SPCM 101. Introduction to Sports Communications.3 Credits.
This course will provide a thorough look at various disciplines in sports communications. Want to work in sports but don't know exactly which direction you want to take? This course will outline the different opportunities in the sports communications industry, how they function and the most effective strategies for each. It will touch on journalism, broadcasting, marketing, social media and more. Students will get an overview of sports communications through the lens of working professionals, fans and athletes who play the games.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Fall and Spring
SPCM 201. Writing for Sports Communications.3 Credits.
This course covers the principles and practices associated with writing for sports. Communication within sports takes on many forms - advertising, public relations, marketing, journalism and so much more. Want to work for a media outlet? You need to understand the who, what, what, where, why and how of journalism. Want to work for a sports team or league? You need to understand know how to effectively message and disseminate information through news releases, via marketing campaigns and across social media channels. This course focus on all the types of writing necessary to effectively write for a professional career in sports.
Prerequisites: Take COM 140 and SPCM 101 or SPS 101.
Offered: Every year, Fall and Spring
SPCM 202. Sports Audiences and Fandom.3 Credits.
Sports audiences and "fanatics" are viewed as some of the most passionate and loyal media consumers, utilizing a combination of traditional and digital media platforms to follow their favorite sports teams, athletes, and events. This varied media use by sports audiences has both social and economic impacts as fans seek meaningful connections to sports entities through media. To understand how and why sports audiences interact with media, we will explore how individuals become fans of sports, the differences among sports fans, and the strategies sports entities use to reach, attract, and maintain the attention of the fans through media.
Prerequisites: Take COM 120 or SPS 101 or SPCM 101.
Offered: Every year, Spring
SPCM 300. Special Topics in Sports Communications.3 Credits.
Students engage in a detailed examination of current issues in Sports Communications in a format that may incorporate academic research and communications writing. Students should consult the School of Communications course bulletin for information about each semester's offerings.
Prerequisites: Take SPCM 101.
Offered: As needed, Fall
SPCM 310. Play by Play Broadcasting.3 Credits.
Students will learn how to professionally prepare for a game as a play-by-play announcer, how to successfully work with an analyst or reporter, how to use proper tone and inflection, and other important aspects of play-by-play announcing during a live broadcast.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Spring
SPCM 320. Sports Photography.3 Credits.
This hands-on photography course focuses on the techniques and skills most useful for students entering the sports communications field, including game photography, sports portraiture, 360 imagery and other related techniques that would be relevant to working as a sports photojournalist or athletics communications specialist.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Fall
SPCM 324. Sports TV Reporting and Anchoring.3 Credits.
Students learn how to report, write, shoot, edit, and present sports news packages for TV and online streaming. Additional topics include news judgment, content selection, interviewing, use of voice, and creative performance in standups and sportscast anchoring.
Prerequisites: Take one of each: JRN 106 or SPS 106 and SPCM 201 or JRN 263.
Offered: Every year, Fall
SPCM 361. Multimedia Sports Reporting.3 Credits.
This course introduces students to coverage of sports for the news media and includes event coverage, profiles and trend pieces.
Prerequisites: Take one of the following: JRN 260 or JRN 263 or SPCM 201.
Offered: Every other year, Fall
SPCM 362. Sports Law and Ethics.3 Credits.
Federal antitrust law and regulations show that college and professional sports are treated as special components of American culture. This course examines the legal structure that grants special privileges to sports and to the ethical challenges sports communications professionals confront in going beyond the games to find the story.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Spring
SPCM 363. Sports Data Visualization and Analytics.3 Credits.
Sports audiences are adapting to more sophisticated storytelling across all screens. Data visualization engages those audiences by adding layers of comprehension and beauty to dense information. This course teaches students to enhance sports journalism and communications through hands-on information design, both static and interactive.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Spring
SPCM 364. Sports Audio and Podcasting.3 Credits.
Audio production and podcasting are important ways to engage with audiences. Students will learn how to produce, present, and distribute talk shows, news stories, opinion segments and sports narratives in a compelling way.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Fall
SPCM 365. TV Sportscast Producing & Anchoring.3 Credits.
Students learn how to produce and anchor TV sportscasts, including how to design a show, create show segments, and perform other on and off camera roles.
Prerequisites: Take one from each group: JRN 263 or SPCM 201 and JRN 106 or SPS 106 or FTM 110.
Offered: Every other year, Fall
SPCM 366. Story of Football.3 Credits.
This course traces the historical trajectory of American football and the coaches, players and media portrayals that transformed the game from a 19th-century collegiate test of manliness to what it is today: a spectator sport of immense appeal whose popularity endures despite more than a century of concerns over the game's debilitating and sometimes lethal violence.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Fall
SPCM 367. Sports Social Media.3 Credits.
Students are introduced to the concepts of sports storytelling and content creation on social media platforms, audience engagement, search engine optimization, and other techniques to reach targeted audiences.
Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, Spring
SPCM 374. Sports Feature Writing.3 Credits.
Feature writers capture athletes when they are most noble, frail or otherwise vulnerable or heroic. They also capture the moment when a game means more than that. This course teaches students to apply creative vitality to their ideas and writing on sports outside of game stories.
Prerequisites: Take SPCM 201 or JRN 260.
Offered: Every year, Spring