Loyola University Chicago

Spring 2018 Class Syllabus

CMUN 207-201
Photojournalism
By Jerome De Perlinghi
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.jeromedeperlinghi.com

Course Overview

- Learn how to frame a photograph, the single most important element for an
interesting image

-The choice of the right equipment and photo material before and during a photo
shoot

-By looking over and over at photographs –famous images or not- developing its
own style and understanding the historical and cultural aspects of the medium

-How to tell a story

- Planning your photo shoots
- Strategies: be careful: “does the end justify the means”!

-Be aware of the legal, ethical and moral aspects of photojournalism

-Once a body of work has been assembled, how to present the work, seek
employment opportunities, dealing with critiques and remain a true believer of its
own photography.

- The disappearance of the traditional print media

- We will edit, a real hard copy, magazine in class

A significant portion of the class will be used for critiques & discussions. By the end
of the semester students should be proficient at using their camera and all the tools
and techniques needed to produce powerful images.

Learning Outcome Statement

Students in this course will accomplish a variety of outcome, including learning to

distinguish what constitutes quality journalistic photography, understanding how
photographs are used to communicate in different medias, understanding how
journalistic ethics apply to photojournalism and about the special ethical issues that
arise in photojournalism, learning how to produce a compelling and solid visual
story telling multi-media project.

Detailed Learning Outcome

-Learn what is a good photograph

- A concept hard to define as we all have different ideas, education and cultural
backgrounds.

-Learn how photographs are used to communicate in different media including:

newspapers, magazines, books and online websites

-Learn how to distinguish between the demands of journalistic photography and

those of fine art photography

-Learn how journalistic ethics apply to photojournalism, especially in a world of

digital photography where image altering has become so easy.

-Learn how to write captions

Not forgetting that the image is the important element here, the best-written
caption will not improve the quality of a photograph

-How to reinvent the profession of photojournalist in a world where the print media
is shutting newspapers and magazines at an ever-increasing rate

Course Format

The class will meet once per week for 2.5 hours on Monday afternoon. One half of
the class time will be devoted to lecture and discussion, and the other half will be
spent for the assignment critique, photo editing and technical discussion and
practice.

The class will also feature special photojournalism guest speakers and several
unique photographic assignments.

Text Book

Required:
The Mind’s Eye, Henri Cartier-Bresson
ISBN: 0-89381-890-9

Optional:
Photojournalism: The Professional’s Approach, 7th edition by Kenneth Kobre
(including a DVD) Focal Press
ISBN-13: 978-1138101364

(La Chambre Claire), Camera Lucinda, Refexions on Photography by Roland

Barthes
ISBN: 0809033402

Use of technology and student responsibilities

The School of Communication will provide a limited amount of digital cameras for
the class. The camera checkout has a time limit and is based on the first-reserve-
first-serve policy. Students are encouraged to use their own digital or film cameras.
If a student opts to use his/her personal camera, please first seek the approval of the
professor. If the student uses a film camera, the School will coordinate with the Art
Department to provide a black and white film process facility.

Students must care and preserve the camera equipment and accessories issued by
the School. Students will sign an agreement holding them responsible for any
damage to the camera through misuse or carelessness. Also students will be
provided with an instruction manual and other items associated with the camera, all
of which must be returned in good condition.

Pick up cameras at the Loyola in the School of Communication building in Water

Tower campus; at room 004 in the basement from (9:30 -5) pm. Phone number is
773-508-3708

Course requirements

• All weekly photo assignments must be completed with a photo caption.

• Students will be required to complete a group project.
• All students must attend in-class critiques and editing.
• Each student will be required to present a final portfolio /multi-media
presentation

Professionalism

Treat this course as if it were your job. Show up for class on time and ready to work.
If you are going to be absent, call or email the professor before class, not after.
Demonstrate an interest in learning. Participate: listen to the lectures, take notes,
and answer questions. During the class surfing Internet, exchanging emails and
sending SMS or IM are discouraged. This is especially important and respectful
should there be a guest speaker. You will not be able to make up in-class exercises
and exams without an excused absence.
Attendance

Because this class only meets once a week, any student missing more than TWO
sessions (unexcused absences) will receive a lower grade by one letter.

Class Assignments

-Several assignments will be shoot together outside the classroom in

a new format or style for this class. Be ready to walk and walk a lot.

The Photo Essay

Final Project Assignment due on March 26, 2018

You choose one of these six themes and you present a portfolio of at
least 15 images. Each photograph adds another element to the whole
story, just like each chapter of a book brings the reader closer to
understand the end.

1)
The 2016 election was the most divisive ever. Fifteen months later,
record the political and social mood in Chicago as voters prepare to go
to the Midterm Elections. Attend meetings or join street demonstrations
or protest. How has the political scenery evolved since November 2016?
Be a concerned photographer.

2)
Choose a social issue in the City (Drug use, Homelessness, Education)
and report to me on how you would like to cover this problem

3)
Choose you own neighborhood in Chicago and record the daily life of
the people living in that neighborhood (Pilsen, Chinatown, Bucktown,
for example). To be successful here, you will need to make several visits
spread over weeks to make it work.
4)
Nature, Parks are very beautiful in Chicago, from Grant Park to
Washington Park to the Lakefront, please, impress me with 15 striking
images of Mother Nature inside the City limits. Again, to be successful
with this assignment, you will need to cover quite a lot of ground; the
City is very spread out, please do not record all the images in the same
park.

5)
Shoot a portfolio around the commuters travelling through the Union
Station and the Metra Station every morning and evening. It is mainly
interesting because there is a tremendous amount of foot traffic, as
people have to walk across bridges to get to their offices. This is a real
fun subject. Every day it is the same people but everyday the situation is
very different at the same time.

6)
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the most successful sports team in
the history of the City. The hockey season runs until April. Record an
interesting portfolio around the spectators, go around United Center, in
bars around town and create a portfolio of different characters who love
the game, from younger to older generations and shoot portraits of
these die-hard fans.

Please note that I would like every subject to be covered, therefore no

more than 3 students can shoot the same subject. It will be decided on a
first come, first serve basis. We will meet on January 22, 2018 at 4.15
PM in the classroom. You can choose your subject as soon as you read
this syllabus.

On March 26, 2018, every student will present his/her portfolio

in front of the classroom.

GENERALIZED GRADING SCALE

Registration in this course is by A-F only.

Note to the students: in grading photography or essays and photojournalism in
general, there will always be a level of subjectivity. Like with everything in life or in
every profession, some will be better photographers and journalists, grades will reflect
those differences. I will explain at the beginning of the first class my position on that
matter.

A - Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet

course requirements.
B - Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course
requirements.
C - Achievement that meets course requirements in every respect.
D - Achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the
course requirements.
F - Represents failure and signifies that the work was either completed but at
a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or was not completed.
I (Incomplete) - assigned at the discretion of the instructor. An incomplete
grade will be considered only when documented, extraordinary
circumstances beyond control, or ability to anticipate, prohibit timely
completion of the course requirements. Incomplete grades are rare and
require a written agreement between instructor and student.

Grade Grade Pts. Standard

A 4.00 Outstanding
A- 3.67
B+ 3.33
B 3.00 Significantly above required level
B- 2.67
C+ 2.33
C 2.00 Meets course requirements
C- 1.67
D+ 1.33
D 1.00 Creditable, yet below course expectations
F 0 Failing

On the next two pages are rubrics specific to this course. They articulate the
standards by which this semester’s photojournalistic assignments and
learning exercises are evaluated.
(Note: Grade level suggested is only applied to photojournalistic work. Final grades
may reflect other factors, such as class attendance, participation, effort and
improvement.)
 CMUN 275-201 – PHOTOGRAPHIC GRADING SCALE

CMUN 275-201 D or F B or C A
Objective Below Meets expectations Above
expectations expectations
D - Un-publishable. B - Competent, A - Professional
A combination of functional storytelling quality work.
flaws in subject photojournalism. Clean, Insightful,
selection, simple images make relevant photos
conceptualization, significant points of newsworthy
shooting, digital efficiently and support subjects. Images
processing and the story. involve the
captioning render Photographer/subject reader with
the photo rapport is evident in drama, humor or
unsatisfactory. environmental portraits pictorial beauty;
Perhaps this work and intelligent use of distinctions
Photojournalism with greater effort setting, lighting and between objects
Assignments: could have been timing captures active, in foreground,
publishable. authentic moments of middle ground
relevant events. and background
F - Un-publishable Thorough accurate are clear and the
and clearly captions. Technique is composition is
unprofessional. of a high order: image is effective.
Weak journalistic properly exposed and Technique is
thinking, sharp, processing above flawless: image is
photographic average. properly exposed
technique and/or and sharp.
unprofessional C - Average, run-of-the- Digital
behavior can result mill picture making. A processing of
in failure of an “record shot” of a color balance
assignment. person, event or scene renders neutrals
which fits the story but clean and
with little insight. tonality
Publishable but accurately.
undistinguished. Multiple photo
Composition may be presentations
cluttered or subject explore different
poorly lit. Camera levels of the story.
technique and digital Captions enhance
processing are just the photographs,
adequate. Captions ok are accurate and
complete.
CMUN 275- D or lower B or C A
201
Objective Below Meets expectations Above
expectations expectations
D – Poorly B – Well-presented A – Outstanding
prepared, poor and researched presentation,
Research presentation and information, useful research reveals
And barely adequate data, no errors of fact. fascinating, useful
Profile data, no errors of and even rare,
fact. C – Just sufficient information. No
presentation, some errors of fact.
F – Little evidence useful information, no
of preparation, errors of fact.
insufficient data,
significant errors
of fact or simply
fail to make a
report.

ALL LATE SINGLE ASSIGNMENTS WILL RECEIVE POINT DEDUCTION.

All Assignments must be received on the deadline date. As well there

will be no make up for any in-class assignments (such as special
projects for the class and/or quizzes).
INCOMPLETE
Appropriate reasons for granting an incomplete (usually within the last two weeks
of the semester) include unforeseeable, unavoidable delays in completing work or
other disastrous events over which a student has no control. The instructor may
require verifiable supporting evidence to grant the request, such as doctor’s notes,
obituaries or police reports.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS & EXTRA CREDIT

Students are responsible for all information disseminated in class and all course
requirements, including deadlines and/or examinations. The instructor will specify
whether class attendance is required or counted in the grade for a class. A student
is not permitted to submit extra work in an attempt to raise his or her grade, unless
the instructor has specified at the outset of the class such opportunities will be
afforded to all students.
Extra credit will be offered only when it advances the course objectives and can be
afforded to all students. Extra credit work will not disadvantage students electing
not to participate in extra credit opportunities.

ACADEMIC DISHORNESTY
1. Academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Plagiarism in your work
will result in a minimum of a failing grade for that assignment. The case may
carry further sanctions from the School of Communication or the University, the
most serious being permanent expulsion. Avoid turning in work that could be
interpreted as plagiarism or academically dishonest (e.g. failing to properly
credit a source or using someone else’s ideas without clarifying that they are not
yours). This is an academic community; being uniformed or naïve is not an
acceptable excuse for not properly referencing your sources.

2. It is dishonest to:
. Turn in the same work for two classes;
. Turn in a paper you have not written yourself; or
. Copy from another student or use a “cheat sheet” during an exam.
.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY
Any student with a learning disability that needs special accommodation during
exams or class periods should provide documentation from Services for Students
with Disabilities confidentially to the instructor. The instructor will accommodate
that student’s needs in the best way possible, given the constraints of course content
and processes. It is the student’s responsibility to plan in advance in order to meet
their own needs and assignment due dates.

ACEJMC CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

The national accrediting agency for journalism education (The Accrediting Council
on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, or ACEMJC,
http://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc) has required that all accredited journalism schools
assess student mastery of 11 core values and competencies that every graduate of a
journalism and mass communication program should possess. According to the
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, all
graduates, irrespective of their particular specialization, should be able to:

1) Understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and
press, including the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and to
assemble and petition for redress of grievances
2) Demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and
institutions in shaping communications
3) Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society
in relationship to communications
4) Understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of
images and information
5) Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work
ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity
6) Think critically, creatively and independently
7) Conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the
communications professionals in which they work
8) Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the
communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve
9) Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and
fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness
10) Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts
11) Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications
professions in which they work”
 Weekly Class Schedule

Week 1/ January 22, 2018:

a) Introduction and presentation.

-Again I would like to stress that no image will be accepted in this class
without the Meta data and all the information that should be imbedded in
the digital file of your work. This is the only way for me to know that each
of the students did indeed complete their assignments.

- Students can also use their I-Phone for their assignments but at least half
of their images will be shot with regular DSLR, if you do not have a
camera the school will provide you one. The Chicago Skyline assignments
will exclusively be shot with a Camera DLSR or Rangefinder not a phone.

a) How to frame a good image, the single most important feature in

Photography, as it must come from the inner self. Each student brings a few
images to share with the class – personal photographs or images shot by
another photographer but the student must be able to tell the class why he,
or she, believes these are strong images.

b) First assignment: bring today in class a small set of recent pictures- that
you have shot this Winter: any topic is fine as long as it has a story line in it
that would be interesting for a group of readers or spectators (like in a
Museum or in a Gallery). So you bring two different sets of photographs to
class today

c) Go and see the Editors & Photo Editors at our Phoenix Newspaper (the
Loyola Paper) before coming to Class on January 22. Explain that you are in
my class and ask if you can shoot a story that is to be published soon. All
over the semester, we will try to work with the Phoenix Newspaper, as one
of our goals is to have your images published.

d) We create a Tumblr account where students upload their best images

every week
Week 2/ January 29, 2018:

We will have a portrait session in class with lights, backdrops and any other
elements you will like to bring with you. You can photograph your friends,
your teachers, anybody you would like. If no other models are available, we
will photograph each other using different light settings. You must off course
bring your own cameras and memory cards, or film!

Assignment for week 3 (February 5, 2018) bring me three images shot either
at sunrise or sunset so to understand the light balance at the beginning or the
end of the day

Week 3/ February 5, 2018:

a) How to choose the right lens (in the singular) for any given assignment.

b) Bring, today in class, at least two books of Photography that you really
like, if you do not own books yourself, go to the Library (any Library)
and bring me a book with striking images. Explain in front of the class
why you chose these books. Remember that this is a class of journalism,
bring me interesting subjects by known photographers

c) We will spend some time looking at your portraits shot on January 29,
and your sunset/sunrise images. When you arrive in the classroom; you
should all download your images on a computer so that we can view
them together.

Week 4/ February 12, 2018:

We meet at 4 PM sharp at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Chicago Avenue

for a 2 1/2 hour walk through the City, bring your camera, enough space on
your memory cards, a good pair of shoes, warm clothes, snow, rain or shine we
will walk through the City. The walk will end at the Morgan Train Station on
the Green Line at around 6.30 PM.

Week 5/ February 19, 2018:

a) As soon as you arrive in the class, you download your many

photographs from your past assignments and street walks (February
12), you should have quite a few photographs to share with the class.
 b) We look at the different possibilities that the Photoshop programs
offer, what we can and what we can’t do with these programs to make
our images look better.

c) Your come to class with a 250 words text around the Book of Henri
Cartier-Bresson (The Mind’s Eye). How did the reading of this book
influence your own photography?

d) Assignment for next week (February 26), you shoot the Chicago Subway
System. I do not want any photo from the red line shot between the
Lake Shore campus and Lake Street in Downtown, there are enough
other interesting subway lines.

Week 6/ February 26, 2017

a) We look at your Chicago subway photos

b) You bring to class two quotes by two different photographers and you
share them with the class, you explain to us why you chose them.

c) You bring a feature story from a magazine that you specially like, it
needs to be at least 4 pages spread either published online or on paper.

Week 7/ March 5, 2018: No Class Mid-term Break

Week 8/ March 12, 2018

a) Learning the skills of how to chose the best images that you have shot
during an assignment. If you feel confident enough about your body of
work, always try to select your own images, at least for the first
selection.

b) Bring all your files that you would like to share with this class and we
will review your work together trying to select the best images with
you.

c) Photo Assignment for next week (March 19, 2018): show me why
Chicago has probably the best skyline in the country! You will shoot
these photographs NORTH of North Avenue, WEST of Ashland Avenue
or SOUTH of Roosevelt Road. You must use a camera for this
assignment.
 d) We update in depth our Tumblr account by removing some images.

Week 9/ March 19, 2018:

a) Looking at the media world of today and how to invent/reinvent the

profession of photojournalism in a world where newspapers and
magazines are shutting down at an ever increasing rate. Are the
Internet and websites part of the solution? Find a series of articles to
prove your case about the future of journalism or photojournalism.
These articles can have any format, published papers, articles on the
web or your from your own writings

b) How to present a body of work, seek employment opportunities and

remain a true believer of its own photography.

c) By looking over and over at photographs, developing its own style and
understanding the historical aspects of the medium.

d) We will spend time looking at your Skyline images, when you arrive in
the classroom; you should all download your images on a computer so
that we can view them together.

Week 10/ March 26, 2018:

Presentation of the final portfolio including a selection of

the best images shot during the different photo assignments
handed out during the semester.

As there is no final exam in this class, your presentation is

as important as a Final, please prepare it the same way you
would prepare for a final.
We look at the Photo Essays and we have positive discussions
among all the students analyzing each other’s photographs.
Week 11/ April 2, 2019:

We will visit a photographic exhibition either in a Museum or a Gallery,

program to be decided at a later date when the calendar of new events is
published.

Special Class Saturday April 7, 2018:

This special class on Saturday April 7 comes instead of Week 14, April 23, 2018,
when there will be no class.
This will be a one-half session, meaning we combine 1 1/2 classes into one.
Your attendance is required and is compulsory. This Saturday is part of our full
Curriculum. Only students with a valid reason (paid job, for example) will be
excused!

We will meet at 11.30 AM under the Red Arch of Chinatown at the corner of
Wentworth Avenue and Cermack Road for a walk of 3.30 hours though
Chinatown and Pilsen. I do understand that this is on a Saturday but the
photography will be very interesting, please make every possible effort to join
this class, you will only be excused with a valid reason. Later in life, working in
Photo Journalism, it will mean that you might be on call day and night Mondays
through Sundays. This class will run until around 3 PM.

Week 12/ April 9, 2018:

a) We will look extensively at your photographs shot last Saturday.

b) We prepare all your files for the end of the semester as we do not meet
on April 23, 2018.

c) You ask me all your final questions regarding the class.

d) We look at several documentaries.

Week 13/ April 16, 2018:

A guest speaker will join the class today

Week 14/ April 23, 2018:

No Class Today, this class was taught on Saturday April 7, 2018

Week 15/ April 30, 2018:

This is the last time we meet; you bring all your photographs from
this Semester to class, including your last assignments. There is no
final in my class but be sure that you share all your files on my hard
drive.