Course Specification University of East London, Royal Docks Business School Course Title: Sports Journalism and Business Communication August 1-24, 2012 Course Code: Level: II - intermediate Credit: 25 credits or 6 credits under U.S. system(2 courses) Course Leader: Dr. Nora Ann Colton Additional Tutors: Markus Davis ECTS credit: 12.5 Pre-requisite: None Pre-cursor: None Co-requisite: Excluded combinations :None None Is this module part of the Skills University-wide option: Yes Curriculum? No Location of delivery: UEL, Docklands Campus Main aim(s) of the module: This module is a short course to be offered in the summer. It is designed to be completed in an intensive three and half week period with appropriate credit equivalents for the U.K., U.S. and European systems. The course is designed to be inclusive for international students. In this module students will practice writing and reporting skills, and encounter the behind-the-scenes technical aspects of sports news, through a series of experiences that will include writing hard and soft news at events on and off campus during the London Olympics. Main topics of study: This module will consider contemporary sports reporting, including trends and philosophies of sports reporting; writing for major and minor sports; interviewing; features; columns; and legal aspects of sports reporting. The module will also include exercises to build the students overall writing and communication skills in a business setting. This course stresses the practical necessity of the journalism fundamentals of reporting, researching, interviewing and ethics, then demonstrates through examples and experiences how to turn information into accurate, readable stories. The module will be primarily set around the London 2012 Games. There will be a number of site visits including local and national sporting venues as well as opportunities for students to cover and write on events that will be taking place throughout the Olympics and the period right after the games. The module will also include a large number of guest speakers from the various press groups that will be attending and reporting on the Games.
Outcomes for the module Please use the appropriate headings to group the Outcomes. While it is expected that a module will have LOs covering a range of knowledge and skills, it is not necessary that all four headings are covered in every module. Please delete any headings that are not relevant. You should number the LOs sequentially to enable mapping of assessment tasks. At the end of this Module, students will: Knowledge 1. take accurate notes during a sports event 2. use a variety of sources of information for writing a story 3. be aware of the necessary steps in researching a sports personalitiy, team and league 4. know how to interview sports players, coaches, officials, managers, and owners of teams Thinking skills 4. be able to critically evaluate the ethical implications of sports journalism and reporting 5. be able to demonstrate the difference of hard and soft news 6. Interrelate to the complexities of separating out the people who participate in the game verses the game itself. 7. be able to critically evaluate the impact and role of different types of media on the coverage of sports Subject-based practical skills 6. be able to undertake group work: Students will work in groups of 3-4 to make required presentations about a specific Olympic sport and the various news coverage the sports receives during the Olympic games in London 7. be able to apply analysis to sporting events to write a good story 8. be able to work independently: Assessment is in part based on the extent which students have worked independently. Skills for life and work (general skills) 9. gain writing and cognitive skills: There will be a final project paper 10. demonstrate and feel confident with communication and presentation skills: Students will take turns presenting on various sporting events that are taking
place in London during the time the module is running. 11. develop concepts; analysis and topical research skills as part of the coursework. Teaching/ learning methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes: A combination of lecturers, seminars and experiential learning will be used as well as problem solving and presentations etc. The range of techniques used will not only enable students to put good writing into perspective but will also allow them to develop key transferable skills. Assessment methods which enable students to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the module: Project paper (2500 words) Class presentations(30 minutes) Weighting: 50% 50% Outcomes demonstrat ed 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,11 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,10
Reading and resources for the module: These must be up to date and presented in correct Harvard format unless a Professional Body specifically requires a different format Texts: Craig, Steve. Sports Writing A Beginner's Guide. Shoreham, VT: Discover Writing Press, 2002. Wilstein, Steve. Associated Press Sports Writing Handbook. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2002. You also will refer to the A.P. Stylebook during the course: Goldstein, Norm, Ed. The AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (With Internet Guide and Glossary). New York: The Associated Press, 2005. Supplementary texts: You may find these optional, non-required books to be useful resources when working on assignments: Anderson, Douglas A. Contemporary Sports Reporting, 2 nd Ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers, 1994. Aamidor, Abraham, Ed. Real Sports Reporting. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Friedlander, Edward Jay and John Lee. Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines. 5th Ed. New York: Longman, 2004. Horton, Brian. Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism - 2 nd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Stewart, Charles J. and William B. Cash Jr. Interviewing Principles and Practices. 10th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Craig, Richard. Online Journalism: Reporting, Writing, and Editing for New Media. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth-Thomson, 2005. Foust, James C. Principles and Practices of News for the Web. Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway, Publishers, 2005. Anthologies for presentations: These books are referenced in the assignments below. There are additional annuals in the series: Bissinger, Buzz, Ed. The Best American Sports Writing 2003. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Cramer, Richard Ben, Ed. The Best American Sports Writing 2004. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Lupica, Mike, Ed. The Best American Sports Writing 2005. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Indicative Teaching and Time (10 hrs per credit): Student/Tuto r Contact Time: Activity Activity: (e.g. lectures/seminars/tutorials/workshops/studio work etc) Seminars: 20 hrs. 120 hrs. Lectures: 40 hrs. Experiential learning (site visits and speakers): 60 hrs. Student Time: Activity: (e.g. seminar reading and preparation/assignment preparation/ background reading/ group work/portfolio/diary etc ) Seminar Reading: 50 hrs. 130 hrs. Assignment preparation: Presentation: Group work: 50 hrs. 10 hrs. 20 hrs.