The purpose of this module is to provide a focus on career development by embarking on a professional practice placement and developing student portfolios and employability.
This module provides the opportunity to complete a professional work placement. Students are encouraged to arrange placements with employers or organisations working in those areas of journalism or allied fields which provide possible career options such as newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations, websites, press offices, PR companies or departments, book publishers and business to business periodicals.
Students may carry out a single placement of at least 120 hours or a combination of placements adding up to a minimum of 120 hours reflecting their range of interests. The module is self-directed with individual tutorial guidance, advice and support throughout provided in person and online.
Completion of the placement will provide students with an opportunity to analyse how employability can be developed and enhanced and to understand how to get jobs and freelance work. They will have a weekly lecture or seminar to explore these issues. Some lectures will involve guest speakers from industry bodies and employers.
Seminars will be used for discussion and to outline and develop what students will be required to produce for assessments - working on producing content for publication or broadcast, addressing personal weaknesses, researching job and freelance opportunities and developing an effective CV.

Placement Portfolio - To include a workplace diary, critical evaluation, and employer's assessment. Students may carry out a single placement of at least 100 hours or a combination of placements adding up to a minimum of 100 hours reflecting their range of interests. Work produced on the placement can be included in an appendix to evidence output but is not included in the word count. (approx 3,2000 words, 50% weighting, learning outcomes 4-6)

Career Development Portfolio - To include a before and after CV (approx 1000 words) a written report (approx 1000 words) covering analysis of personal strengths and weaknesses and how they were addressed or used to advantage, research into employment opportunities and plans for employment, employment types in the industry (eg portfolio careers, freelancing, staff roles, editing/reporting/production). (total approx 2000 words, 50% weighting, learning outcomes 1-4)


Employability

This module is designed to offer students a first-hand experience of the sports journalism workplace.


Diversity

Students will be encouraged to be conscious of issues relating to diversity and equality as they enter the work place.


Reflection

Both assessments feature elements of reflective evaluation.

13 x lectures (2 hour) = 26 hours, disseminating and explaining the key aspects of the work placement and matching aspirations to assessment requirements.

Individual tutorials (average 2 hours per student) = 2 hours, providing guidance and support based on individual student need, feedback and aims. 172 hours of independent learning, including minimum 120 hours of placement, developing a grasp and contextual overview of the industry based on the learning experience of identifying and realising placement opportunities enhancing the learning outcome indicators of analysis, problem solving, communication, application and reflection.

A minimum of 120 hours will be spent in the work placement itself; this should be negotiated with your supervisor. Students have leeway to use all or part of their placement time in either or across both semesters according to the availability of placement slots and class attendance.
This will be supplemented by career development lectures or seminars, delivered by journalism team tutors and guest lecturers.
Independent research, study and content and CV production supplemented by group tutorials will total 172 hours.

1. Know and understand the range of relevant career options available and what employers expect

2. Apply industry-standard techniques and skills to produce appropriate samples of self-originated content for a specific or specific type of employer

3. Analyse and address personal strengths and weaknesses in concert with researching career opportunities for effective application to, and engagement with, their industry

4. Develop sound judgement of the range of situations encountered in the professional environment

5. Evaluate the appropriateness of different solutions to problems in the journalistic workplace

6. Communicate the experience of the placement in a structured format identifying outcomes

Blackboard

Library

Adams, Sally and Lee-Potter, Emma (2017) Interviewing for Journalists, Routledge.

Anderson, Douglas A., (1994) Contemporary Sports Reporting, Nelson-Hall

Andrews, P. (2013) Sports Journalism – A Practical Introduction, Sage.

Boyle, Raymond (2006) Sports Journalism – Context and Issues, Sage.

Boyle, Raymond (2020) Changing Sports Journalism Practice in the Age of Digital, Routledge

Bradshaw, Paul and Rohumaa, Liisa (2011) The Online Journalism Handbook, Pearson.

Bradshaw, Tom and Minogue, Daragh (2019) Sports Journalism – The State of Play, Routledge.

Bull A. (2016) Multimedia Journalism – A Practical Guide, Routledge.

Frost, C. (2010) Reporting for Journalists, Routledge.

Harcup, T. (2021) Journalism Principles and Practice, Sage.

Hudson, G & Rowlands, S (2007) The Broadcast Journalism Handbook, Pearson

Phillips, A. (2007) Good Writing for Journalists, Sage.

Rudin, R., and Ibbotson, T., (2002) An Introduction to Journalism - essential techniques and background, Focal Press

Steen, R. (2013) Sports Journalism, A Multimedia Primer, Routledge.

Stewart, Peter and Alexander, Ray. (2016, 7th ed) Broadcast Journalism, Routledge

Toney, J. (2013) Sports Journalism – The Inside Track, Bloomsbury.

Wilstein, S., (2002) Sportswriting handbook, McGraw-Hill

This module prepares you for the world of professional sports journalism and you will undertake a minimum of 120 hours in a sports media-based work environment. It might be at a newspaper, radio station, football club or a TV station. But the experiences and contacts made often lead to an offer of a full-time job.
You will also learn how to build a professional CV and website that will attract the attention of potential employers.