Sports Journalism 2 (7143.7)

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.

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 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

• Semester 2, 2018, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (178488)
• Semester 2, 2017, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (164978)
• Semester 2, 2016, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (160362)