Updated syllabus 2012

COM445L-201 SPORTS REPORTING

Wednesday, 6:30-9:00 p.m.

Lowell Thomas 209

Instructor: Pete Colaizzo

Office: McCann Recreation Center

Office hours: TBA, call or email for details

Phone: 845 309 3640

Email: runhed246@hotmail.com

Blog: coachpetesclass.blogspot.com

Course overview and description: This course is designed to broaden and deepen the student’s understanding of sports reporting and to sharpen and develop the student’s writing skills. Students will cover as many live sporting events as possible and learn to write in all aspects and styles of sports journalism. In addition, students will be expected to read as much up-to-date and current sports journalism -- both in print and online. The more you read, the better you write. This is NOT a lecture course; it is a workshop course. Much of the class time will be devoted to discussing professional writing, current events in sports journalism and most especially working on writing assignments -- and working on ways to improve your writing and your reporting skills. In-class writing assignments will be the norm. Again, there will be little actual lecturing in this course.

Course text requirements: The only required text for the class is the Associated Press Stylebook. All students will be expected to know and follow the AP Stylebook. Again, to reiterate: Knowledge and adherence to AP Style is crucial to success in this class. Note that AP style differs from MLA and other college-based writing style guides. The instructor, who has worked in the daily journalism profession for 25 years, will guide the students through the nuances of the AP Stylebook. But it is the responsibility of the student to learn and absorb AP style. The instructor will pay special attention to the adherence to AP Style! In addition, all students will be required to have some sort of audio recording device (ones on iPods are sufficient) in order to properly execute interviews for the class.

Outcomes: At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

1—Cover live sporting events and write stories based on live event coverage

2—Prepare for and conduct interviews both for live sports events as well as in-depth enterprise features, profiles, previews and sidebars

3—Learn to work and write under real deadline pressure (both in and out of the classroom)

4—Read copious amounts of sports journalism, and write reviews and critiques of others’ works – both inside and out of the classroom setting

5—Conduct “peer editing” in class, where students will edit and critique other students’ work

6—Have a greater understanding of the wide range of topics and issues addressed by sports journalists in the 21^st Century

Attendance policy: Because this is an evening class with limited class sessions, attendance and participation in EVERY class section is required and expected. There will be NO unexcused absences allowed. ANY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE WILL RESULT IN AN IMMEDIATE DEDUCTION IN THE FINAL LETTER GRADE. The only excused absences: 1. Severe illness accompanied by a medical professional’s note; 2. Death in the family; 3. Approved absences due to away athletic team travel.

Outcomes assessment: Because this is a workshop class intended to hone and improve writing skills, the bulk of the work done for this class will be in written form – articles, features, profiles and critique papers. The breakdown of the final grade will be calculated as follows:

50 percent: Event coverage (5 to 6 articles) and in-class writing assignments. This will include a minimum of 5 event coverage stories, all of which must be generated from live coverage and as many as 2 (no more) that can be in the form of profile, feature or preview stories. The minimum number of stories is 5. Any stories above and beyond the 5 stories will be accepted and counted as “extra credit.” In addition, the first two article assignments can be submitted multiple times for revisions. New for 2012: Two in-depth, in-class writing assignments will be graded and considered part of the event-coverage grade for the course.

25 percent: Sports journalism readings/critiques, class participation, class attendance and in-class writing assignments. The student will be required to write eight (8) brief critiques and reviews of print or online sports journalists in action. Any critiques or reviews above and beyond the 8 will be accepted as “extra credit.”

25 percent: Final project. This will consist of an in-depth feature that can be a database investigative piece, a controversial topic or a multilayered (and multi-sourced) profile. The final topic and final source list must be approved in advance by the instructor. A minimum of six (6) sources are required for this article. In addition, there must be a sidebar element to accompany this story.

Academic integrity/honor code: As college students, you are expected to adhere to a code of academic honesty and integrity. In other words, you are expected to submit your own work. While I do encourage collaboration and assistance, I also know that one can distinguish between assistance and cheating. Plagiarism will not be allowed nor tolerated. In addition, falsifying of interviews and sources will result in an immediate failure for that assignment, and possible failure of the class. In the world of sports media and print/online journalism, plagiarizing another person’s work – or completely fabricating facts and quotes -- is of the highest offense. It typically will cost someone their job and maybe their career. Any student that plagiarizes an article (which I am confident will NOT happen) will suffer SEVERE consequences, likely including failure of the course.

Critiques and reviews of print or Internet sports journalism: Each student will be required to read and write a total of eight (6) article critiques. Here is the format for the article critiques …

Title of article and online link: Headline and link

Why you chose this article: One paragraph on why you chose this article

Pros: List at least three things you liked about the article

Cons: List at least one (or more) things you think could have made this article better.

Event coverage schedule: It is your responsibility to come up with a comprehensive event coverage schedule and a list of story ideas for your eight articles.

Event stories: Each story must include a minimum of 2 to 3 interviewed sources, must have a clearly written and creative introduction (lead) and must strictly adhere to Associated Press style. Articles will be graded primarily on these requirements. In-class graded assignments will follow the same grading rubric as the event-story assignments.

Course outline and tentative deadlines (subject to change …)

August 29: Introductions, syllabus, explanation of assignments

September 5: Critique #1 is due

September 12: Event coverage schedule is due

September 19: Critique #2 is due

September 26: In-class writing assignment (graded) #1

October 3: Critique #3 is due

October 10: Article #1 is due

October 17: Critique #4 is due

October 24: Article #2 is due; FINAL TOPIC IS DUE

October 31: In-class writing assignment (graded) #2

November 7: Article #3 is due

November 14: Critique #5 is due; Final topic source list is due

November 21: NO CLASS. THANKSGIVING BREAK.

November 28: Critique #6 is due; Article #4 is due

December 5: Article #5 is due

December 12: Final project is due

Event coverage ideas, Marist athletic teams:

--Football

--Volleyball

--Men’s soccer

--Women’s soccer

--Men’s basketball

--Women’s basketball

--Men’s swimming and diving

--Women’s swimming and diving

--Men’s and women’s cross country and track

--Club sports at the discretion of the instructor

Other event coverage ideas:

--Local sporting events in the mid-Hudson area

--Sporting events (recreational, high school, etc.) in your hometown area

REMINDER: COURSE BLOG is coachpetesclass.blogspot.com