UMass Journalism Professor's Blog

The four-course sequence is awaiting formal Faculty Senate approval but here are the course descriptions.  Students looking to focus on sports journalism are also urged to do an internship in sports journalism.

I.  Sports Journalism (Steve Fox):

This is a hands-on course where students will learn how to write, edit and cover sports stories.  Interviewing skills will be honed in this class, and you will need a flexible schedule in order to cover games outside of class.  Students will learn to write a variety of stories ranging from straight game stories to previews and features.  Students will also get a chance to blog and produce other multimedia in their game coverage.  We will also read  and analyze successful writing styles from sportswriters in all mediums, including broadcast and the Web.

II.  The role of Images in Sports (Dennis Vandal):

Images play a major role in the coverage of sports.  We remember most of the iconic moments in sports history from the images of the moment.  In this class you will look at the role of images in sports coverage over the years, as well as learn the basics of sports photography, how to construct audio slideshows and the basics of video coverage.

III.  We’ll have the option of offering two courses in the third slot.

A. The Politics of Sport – (Nick McBride, Maddy Blais)
Our aim in this course is to contemplate, write and read, modern and contemporary sports as social and political history.   In this class we will endeavor to visit those subtexts.

B. Sports in Film, Journalism, and Literature (Maddy Blais)

The subject of athletic endeavors has long been the source of inspiration for journalists, novelists, and filmmakers and in this class we will explore some of the most brilliant examples of sport narrative in words and images as they pertain to running, baseball, soccer, rugby, basketball, climbing, boxing and football.

IV.   IV. Issues in Sports.  (An active sports journalist or personality will conduct this class.)
•    This class will cover a wide variety of issues and will have weekly discussions on topics in the news.  Topics will include ethics, reporting, writing, newsroom management, diversity, etc.
•    Students will take part in outside discussions on the class blog.
•    Students will deliver several oral presentations thoughout the course of the semester.
•    Students will write two major papers covering an issue in the news.