JOUR 499: “LA Casa”: a multidisciplinary portrait of family life in Los Angeles

Units: 4

Spring 2017 – Tuesday and Thursday – 10-11:50 a.m.Section: 21465RLocation: ANN L115

Instructor: Prof. León KrauzeOffice: ANN 204DOffice Hours: Tues., Thurs. 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., by appointment. Contact Info: krauzeleon@gmail.com,

310-614-0081

I. Course Description

Pause for a moment.

Go back to your childhood or those lively first years of adolescence. Think of your hometown, your parents’ dinner table, your living room or your bedroom, where you played guitar and yawned your way through homework. What was life like for you? What was it like to grow up where you did? What made yours an American family? Think of your neighbors. What dreams, ideals and concerns did you have in common?Now come back to 2016 and ask yourself again: How different are you –are we– now?

What makes an American family now?

In a time of political discord and social strain, a time when America seems to be growing apart, the proverbial “house divided against itself” that Lincoln warned us about, what bonds do American families still share?

Around that same dinner table, at school, during times of happiness or adversity, what unites us?

This course draws inspiration from the Univision segment called “La Mesa” (The table) in which more than three hundred people have been interviewed about their lives on a simple but revealing production premise: a plastic, folding table and couple of chairs, a set of microphones and a couple of cameras, set at a tasteful distance to avoid any disruptions. What has emerged from these intimate interactions is a rich portrait of Hispanic life in Southern California: stories of hardship, struggle but also of joy and fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds.

This course will aim for a larger canvas.

If La Mesa began as a conversation between a journalist and an interviewee, let us now look not at the lives of individuals but of families. Open the lens to capture an even larger portrait of life in Southern California: the sight and sounds of family life in America: detailed, humane and journalistically honest.

Find a Southern California family. Gain their trust. Join them in everyday life. Empathize, understand and discover. Tell their story. Bring an American family to life on the screen.

Such is the challenge students – and instructor – will face in this course. II. Overall Learning Objectives and Assessment

Students who take this course should emerge with a clear understanding of the craft of the personal and emotional interview, further developing as aspiring journalists or documentarians. They will learn to establish a productive relationship with their source/subject, including appropriate research and observation of both social milieu and family dynamics. They will be exposed to situations that will require technical

proficiency, journalistic confidence and carefully honed social skills. Students will learn how to approach interviewees without disrupting their social environment (“fly-on-the-wall”, observational journalism) and how to build trust and validate a subject through very specific interview and engagement techniques. Students will gain the skills needed to embed within a subject’s environment to obtain a particular journalistic narrative.

III. Description of Assignments

Course: Students will be required to watch and analyze appropriate viewing material for the course, including interviews, news stories and documentaries. They will be required to complete reading materials for the class. Students will carry out a number of interviews that will serve both as practice and as pre-production/casting aimed at selecting suitable subjects for the final project. These interviews should be conducted in different settings, presenting distinct interaction challenges. Students will then become part of a team that will embed with one of the families chosen for the final documentary project. He/she will be assigned a role, about which the student will have to file a weekly report. Students will be expected to offer detailed progress information and share rushes with the rest of the class.

Social media: Students will be expected to contribute to the project’s Facebook profile and use Twitter, Instagram stories and Instagram to document progress. Through the multi-platform curation of @LACasaUSC , students will offer an interactive behind-the-scenes look at the production process, allowing social media audiences to become acquainted with the project’s families.

Presentations: Students will be required to produce three presentations for the class. The first one will introduce the subject/family to the class, with research and insight into possible story lines. Second presentation will happen after 3-4 weeks of work and should reflect clear narrative, protagonists and antagonists and the profile outline. The last presentation will happen post-edit and should reflect the final product.

Class project “LA Casa: a house united”:

Four teams of four students will produce an equal number of “LA Casa” mini-documentaries, each focusing on the experience of one Los Angeles based family. Each mini-doc will be between 12 and 14 minute long, ready to be distributed as half hour of television for possible broadcast outlets

Each team will have a lead journalist/documentarian, with the other three members playing equally important roles.

Each unit will focus on a Southern California family. The will embed with the family for eight weeks and carry on a series of activities geared towards uncovering the inner workings of said family, their social interactions, their relationship with their cultural and ethnic background, their connection to their community and their city, their dreams, aspirations and hardship.

By the end of each semester, a deep and thorough portrait of the four families should emerge. Each segment will be between 12 and 14 minutes long. A series of multi-platform documents will retell the experience: mini-docs, still photography, audio interviews, etc.

V. Grading

Assignment Points % of Grade

Class Participation 10 10%

Social Media (active role in curating accounts) 10 10%

Pre-production (finding the families, research…) 20 20%

Production (establishing a narrative, three shoots in field, script development…)

30 30%

Final Project 30 30%

Total 100 100%

b. Grading Scale

Sample grading scale provided below:

95 to 100: A 70 to less than 75: C+ 45 to less than 50: D-

90 to less than 95: A- 65 to less than 70: C 0 to less than 45: F

85 to less than 90: B+ 60 to less than 65: C-

80 to less than 85: B 55 to less than 60: D+

75 to less than 80: B- 50 to less than 55: D

c. Grading Standards

Students will be graded on three criteria:

Social media and class participation are INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADESPre-production, production and final project are GROUP ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES

Research: Did students find enough potential characters for the story? Did they research each prospective family and successfully explain to the class the pros and cons of each one? Did they conceive a journalistically relevant and revealing set of questions and activities for the family? Did they carry out pre-production and pre-interviews in a thorough manner, thus offering a clear hypothesis of the profile that would emerge in the final product?

Production: Did students come up with a constructive shooting schedule? Were they able to gain access to every member of the family? Were they imaginative enough to capture moments that were both relevant and revealing? Did they manage to adapt to the challenges, both technical and social/cultural, involved in the shooting of a fly-on-the-wall documentary? Did they demonstrate journalistic intuition? Did they shoot on time and were they respectful of the subjects while being journalistically savvy?

Presentation: Did students successfully gain the trust of each of their families? Were they able to assimilate to each family’s dynamic, blending into the background and letting the narrative play out? Were they empathetic, receptive, generous…but also journalistically thorough? Did they capture key and illuminating moments? Did the final product faithfully capture the profile laid out in the hypothesis suggested at the beginning of the semester?

A project deserving an “A” will include a well-cast family that fits with the mission of the project. The casting process is a team effort: all team members will have a say on which family to choose and they will get a group grade when professor evaluates the end result of sais casting. A project deserving an “A” will include a thorough and well-thought out story development plan, an efficient and revealing production process and an effectively edited final product that informs the viewer, paints a journalistically enlightening picture of the profiled family, and results in a strong half hour of broadcast-ready television.

V. Assignment Submission Policy

All written assignments will be submitted via the class blog.

VI. Required Readings and Supplementary Materials

Assigned texts:

A selection from

o Svetlana Alexievich, Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets   (Random House, 2016) ISBN-10: 0399588809

Assigned Films:

Weiner. IFC Films, 2016. The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter. Criterion Collection, 2000 High School. Frederick Wiseman, 1968 American Family. Craig Gilbert. 1973

VII. Laptop Policy

All undergraduate and graduate Annenberg majors and minors are required to have a PC or Apple laptop that can be used in Annenberg classes. Please refer to the Annenberg Virtual Commons for more information. To connect to USC’s Secure Wireless network, please visit USC’s Information Technology Services website.

VIII. Course Schedule: A Weekly Breakdown

Important note to students: Be advised that this syllabus is subject to change - and probably will change - based on the progress of the class, news events, and/or guest speaker availability.

CLASS WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Topics/Daily Activities

Readings and Viewing

Deliverable/Due Dates

Week 1 1/10 & 1/12

Class Introduction // Team Building // First assignment: Shoot iphone interviews (Show us what you got) // Social Media suggestions for semester (let’s share our process)

Critique iPhone interviews // Establish interview parameters // Interview examples // technical expectations // Learn the tool called the camera

Svetlana Alexievich, excerpts.

Iphone Interviews

Week 21/17 & 1/19

Let’s tell a story // Field interviews at USC

Critique field interviews // Discuss interview techniques // Introduce documentary families // Families assignments // Schedule first outreach to families // Meet families & pre interview them before next class // One page family synopsis with supporting photos

Field interviews

Week 3 1/24 & 1/26 Pre interview family

findings to be discussed // What’s the families story? // Choose 5 questions you hope to answer within this documentary

Understanding the production process // Schedule interviews with families //

Week 41/31 & 2/2

Documentary viewing // Discussion to follow

Pre-production stills

Review interviews w/family members // Discuss findings // Revisiting the “Big Story” // Plan & schedule next shoot

Week 52/7 & 2/9

Documentary viewing “The short NEW format” // The internet’s role in the removal of the distribution barrier

Review interviews w/family members // Discuss findings // Revisiting the “Big Story” // Plan & schedule next shoot

Week 62/14 & 2/16

Documentary viewing // Discussion to follow

Week 72/21 & 2/23

Review interviews w/ family members in groups // Discuss findings // Revisiting the “Big Story” // Plan & schedule next shoot

Documentary viewing “??” // Discussion to follow

Draft script

Week 82/28 & 3/2

Review interviews w/family members in groups // Discuss findings // Revisiting the “Big Story”

Review interviews // Team meetings about “the big story”

Week 93/7 & 3/9

Script discussions // Team progress

First draft of script due // Post Production discussed

3/13-17

Spring Break: Take a break you’ve earned it

Week 103/21 & 3/23

Team meetings // Script notes & discussion // Plan additional shooting for story sequences

Continued script revision // Final approval of script // Approve shooting schedule for story sequences

Week 113/28 & 3/30

I Pick up interviews & Additional sequence shooting // Post production starts

Pick up interviews & Additional sequence shooting

Week 124/4 & 4/6

Video editing & Story revisions

Video editing & Story revisions

Week 134/11 & 4/13

Video editing & Story revisions

STORY LOCK STORY LOCK

Week 144/18 & 4/20

Additional post editing // music choices? Photos? Graphics? etc

Week 154/25 & 4/27

Teams present final films in a private viewings to professors, discussions to follow // Final Notes for class viewing

Final Exam Period5/9, 8-10 a.m.

Final PROJECT due

IX. Policies and Procedures

Additional PoliciesInstructor: Add any additional policies specific to your class that students should be aware of: missed classes, attendance expectations, checking USC email, use of technology in the classroom, dress code, etc.

InternshipsThe value of professional internships as part of the overall educational experience of our students has long been recognized by the School of Journalism. Accordingly, while internships are not required for successful completion of this course, any student enrolled in this course that undertakes and completes an approved, non-paid internship during this semester shall earn academic extra credit herein of an amount equal to 1 percent of the total available semester points for this course. To receive instructor approval, a student must request an internship letter from the Annenberg Career Development Office and bring it to the instructor to sign by the end of the third week of classes. The student must submit the signed letter to the media organization, along with the evaluation form provided by the Career Development Office. The form should be filled out by the intern supervisor and returned to the instructor at the end of the semester. No credit will be given if an evaluation form is not turned into the instructor by the last day of class. Note: The internship must by unpaid and can only be applied to one journalism class.

Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systemsa. Academic ConductPlagiarism Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words - is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards https://scampus.usc.edu/b/11-00-behavior-violating-university-

standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.

USC School of Journalism Policy on Academic Integrity The following is the USC Annenberg School of Journalism’s policy on academic integrity and repeated in the syllabus for every course in the school:

“Since its founding, the USC School of Journalism has maintained a commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic excellence. Any student found plagiarizing, fabricating, cheating on examinations, and/or purchasing papers or other assignments faces sanctions ranging from an ‘F’ on the assignment to dismissal from the School of Journalism. All academic integrity violations will be reported to the office of Student Judicial Affairs & Community Standards (SJACS), as per university policy, as well as journalism school administrators.”

In addition, it is assumed that the work you submit for this course is work you have produced entirely by yourself, and has not been previously produced by you for submission in another course or Learning Lab, without approval of the instructor.

b. Support SystemsEquity and DiversityDiscrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/ or to the Department of Public Safety http://dps.usc.edu/contact/report/. This is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the university community - such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member - can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage https://sarc.usc.edu/ describes reporting options and other resources.

Support with Scholarly Writing A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute http://ali.usc.edu/ which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students.

The Office of Disability Services and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations.

Students requesting test-related accommodations will need to share and discuss their DSP recommended accommodation letter/s with their faculty and/or appropriate departmental contact person at least three weeks before the date the accommodations will be needed. Additional time may be needed for final exams. Reasonable exceptions will be considered during the first three weeks of the semester as well as for temporary injuries and for students recently diagnosed. Please note that a reasonable period of time is still required for DSP to review documentation and to make a determination whether a requested accommodation will be appropriate.

Stress ManagementStudents are under a lot of pressure. If you start to feel overwhelmed, it is important that you reach out for help. A good place to start is the USC Student Counseling Services office at 213-740-7711. The service is confidential, and there is no charge.

Emergency InformationIf an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu/ will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.

X. About Your Instructor

Leon Krauze is a renowned and award-winning Mexican journalist, author and news anchor.

He began his career as a sports journalist, focusing on soccer. That passion led him to become not only an expert and official chronicler of the Mexican national team but also a highly regarded historian: he has written four books and eighty documentaries on the history of “futbol” in Mexico.

In 1997, Krauze switched gears. For almost twenty years, he has followed politics in the United States, having covered the last four election cycles for various media outlets, both in America and Mexico. In 2005 he published “La Casa Dividida”, an account of the first five years of the Bush presidency.

His work has been published in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The New Republic, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, El Pais, Letras Libres, among many others.

He’s currently a frequent contributor at The New Yorker, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, NPR’s Left Right and Center and a weekly columnist for Mexico’s El Universal.

Krauze is currently the main anchor at Univision’s Los Angeles station, KMEX, where he hosts the nation’s highest rated news shows, regardless of language.

He’s also a regular at Fusion, where he hosted the show “Open Source.

As anchor or reporter, Krauze has won six Emmy’s, two Golden Mics an Edward R. Murrow award” and a Southern California Journalism Award.

He is also an accomplished fantasy novelist. His novel, “El vuelo de Eluán”, has sold over 20 thousand copies in Mexico. He has written two other books for young adults, both bestsellers as well.

His latest book is “La Mesa: Historias de nuestra gente”, a book that compiles fifty remarkable profiles of Hispanics in America.

He lives in Santa Monica with his wife and three sons, where he loses sleep over soccer and grows beautiful tomatoes in his backyard.

He tweets and instagrams at @LeonKrauze