Sports Communication Emphasis: Boot Camp and Capstone 2013
BOOT CAMP
The incoming 34 Sports Communication Emphasis (SCE) students came from the Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism, Broadcast and Digital Journalism, and Television, Film, and Radio programs. Students worked in a variety of media, including, print, audio, video, still photography and social media, and published their work on a class blog, NewhouseSports SCE 2014. Lectures included Skype sessions with members of the sports journalism community: Newhouse alums Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports Radio, Natalie Pierre of The Tallahassee Democrat, Howard Chen of Comcast Sports Houston and ESPN’s Beth Mowins. Daily tweets were required @NewhouseSports. Students interviewed their classmates and wrote short profiles, and conducted telephone or in-person interviews with individuals in sports communications and wrote about them. They also performed one-minute video commentaries on sports-related topics of their choice. The final class was on location at a Syracuse Chiefs minor league game, where each student was tasked with finding a story and writing it up with video, audio and/or still photos as the final assignment. Overall, a focus on multiplatform reporting, interviewing, professionalism, and how sports is defined in journalism were key points throughout SCE Boot Camp.
Capstone/Final Project/Internship
The Capstone/Final Project/Internship varies depending up whether the master’s candidate is in Broadcasting and Digital Journalism (BDJ), Magazine Newspaper and Online Journalism (MNO) or Television Radio and Film (TRF). In each case the student does what non-SCE students do but with a sports media connection.
BDJ students have a two-part capstone experience. The first six weeks (Summer Session I) they work with the newscast class (BDJ 667) and rotate through all positions but cover sports as the rotation allows, rather than weather. In the final six weeks (Summer Session II) they intern with a professional sports media operation in broadcast and/or online. The student sets up the internship with assistance and counseling from the SCE director. The director of SCE will supervise it the internship.
MNO students in SCE have the same options that non-SCE students have but with as much of a sports focus as feasible: they may be take MNO 631 – the tablet-only magazine project and/or do an internship at a sports-related publication/online operation. Depending upon the focus of the tablet magazine the student may or may not be able to focus on sports in his/her role(s) in the class/project. If the student only does the internship s/he is required to write a 30-page research paper. The director of SCE will advise/assist as much as possible in setting up the internship and will supervise it.
TRF students in SCE complete their experience with a one, two of three credit internship with an organization having to do with sports in television, radio and/or film. The number of credits depends on how many credits the student needs to complete the degree requirements. Hours worked and other requirements such as work product and/or a research paper depend on the number of credit hours the internship is for. The director of SCE will advise/assist as much as possible in setting up the internship and will supervise it.
