Syllabus

Sports Journalism

Dr. Anthony Curtis – Spring 2006

JRN-325-01 – MWF 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. – Old Main 237

Department of Mass Communications – University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Welcome!

Welcome to the arena of sports journalism where the work is fun and satisfying, and you can be paid for watching sports, interviewing personalities, going behind the scenes, and traveling a lot, sometimes even around the world. Sports journalism is about people, places and events. In this course, you will practice the 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. Your learning opportunity in this course will reach fulfillment in a capstone project – a major, publishable sports feature story in which you reveal the compelling story of a person, place or event.

Course description:

This upper-division university course is a consideration of 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. Prerequisite: JRN 260.

Course goals and purposes:

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. This course should give you the tools you need to be able to write legitimate sports stories worthy of publication.

Course objectives:

After completing this course satisfactorily, you should be able to:

§ Take accurate notes during a sports event

§ Use a variety of sources of information

§ Research sports personalities, teams and leagues

§ Interview sports players, coaches, officials, managers, owners

§ Write good game stories

§ Write, not like a fan, but as an observer and recorder of history

After completing this course satisfactorily, you should recognize that:

§ People as more important to good stories than the game itself

§ It takes more time to report a story than it does to write one

§ Attention to detail is of the utmost importance in a good story

§ Some stories are hard news and some are soft

§ Emotion and drama are part of game stories

§ The major kinds of stories are game stories, features, sidebars, columns and notebooks

§ Sports has a professional and business side that has great influence on a game

§ Photography and videography are important elements of sports coverage

§ The Internet is changing the way sports are covered and the way fans respond to sports

Class Format:

This course will include in-class discussion, brainstorming, and individual, group and instructor presentations, as well as work outside of classroom facilities and outside of class hours on individual sports journalism projects. Class will meet at the scheduled times in Old Main room 237. In addition, your individual sports reporting assignments will be carried out beyond the classroom. Your assignments will result in reporting, researching, interviewing and writing hard and soft news stories as well as making single and group presentations. All of these efforts throughout the semester will help you develop a working knowledge and understanding of the role and function of sports journalism and its techniques.

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 Learning, 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.

Personal preparation for writing:

Not only in this course, but also during your academic degree program and in your professional career later, you will find it essential to stay up-to-date on current events, which change constantly. To remain up-to-date, you should read a major newspaper every day in addition to watching broadcast or cable news operations and websites. For instance, you might choose to read the Charlotte Observer, Raleigh News & Observer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal or USA Today. You also should read a weekly newsmagazine such as Time or Newsweek. All of these print media have affiliated websites.

As a media professional, how will you know and understand trends in newsgathering and dissemination? To stay on top of your field, you should read the professional weekly business journals such as Editor & Publisher (newspapers), Folio (magazines), Broadcasting & Cable (radio and television), or Advertising Age (advertising). These publications are in the UNCP library and all have affiliated websites.

Professor’s office hours for assistance with this course:

Monday and Wednesday: 10-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m.

In addition, Dr. Curtis frequently can be found in his office at other times during weekdays.

Office: 247 Old Main phone: 521-6616 email: acurtis@uncp.edu

Motto: S’asseoir aussi loin que possible du sac gonflable.

Course Schedule

NOTE: As we proceed through the semester, the exact dates listed below may change as more or less time may be required to complete topics. This schedule should be seen as a guide to course activities and expectations as of the beginning of the semester. Your professor reserves the right to amend the schedule, as needed, depending on work accomplished in class meetings and the needs of students enrolled in the course. Some of the activities may not be accomplished during the semester. Please complete each reading assignment prior to the day it is assigned so you can take part in discussions in class and apply the techniques learned from reading.

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterbacking: Starting Jan. 23 and continuing each Monday through the semester, bring to class two samples (clips, tapes, print-outs, etc.) each of what you consider to be good and poor sports writing you have encountered in newspapers and magazines since the previous Monday. In class, discuss what makes them good or poor.

Presentations on Best American Sports Writers: You will select a sports writer whose work(s) appear in The Best American Sports Writing anthologies listed above, or other years of those annual omnibus editions. Your presentation will be made to the class on a day selected randomly in class and shown in the weekly schedule below. It should include an introduction of the writer including career history and writing honors. To prepare for this, conduct research online or in the library. Deliver a critical analysis of the writer's story in the anthology. Comment on its organizational structure, lead, focus, anecdotes, description, quotes, conclusion, word choice, writing style and any other strengths or weaknesses you see. Conduct research to update the story. See what has become of the people, places or events in the story. Discuss whether you think the story was good enough to be in the anthology. If the writer wrote other notable stories, how do they compare?

WEEK 1:

Monday 1/9 Course introduction

Wednesday 1/11 Reading: Wilstein Introduction and Craig chap. 2 Fact vs. Fiction

Friday 1/13 Reading: Craig Introduction: You Don't Have to Play the Game and

Craig chap. 1 There's More to Journalism than Writing

WEEK 2:

Monday 1/16 M.L.King holiday. UNCP closed.

Wednesday 1/18 ESPN guest speaker in class

Friday 1/20 Skills assessment

WEEK 3:

Monday 1/23 Reading: Craig chap. 3 Getting the Facts and Getting Them Straight

Craig chap. 11 Little Things Mean a Lot

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 1/25 Reading: Craig chap. 4 The Interview

Wilstein chap. 6 Quotes and Misquotes

Wilstein chap. 3 In the Trenches

Due: proposal for interview to be completed before 2/1

Friday 1/27 Reading: Wilstein chap. 5 Playing the Game

WEEK 4:

Monday 1/30 Reading: Craig chap. 5 Writing the Story

Craig chap. 6 Game Stories (memorize game story eight essential parts, Craig, p. 72)

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 2/1 Reading: Wilstein chap. 2 Beat Reporting

Craig chap. 9 The Beat Writer's Notebook

Due: post-mortem on the interview

Friday 2/3 Discussion: What are the contemporary sports?

WEEK 5:

Monday 2/6 Reading: Craig chap. 7 The Feature Story

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 2/8 Reading: Wilstein chap. 7 Beyond the Fields:

Features, Enterprise & Investigative Reporting

Due: interview story

Friday 2/10 Reading: Craig chap. 8 What is a Sidebar Story?

WEEK 6:

Monday 2/13 Reading: Wilstein chap. 4 Columns

Craig chap. 10 The Column

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 2/15 Due: proposal for game story #1 to be completed before 2/20

Friday 2/17 Discussion: preparing for the game story

WEEK 7:

Monday 2/20 Reading: Craig chap. 12 It's Sports Business Now

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Due: game story #1

Wednesday 2/22 Discussion: short feature story assignment

Due: proposal for short feature story to be completed by 3/1

Friday 2/24 Discussion: research for short feature story

WEEK 8:

Monday 2/27 Reading: Wilstein chap. 8 Careers and Caroms

Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 3/1 Due: short feature story

Friday 3/3 Discussion: contemporary aspects of sports journalism

Spring Break March 6-11

WEEK 9:

Monday 3/13 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Due: proposal for game story #2 to be completed by 3/20

Wednesday 3/15 Presentation 1: Best American Sports Writing

Friday 3/17 Presentation 2: Best American Sports Writing

WEEK 10:

Monday 3/20 Presentation 3: Best American Sports Writing

Due: game story #2

Due: proposal for column to be completed by 3/27

Wednesday 3/22 Presentation 4: Best American Sports Writing

Friday 3/24 Presentation 5: Best American Sports Writing

WEEK 11:

Monday 3/27 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Due: column

Due: proposal for major feature story to be completed by 5/5

Wednesday 3/29 Presentation 6: Best American Sports Writing

Friday 3/31 Presentation 7: Best American Sports Writing

WEEK 12:

Monday 4/3 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 4/5 Presentation 8: Best American Sports Writing

Friday 4/7 Presentation 9: Best American Sports Writing

WEEK 13:

Monday 4/10 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 4/12 Presentation 10: Best American Sports Writing

Due: first draft of major feature story with in-class edit session major feature story

Friday 4/14 Good Friday. UNCP closed.

WEEK 14:

Monday 4/17 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 4/19 Presentation 11: Best American Sports Writing

Due: second draft of major feature story with in-class edit session major feature story

Friday 4/21 Presentation 12: Best American Sports Writing

WEEK 15:

Monday 4/24 Discussion: Monday Morning Quarterback

Wednesday 4/26 Presentation 13: Best American Sports Writing

Due: third draft of major feature story with in-class edit session major feature story

Friday 4/28 Last Class – reflection and renewal

EXAM WEEK:

Friday 5/5 8:00 a.m. in 237 Old Main, major feature story final draft due

Course Grading and Guidelines

Evaluation of writing:

Generally, there will be no right or wrong responses to the assignments. Rather, your work will be evaluated subjectively by the professor, who will measure all writing on three concurrent spectra – content, organization and mechanics. These parallel tracks range from weak to strong.

Articles, stories and columns you submit must reach the assigned length and be typewritten, double-spaced, on one side of paper. The AP Stylebook must be followed. Appropriate professional journalism editing marks, as shown in The AP Stylebook, must be used. Be sure your name is on your work along with page headers and footers as approved by the instructor.

Evaluation of your written work will be based on appropriateness of content, clarity of purpose, clear and concise writing style, efficient use of words, grammar, spelling, mechanics, organization, preparation, proper use of appropriate journalistic style, and attention to deadline.

Attention to deadlines is extremely important. Hand in your stories by the beginning of class on the assigned day. Late assignments will be penalized 10 percent for each class day late. That means one letter grade deducted for each day late. Articles will not be accepted one week after the due date.

Evaluation of presentations:

You are encouraged to use a variety of visual aids in your presentations. Presentations must reach the assigned length of time. The presentation paperwork required for submission to the professor must be typewritten on one side of paper. Be sure to hand the presentation paperwork to the professor before delivering your presentation. Please make sure your name is on it.

Evaluation of your presentation will be based on clarity of purpose, organization, preparation, clear delivery, grammar, efficient use of words and audio-visual aids.

This is a 300-level upper-division journalism course. Attention to deadlines is extremely important. You must deliver your presentation on the assigned date.

The success of the seminar discussion style of this course relies on your full participation. You must make your presentations on your assigned days. And, it is just as important for you to view your classmates’ presentations as it is to deliver your own. Please respect your colleagues and attend all in-class presentations. Non-attendance for the presentations of others in the class will be penalized.

Attendance:

Attendance is very important. Classroom communication is a process of sharing. Your observations, insights and analyses are valuable to the whole class. Your participation will be reflected in a concrete way in your semester grade.

The Department of Mass Communications has a mandatory attendance policy. This course is an important element of your preparation for a career in professional journalism, where you will be expected to understand and meet deadlines.

Class attendance will be checked in every class period (you will sign the roster sheet) and will be used in determining the course grade. Unexcused absences will affect your grade adversely. For instance, attendance records will be used to determine the grade of any student who is on the borderline between two grades. If such a student has 1 or no unexcused absences, he or she may be eligible receive the higher of the two grades, assuming all other circumstances are appropriate.

§ Students with 4-5 unexcused absences will be penalized one letter grade.

§ Students with 6-7 unexcused absences will be penalized two letter grades.

§ Students with 8 or more unexcused absences will receive the grade of F for the semester.

There may be no option of doing an extra assignment to reduce or remove a penalty.

Attendance at assigned sports events is a top priority.

Athletes must discuss their game schedule for the full season with the professor at the beginning of the semester. If they plan to miss class for a game, they must notify the professor again before each absence to receive an excused absence. Athletes will not be excused from a class that ends more than hour before the bus leaves.

Students who plan to miss class for such activities as work, job interviews, job fairs, weddings, vacations, completing work for other courses, etc., must use their unexcused-absence cuts for those purposes. If you have problems attending class, you are encouraged to change your arrangements elsewhere that will enable you to participate fully here.

The following are excusable absences:

§ Illness or serious injury, with a note from a doctor

§ death in the immediate family, with a newspaper obituary clipping

§ required appearance in a court of law, with a note from the clerk of courts

§ catastrophic emergency, with appropriate documentation or official police report

§ representing the college in an official extracurricular activity, with a note from the faculty or administrative adviser of the activity, or head coach, and the prior approval of the professor of this course because some extracurricular activities do not justify an excused absence.

Late arrival in class:

Students who arrive late to a class session should check with the professor at the end of that class to be certain that their attendance has been recorded. Students who arrive excessively late to a class period, or who leave class early, will receive either partial credit or no credit for their attendance that day. Students who are continually late to class will begin receiving no credit for their attendance on days they are late.

Late assignments:

Late assignments or makeup work generally is not accepted if there was no prior arrangement with your professor. You may not be permitted to make up any missing work unless it is for an excused absence as listed above. The professor may refuse to revisit material a student missed due to an absence. No late work will be accepted without prior arrangements with your professor who retains the discretion of whether to accept any of such work.

Grading Considerations:

Grades for each of your assignments will be based upon a professional standard. Although you may be writing your first sports stories in this class, the professor will evaluate your work according to its suitability for publication in a newspaper or magazine or on a news website whose standards correspond to the industry norm.

At the outset, it is understood that your writing might be weak in content, organization and mechanics. The professor will take this into account and your semester grade will be based upon improvement and consistent effort through the semester. Growth in capabilities and understanding of the subject are of the utmost importance in this course.

Evaluation criteria for letter grades:

§ Excellent or A
Professional quality work. An insightful, relevant, newsworthy subject. Story involves the reader in its drama, humor, ethos or pathos. Technique is flawless with perfect content, organization and mechanics. Information supporting the story is complete and accurate. Wording is precise. The writing explores the story at different levels and does not simply make the same point from different perspectives. Publishable and distinguished. Nearly perfect grades on presentations and pop quizzes, if any.

§ Good or B
Competent, functional story-telling. Journeyman journalism. Publishable. Clean copy that makes a significant point efficiently in support of the story. Appropriate expression of active, believable, moments that reveal a key person, place or event. Details are thorough and accurate. Writing mechanics and organizational technique are of a high order. The story is balanced. Better than average work on presentations and pop quizzes, if any.

§ Acceptable or C
Average, run-of-the-mill story-telling. Probably publishable, but undistinguished. Properly written, but the content is average quality that may or may not be publishable. A feature story about a person, place or event, but which offers little insight into why the subject is newsworthy. Content is adequate to identify the subject, but poorly organized. Mechanics are good. Minimally acceptable work on presentations and pop quizzes, if any.

§ Poor or D
Unpublishable work. A combination of flaws in conceptualizing, researching, organizing and writing render the work unsatisfactory. This is work, which with better planning and extra effort, might have been publishable. Less than acceptable work on presentations and pop quizzes, if any.

§ Unacceptable or F
Not publishable. Decidedly unprofessional. Weaknesses in journalistic thinking, feature writing technique, and/or professionalism have resulted in a failure on this assignment. Inaccuracies and other content errors, poor mechanics, unpublishable organization, and/or missed deadlines have reduced the assignment to failure. Failure on presentations and pop quizzes, if any.

Final grade:

You will be graded on these work elements this semester – a small feature story, a major feature story, two game stories, a column, editing sessions, pop quizzes, if any, presentation of your analysis of a Best American Sports Writer and story, and attendance and participation.

Your final semester grade will be based on the professor’s subjective evaluation of all of the work you complete and submit during the course. Attendance and enthusiastic participation form a significant portion of the semester grade.

How to succeed?

Very important considerations include:

§ perfection of written materials

§ success of presentations

§ punctuality on assignments

§ participation in class activities

§ attendance at class meetings

§ attendance at assigned sports events

The grading scale used for this course is:

100-90%=A to A-; 89-80%=B+ to B-; 79-70%=C+ to C-; 69-60%=D+ to D-; 59% and below=F.

Student academic honor code:

You have the responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code which forbids cheating, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, fabrication, falsification of information, and complicity in academic dishonesty.

Special assistance:

Please see the instructor as soon as possible if you have questions or difficulty. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester as possible, preferably within the first week. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry building, 521-6695.