THE CLASS
This is an introduction and a test to see if you have the ability or the desire to continue on the track to getting a job as a creative in advertising. You will come up with ideas that will hopefully engage and sell a product or service to a consumer. You will be expected to come up with your own ideas, collaborate with others and present ideas. Not everyone is cut out for this, and only the best get jobs. Now is the time to figure it out. We’ll also discuss the realities of advertising: the work, the hours, the money, the politics, the people, the clients and why this business is way better than having a real job.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Content development
Professor Assessment (what work lives/dies)
Choosing your best work
Defining “good enough for the book”
Filling in the holes in your book.
Final Production
Polishing your book
Award Shows
Online Portfolios
Getting a Job
Networking & Interviewing
What to do when CDs love your book, what to do when they hate your book
Freelancing & Internships

CLASS RULES
Have fun. If you’re not having fun with these assignments, it’s sign #1 that the creative side of advertising isn’t your calling.

Be serious. If you want a job as an ad creative you must have a smart, fresh, compelling book. If you have talent, passion and make this class a top priority, you’ll leave with one. Make this class a priority.

Toughen up. Your thinking will be questioned, you’ll have to defend your ideas, your ads will be critiqued. It’s what happens in real world creative departments. It’s what makes good ads great.

Be collaborative. If you have ideas, questions, criticisms of anyone’s work, voice them. Ultimately it will lead to better ads, better books and a better chance of landing a job.

Be on Time. It’s expected at of you at a real job, get used to it.

What you’ll want to have for class
• Your portfolio (duh)
• Stuff to write with. I recommend a black marker and a marker pad, but use whatever you’re comfortable with for scratching out your ideas.
• A good grasp of working on a Mac — especially InDesign and Photoshop skills
• A Thumb drive. You will have access to a server where you can store information as well
• An open mind
• Thick skin

GRADING
You will be graded using the following criteria:
1. Quality of ideas, quality of execution, level of professionalism     50%
the expectation for an A is 5 campaigns (3 ads)) in your book and 2 one-offs

2. Contribution and attitude                                          30%
The best way to get a less than stellar grade in this class is to sit on your hands and say nothing. This business is about opinions so you’d better have one. This does not mean you talk while I or others are talking, that’s the other route to getting an undesireable grade.

3. Attendance
Miss class for a bad reason and I dock you. Each unexcused absence is 1/2 letter grade reduction. 6 unexcused absences is an F.  Its like skipping work and getting fired, that’s reality, get used to it. Its coming.

4. The Curve    20%
It’s a competitive business. It’s a competitive class. You will be ranked in the class according to a curve. In the real world out of 20 people, one maybe 2 get the job. It makes a difference, so I make it a grade criteria.

5. Improvement — 10%
Is your book better? It should be. It’s a gift from me to you. If you don’t even try, I take the gift away. Whah.

Students with disabilities:

Students who have special needs because of any type of disability should check with your instructor during the first week of class.  If you have a certification from the Office of Disability Services and need to make special arrangements to take the exam in the ODS office, it is your responsibility to schedule the arrangement.

Academic integrity:

The Syllabus University Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the integrity of the work they submit.  Students should be familiar with the Policy and know that it is your responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in written work.  The policy also governs the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments as well as the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verifications of participation in class activities.  Serious sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort.  Academic integrity expectations are listed in the following pages.  You may view more information about academic integrity at  HYPERLINK “http://academicintegrity.syr.edu” http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.

Academic Integrity Expectations

Academic integrity is violated by any dishonest act which is committed in an academic context including, but not restricted to the following:
A. Use of Sources
1. Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s language, ideas, information, or original material without acknowledging the source.
a. Examples of plagiarism:
i. Paper is downloaded from an Internet source and/or obtained from a paper mill.     ii. Paper contains part or all of the writings of another person (including another student), without citation.                                                                                             iii. Paper contains passages that were cut and pasted from an Internet source, without citation.
2. While students are responsible for knowing how to quote from, paraphrase, and cite sources correctly, the ability to apply that information in all writing situations is an advanced literacy skill acquired over time through repeated practice.
When a student has attempted to acknowledge sources but has not done so fully or completely, the instructor may determine that the issue is misuse of sources or bad writing, rather than plagiarism. Factors that may be relevant to the determination between misuse of sources and plagiarism include prior academic integrity education at Syracuse University and the program level of the student. Instructors are responsible for communicating their expectations regarding the use and citation of sources.
B. Course Work and Research
1. The use or attempted use of unauthorized aids in examinations or other academic exercises submitted for evaluation;
2. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, results, sources for papers or reports; in clinical practice, as in reporting experiments, measurements, statistical analyses, tests, or other studies never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data;
3. Copying from another student’s work;
4. Actions that destroy or alter the work of another student;
5. Unauthorized cooperation in completing assignments or examinations;
6. Submission of the same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from both instructors.
C. Communications
1. Violating the confidentiality of an academic integrity investigation, resolution, or documentation;
2. Making a false report of academic dishonesty;
3. Dishonesty in requests for make-up exams, for extensions of deadlines for submitting papers, or in any other matter relating to a course.
D. Representations and Materials Misuse
1. Falsification of records, reports, or documents associated with the educational process;
2. Misrepresentation of one’s own or another’s identity in an academic context;
3. Misrepresentation of material facts or circumstances in relation to examinations, papers, or other academic activities;
4. Sale of papers, essays, or research for fraudulent use;
5. Alteration or falsification of University records;
6. Unauthorized use of University academic facilities or equipment, including computer accounts and files;
7. Unauthorized recording, sale, purchase, or use of academic lectures, academic computer software, or other instructional materials;
8. Expropriation or abuse of ideas and preliminary data obtained during the process of editorial or peer review of work submitted to journals, or in proposals for funding by agency panels or by internal University committees;
9. Expropriation and/or inappropriate dissemination of personally-identifying human subject data;
10. Unauthorized removal, mutilation, or deliberate concealment of materials in University libraries, media, laboratories, or academic resource centers.