Journalism 1 students should understand the following concepts:
The 9 principles & 7 yardsticks; the definition of mass communication; the origin of various mass media (newspapers, books, magazines, radio, TV) and their impact on the world, the United States, and each other (for example, demassification); and advertising & PR techniques (from class lectures & slideshows). You should have all of this information in your class notes.
Journalism 2 students should understand these concepts:
The 9 principles & 7 yardsticks (of course); the parts of news articles (nut graf, lead quote, background, etc.) and feature articles (big picture reporting, exploded moment, etc.); how to write in inverted pyramid/hard news style; the 4 Cs (conceive, collect, construct, correct); and techniques of correctness (grammar, spelling, punctuation, plus passive vs. active voice). Be ready to turn a dry “telling” sentence from a news article into a vivid “showing” sentence for a feature article.
The finals are scheduled as follows:
- Red day Journalism 2=Wednesday December 14
- White day Journalism 1=Thursday December 15
- White day Journalism 2=Thursday December 15
- Red day Journalism 1=Friday December 16
Each day will be preceded by a full class devoted to review.
Study effectively for the finals; don’t wait until the last minute and try to cram all the information into your brain the night before. Rewrite your class notes in outline form. Move from concept to detail. Get a study partner and meet with them regularly. Develop effective mnemonics.
I would say “good luck,” except excellent performance on the final is the result of deliberately planned effort, not luck. So … put forth your best effort!