COMMS 303 : Sports Media

Arts

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Examines the relationship between sport and the media. Topics include sports journalism; industry practice; the mediated game event; online communities of fandom; commentary; issues of race and gender; and sports law. Students have the opportunity to experience outside broadcast of televised sport and use the university television studio to engage with key media sport professionals.

Course Overview

The course is designed to provide students with a theoretical base from which to understand the media sport nexus as well as to create an opportunity to undertake independent research, create media sport content and have a taste of television studio production. You do not have to be a keen sports fan or a competing athlete to do the course but you must be prepared to attend a live sporting event as well as view mediated sport.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points from COMMS 200-208 and 15 points in BA courses Restriction: FTVMS 313

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe how media respresentation is influenced by cultural discourses (Capability 1.3, 2.1 and 4.1)
  2. Research and propose appropriate responses to a current issue in mediated sport (Capability 1.2, 2.3, 3.1 and 4.2)
  3. Demonstrate the ability to produce a range of effective media communications (Capability 1.2, 2.2, 4.2 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Reading Responses ( x 2) 20% Individual Coursework
Tutorial participation 10% Individual Coursework
online sports column 30% Individual Coursework
Research project 40% Individual Coursework

Next offered

2022

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect face to face interaction involving 36 hours of lectures, tutorials and TV studio time, plus 100-150 hours outside class involving reading and thinking about the content and working on assignments and tutorial preparation.  

You are likely to have opportunities to attend live sports events to better understand how sports are broadcast and produced. 

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered in two delivery modes:

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The course is internally assessed and there is no final test/exam which requires attendance on campus.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable delivery.

Online

Attendance is expected at scheduled online activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course.
The course will include live online events including lectures and these will be recorded.
Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course.
This course runs to the University semester timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Other Information

The course gives you the opportunity to extend your learning outside the classroom. Your major research project can be shaped around your sporting/cultural knowledge or passion. You will also have opportunities to engage in a television studio experience where you interview leading sports professionals to elicit information relevant to your research topic.  The course is closely linked to SKY Sport and the COMMS 307 internship programme.  Students are encouraged to consider ways in which they can extend their personal research on the course into a potential internship for credit within the wider sport industries and sport broadcasting.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 22/12/2020 04:44 p.m.