Sports Journalism 2 (7143.7)

Please note these are the 2018 details for this unit
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Sports Journalism 2
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Discipline Of Communication And Media Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
This unit focuses on radio and television reportage of sport and students are given direct experience in gathering, shaping, editing and delivering stories. The emphasis is on practice of skills both on and off air so that both presentation and product skills are covered.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Write a radio sports news bulletin;
2. Produce story packages suitable for airing on a radio sports show;
3. Research, write and edit a television sports story suitable for a nightly news bulletin; and
4. produce, direct and present sports shows for radio and television.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

Must have completed 7142 Sports Journalism 1 and 9019 Audio Journalism and 9036 Video Journalism prior to enrolling in this unit.

Incompatible units

None

Equivalent units

None

Assumed knowledge

None
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
Not available

Required texts

As no single book covers all the material considered in this unit, the following readings will provide the basis for the major issues addressed in lectures and tutorials. They are available through E-reserve on the unit's Moodle site.

  • Coakley, J.J., & Pike, E. (2009). ‘Sports and the media', in Sport in society: Issues and controversies, McGraw-Hill, p373.
  • Alysen, B., Sedorkin, G., Oakham, K.M., & Patcjing, R. (2003). ‘Interviewing' in Reporting in a multimedia world, Allen & Unwin, pp101-117.
  • Boyle, R. (2006). ‘Sports Journalism in the Age of 24/7 Media' in Sports journalism: Context and issues, Sage Publications, p78.
  • Boyle, R. (2006). ‘Sports Journalism in the Promotional Age' in Sports journalism: Context and issues, Sage Publications, p102.
  • Boyle, R. (2006). ‘The Image and Status of the Sports Journalist' in Sports journalism: Context and issues, Sage Publications, Chapter 7.
  • Boyle, R. (2006). ‘Engaging with Sports Journalism' in Sports journalism: Context and issues, Sage Publications, Chapter 1.
  • Caple, H., Greenwood, K., & Lumby, C. (2011). ‘What league? The representation of female athletes in Australian television sports coverage', Media International Australia, 140(1), pp137-146.
  • Boyle, R. (2006). ‘Gendered Sport? Gendered Sports Journalism?' in Sports journalism: Context and issues, Sage Publications, Chapter 7.

As topical issues arise frequently about sports journalism and the media, additional readings will also be provided in-class and on the Moodle site.

Strongly recommended reading/viewing/listening

Students are expected to keep in touch with stories and issues relating to sport through media coverage by tuning-in to radio and television sports shows as well as following sports coverage online.

TV (high priority)

Monday-Sunday: 1 x public broadcasting news bulletin (ABC or SBS) and 1 x commercial news bulletin (Fox, 7, 9, 10, WIN), particularly the weekend news bulletins, PLUS any ‘live' sports broadcasting.

Radio (high priority)

Saturday & Sunday: ABC, Grandstand

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.

There are also sport-specific blogs which you should be following and even contributing to: http://www.theroar.com.au/ and http://thecrowd.foxsports.com.au/ are two but there are many others.

Online/Print (high priority)

Monday-Sunday: read a mix of broadsheet (The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times) and tabloid (Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun) newspapers (and their Sunday editions) or their online versions to compare the sports coverage of both styles.

Sporting organisations

All of the major sporting codes have their own websites which generate text, video and audio content. You should observe this content to see how sporting organisations are attempting to become ‘media outlets'.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

See assessment items for submission details. 

Special assessment requirements

Special conditions

  1. You must attempt and submit every assessment item to pass this unit.
  2. 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 you must 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.
  3. Interest and general knowledge of sport is assumed. Failure to demonstrate a good general knowledge of sport and sport reporting tasks will be reflected in your grades. Careless spelling, unproofed and uncorrected copy and an inaccurate use of grammar and words will incur penalties.
  4. Word processing, and video and audio editing skills are assumed. Students must make and retain a hard copy of all assignments submitted. Do not rely on computer files that can be lost or corrupted.
  5. 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.

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Participation requirements

There is an expectation that students will participate in structured activities. There will also be camera and video editing demonstrations to assist you with assessment items. Participation in class activities is an important part of helping you achieve the learning outcomes of this unit.
 

Required IT skills

Word-processing, and video and audio editing skills are assumed. In-class tuition in audio and video editing will not be provided because these are competencies you should have achieved in second-year journalism units.

For production and other technical activities, assistance is available through the staff in the Media Resource Centre (in Building 9) and through the University's website.

           

In-unit costs

You must have a set of headphones which are compatible with recording (audio recorders, video camera) and monitoring equipment (computers in editing labs).

Students will also need to buy their own external hard drive to save their audio and video files on. The video and audio editing computers in Building 9 will be purged every week, so any student work saved to the desktop or hard drive of these machines will be lost. You should try to buy a device with more than 320GB, formatted to FAT32 (ie. compatible for both Mac and PC), with either a firewire or USB connection. External hard drives can be purchased from any electronics retailer.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None