Journalism - Research Assignment

The Task:
Individual students will be required to select a famous journalist or journalistic event for research. The assessment component of the assignment will consist of a paper of no less than two pages in MLA format, in addition to a five-minute oral presentation and a visual aid to be used during the presentation.

Each student will be required to conduct their own research and prepare for their own presentation topic, and either create or procure a visual aid that will help other students gain an appreciation for the subject matter that is being discussed.

SAMPLE TOPICS:

Hunter S. Thompson (Gonzo Journalism)
Watergate (Investigative Journalism)
Grantland Rice (Sports Journalist)
Helen Thomas (Political Journalist)
Rupert Murdoch (Media Magnate)
William Randolph Hearst (News Tycoon)
Eddie Adams (Photo Journalist)

What must be included:

Students must present basic information on their topic including who, what, why, when, where, and how the topic became significant. The research must be done either during the assigned research time in class or at home, but NOT HAVING A COMPUTER IS NOT AN EXCUSE for not completing the assignment.
DO NOT PULL YOUR INFORMATION FROM WIKIPEDIA, AND DO NOT SIMPLY CUT AND PASTE. Both of these offenses will result in zeros on the assignment. The presentation must be in your own words and must be appealing to a class of high school students. Your visual aid is a stimulus used to help understanding of the topic. It may be in the form of an activity, a poster, a slide show, or another type of media.

How you will be graded on the assignment:

The information you present, and the way in which you present it, will be worth 100 points. Your visual aid will be worth 50 points.

This assignment will be due on Tuesday, January 20. While this may seem like a long time, you will also be completing a news issue between now and then, as well as having a public holiday (MLK Day on Jan. 19) Therefore, you will only have four classroom periods to complete this assignment.

Good Luck!
Mr. Parsons