copyrighted materials in any work you submit for this class. It also means you will not plagiarize the words, designs, concepts or ideas of others.

Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, has become easier to commit since the advent of the Web. Plagiarism is defined as "...taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own ." Source: Dictionary.com.

That means you cannot take even a single sentence from another Web site without attribution. It means you cannot take someone else's design and replace the words and pictures with your own. It means that if you use even a few of someone else's words verbatim, you must put quotation marks around them and cite the source.

Georgetown University offers a useful tutorial on plagiarism. It says:

• "If you use someone else's ideas or words, cite the source.
• "If the way in which you are using the source is unclear, make it clear.
• "If you received specific help from someone, acknowledge it."

If you find yourself wondering whether you have crossed the line of plagiarism, you almost assuredly have. When in doubt, ask the professor.

It is true that students sometimes plagiarize unintentionally or by accident. That is neither a defense nor an excuse. To avoid accidental plagiarism, It is extremely important to keep careful notes about what came from where, especially when doing online research. If you are cutting and pasting paragraphs from Web sites to your notes, you are in very risky territory; save the citations along with the material.

Your work will be checked for plagiarism, so just don't do it. Failure to uphold the standards of academic honesty will result in a failing grade for the course and, potentially, other serious disciplinary action up to and including expulsion.

Remember, when you completed the registration form at the University of Florida, you signed the following statement:

"I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University."

Furthermore, on work submitted for credit, the following pledge is either required or implied:

"On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."

If you are aware of a climate that promotes academic dishonesty, please notify the instructor or contact the Student Honor Court (392-1631) or Cheating Hotline (392-6999).

 Special needs: Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office.  The Dean of Students will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.

Lecture notes: A rough outline of lecture notes for the course will be available in Web CT.

Extra Credit: Extra credit may be given for participation in outside research projects as determined by your instructor.

Cell phones: Turn them OFF during class. I will confiscate them if they continually disturb the class.

Class behaviors and disruptions: When attending classes, please be courteous of your neighbors and those who may be interested in learning the material within this class. Talking in class is not permitted, unless it pertains to questions for the professor. Repeated offenders of this policy may be asked to leave the classroom.

Similarly, during online labs and training sessions, please pay attention, follow along and do not engage in unnecessary chatter. Those causing repeated disruptions in the chatrooms or training sessions may be asked to leave.

Tentative Course Schedule 

Some language in the course evaluation and miscellaneous sections of this syllabus was obtained with permission from a class syllabus of Dr. Robyn Goodman, UF Department of Advertising. Please note that when material is used from another source, it must be cited correctly. For further information, please consult the plagiarism/cheating section of this document.

Used with permission from UF Journalism Professor David Carlson.