Sports Journalism 1 (7142.7)

Required texts

Lists of required texts/readings

As no single book covers all the material considered in this unit, a list of readings will be provided through E-reserve to complement the major issues we will address in lectures and tutorials. As topical issues arise frequently about sports journalism and the media, additional readings and case studies will also be provided in-class and on the Moodle site.

Strongly recommended reading/viewing/listening

Despite all the material which will be provided to you, nothing will be a substitute for you actively being involved in the media coverage of sport. You are expected to keep in touch with stories and issues relating to sport by following coverage online, and on TV and radio. It is recommended that students read, ON A DAILY BASIS, a metropolitan newspaper online or in hard copy.

Print/online (high priority)

Read a mix of broadsheet/compact (The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times) and tabloid (Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun) newspapers and their Sunday editions to compare the styles of sports coverage. There are also many sport-specific magazines on the market; observe the way they cover sport and the journalistic styles.

Online (high priority)

All major media outlets have a dedicated online presence which complements their mainstream operation on TV, radio or in print. Australian sites with a considerable commitment to sport include www.abc.net.au, www.foxsports.com.au, www.sbs.com.au, www.smh.com.au and www.news.com.au, among others.

Sport-specific sites (high priority)

You should be following sport-specific sites. Examples includes: http://www.theroar.com.au/ (you can even contribute to the ‘Roar of the Crowd'),  http://www.sportal.com.au/, http://www.insidesport.com.au/,  http://www.espncricinfo.com/, http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league, https://au.sports.yahoo.com/#page1, http://wwos.nine.com.au/, http://thecrowd.foxsports.com.au/, http://www.theage.com.au/afl/, and http://www.ausport.gov.au/, but there are many others.

Sporting organisation sites (high priority)

All major sports also have their own web presence and, in some cases, a large contingent of content producers to match the coverage by media organisations. These include: http://www.afl.com.au/, http://www.nrl.com/, http://www.cricket.com.au/, http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/, http://www.nbl.com.au/, and many others.     

TV (high priority)

Watch the nightly coverage of sport on public broadcasting news bulletins (ABC or SBS), commercial news bulletins (7, 9, 10, WIN), and pay-TV (Fox Sports and Sky Sport), particularly the weekend news bulletins. Any ‘live' sports broadcasting event on TV has journalistic elements that you should pay attention to such as hosting, sideline reporting and commentating.

Radio (high priority)

Monday-Sunday: ABC, Grandstand

IMPORTANT: You should be operating a Twitter account and following sporting organisations, athletes and sports media outlets.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

i. You must attempt and submit every assessment item to pass this unit.

ii. Deadlines are an integral part of working in the media. Assignments submitted late without prior notification and without an extension granted, will incur a penalty and may result in a fail grade. Late assignments will also be marked without comment. If you require an extension it is important to ask for one before the due date. If a medical condition makes this impossible, a doctor's or counsellor's certificate should be submitted, normally within three days of the incident. Extensions can only be obtained from the tutor for valid, documented reasons. Lack of personal organisation, pressure of work, and computer and printing problems, are not considered valid reasons. Losing your USB memory stick, or having it stolen, is also not a valid reason. Always back-up your work – it is good work practice as well as providing piece-of-mind.

iii. Interest and general knowledge of sport is assumed. Inability to demonstrate a good general knowledge of sport, and sport reporting tasks, will be reflected in your grades. Careless spelling, unproofed copy, and poor written expression will affect your grades. In other words, practice writing when you can and check your work before submitting.

iv. Word processing skills are assumed. Work must be submitted electronically, not in hard-copy. Students must make and retain an electronic copy of all assignments submitted.

v. If there is any doubt about the requirements of any particular assignment or assessment procedure, the onus for clarifying the issue rests with the student who should contact the lecturer about the matter.

Supplementary assessment

Students will not be able to resubmit an assignment. Students who receive a FAIL grade will only be offered supplementary assessment in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the unit and course convenors.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

There is an expectation that students will attend and participate in all structured time: lectures, tutorials and field trips. Participation in learning activities is an important component of studying journalism. It is relevant to the gaining of knowledge and skills appropriate to Sports Journalism 1, and it also applies to your degree as a whole.
 
There is a significant link between a student's participation and the quality of work submitted for assessment as well as the achievement of learning outcomes. To this end, you are encouraged to take part in organised activities and utilise access to teaching staff during class time to get feedback on your work and advice about your studies.

Required IT skills

Word-processing skills and the ability to use the Internet are assumed. Web-based applications, including social media, will be used in this unit.

In-unit costs

There are several text books on journalism and sports journalism-related topics in the Co-op Bookshop on campus. Purchase of these is optional but they will help supplement your learning from in-class and assessment activities.

For other costs, see section 4b: Materials and Equipment in this unit outline.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

• Semester 1, 2018, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (176408)
• Semester 1, 2017, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (165278)