01. Develop a 'media diet' which is not based on mainstream sport but other sport and general news.

Activities:

Students will be given a 'pop' quiz three times in the semester (only the 2nd and 3rd will count towards their grade) that will indicate whether they have been reading the papers and keeping up with current events. Sport Journalists need to keep up with non sport news to inform their work. Sports people, events and entities may take on a different importance or be placed in an unusual context depending on what else is happening in the world at the time. Postgraduate students will be given a longer and more difficult quiz than undergraduate students.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

02. Students will become familiar with and demonstrate the basic techniques of a good television 'live cross.'

Activities:

Students will be given vision of a media conference one week prior to their live cross. They will need to identify the main angle arising from the conference and conduct their own research on the person of interest to provide context to the news angle. The student will write an introduction for the newsreader in television format and upload this to Moodle prior to performing the live cross in the LTU studio which will include a short Q&A. PG students will be expected to demonstrate a higher level of analytical and interpretation of the key points made in the media conference. They will also be expected to show a higher standard of research than undergraduate students.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

Speaking(Speaking)

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

03. Students will demonstrate an ability to convey not only the outcome of a sports event but be able to identify and describe the major incidents which led to that outcome. They will do this under time pressure by meeting professional journalism deadlines. PG students will be expected to display a greater level of proficiency with this task than undergraduates.

Activities:

Postgraduate students will watch a sporting event in class, shotlist it as they are watching it and then write a match report to be uploaded to Moodle by 6.30pm.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

Writing(Writing)

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

04. Students will demonstrate the basic techniques of sports commentary for radio (optional).

Activities:

Students will either present another TV live cross or provide radio commentary for 15 minutes of a sports broadcast. Beforehand they will be given a marking criteria which will identify the key areas of good sports commentary.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

Speaking(Speaking)

05. Students will write a preview of a sporting event that will show they have grasped the difference between writing a preview as a journalist and that of a promoter or public relations representative whose job it is to "talk up" the event.

Activities:

Postgraduate students will have a four days (introducing some time pressure but still less than workplace norms) to research and write a 400 word article about a sporting event or performance yet to take place.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

Writing(Writing)

06. Students will write an opinion piece on the coverage of women's sport. 3rd year students will be expected to display a greater level of proficiency with this task and a deeper udnerstanding of the issue, than 2nd year students.

Activities:

Following a lecture on the topic, students will be split into small groups to discuss the merits of whether women's sport receives the coverage it deserves. Postgraduate students will be encouraged to take a leadership role in the discussion groups. All students will then be required to use the knowledge gained along with further research in their own time to write a 400 word opinion piece on the topic. PG students will be expected to demonstrate a widely researched basis for their opinion.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Writing(Writing)

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

Teamwork(Teamwork)

07. To bring together various writing techniques taught through the semester into a feature sports story. This will give students an opportunity to research and write with creativity and flair, using elements such as metaphor and analogy.

Activities:

Students will write a 800 word print feature on a sports topic of their choice. The feature will be display an ability to explore their chosen topic from a multi dimensional view. This will be done by conducting research and their own primary source interviews. Postgraduate students will be expected to submit an article that demonstrates a greater proficiency of the elements that make up a good feature story than that of undergraduate students.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Writing(Writing)

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

08. Write a 400 word article that identifies the main news angle from a media conference that the student has participated in.

Activities:

Students will be participate in a media or press conference with a high profile sports person. They will need to ask questions and or take notes of answers and then identify the main news angle. The other students in the room will be their rivals and so each student will be exposed to the pressure of finding the "biggest" story. Postgraduate students will then upload their 400 word print article to Moodle by 6.30pm the same night.

Related graduate capabilities and elements:

Writing(Writing)

Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)

Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

Speaking(Speaking)