JRLC 3800: SPORTS, MEDIA AND SOCIETY

Fall 2016

Instructor: Professor Vicki Michaelis, vickim@uga.edu

Teaching assistant: Christina Kirchner, cmk76871@uga.edu

Grady Sports academic advisor: Carlo Finlay, Journalism 311B, carlof@uga.edu

Class meeting: 10:10-11 a.m. MWF in MLC room 150

Office hours: 1-3 p.m. MW or by appointment in Journalism 234

Class web site: http://ctlsites.uga.edu/sportsmediasociety/


COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES

From civil rights to women’s rights to LGBT rights, from Cold War politics to immigration issues to controversial police shootings, sports often play a prominent role in societal debate and change.

In this class we will discuss lightning-rod athletes such as Muhammad Ali and watershed issues and events such as Title IX and the “Miracle on Ice.” We will study how sports can reflect and drive change in society. We will analyze how the media has treated athletes, sports and their cultural role in contemporary and historical contexts.

By the end of this semester, you should have a foundational knowledge of U.S. sports history over the last century. You also should understand how the media affect the impact sports have on our cultural progression.


ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Quizzes (40% of your grade): You will take 20 quizzes throughout the course of the semester. The quizzes will test topics covered in the online video and audio material as well as the online readings. Some of the quizzes are embedded in the online videos. I will administer others in class. For the in-class quizzes, I will not announce the schedule. They usually will be given on days we have scheduled lectures, at the start of class. Those will cover online readings and/or videos assigned in the week preceding the quiz. If you are late for class, you will miss the quiz. Makeup quizzes will not be given. Quizzes will be graded on a pass/fail basis. If you take the quiz and pass, you will earn two percentage points toward your grade. If you fail or don’t take the quiz, you will earn zero points.

Class participation (15% of your grade): You are required to participate in all online class discussions during the scheduled times. You are required to be in class every time we meet in the classroom. You are not allowed to miss a combination of more than three online discussions, scheduled lectures and/or guest-speaker appearances without penalty. I will deduct two percentage points from your grade for each absence beyond the unchallenged three. Please see the attendance policy in “Rules,” below.

Midterm (20% of your grade): The midterm exam will be given on Oct. 5. You will be tested on chapters 1-3 in the required text and on material covered in class and on lectures (including any in-class discussion) in weeks 1-7. The midterm will be a multiple-choice, open-book, open-note test. You will not be allowed computer, tablet or smartphone access. If you have the textbook on an e-book reader, you will be allowed access to that. In that instance, you will be required to sit in the first two rows of the classroom to take the test.

Final (25% of your grade): The final exam will be given on Dec. 2 at our regularly scheduled class time. You will be tested on chapters 4-7 in the text and on lectures (including any in-class discussion) since the midterm. The final will be a multiple-choice, open-book, open-note test. You will not be allowed computer, tablet or smartphone access. If you have the textbook on an e-book reader, you will be allowed access to that. In that instance, you will be required to sit in the first two rows of the classroom to take the test.

Research participation (extra credit): You can earn up to four points of extra credit through the Grady College Research Participation Pool (http://ugagrady.sona-systems.com). When you’re logged into the site, you will see research studies being conducted by Grady graduate students and faculty that you can take part in to earn this extra credit. You will earn one point for each study in which you participate, up to a maximum of four points. If you have questions about the research participation pool, please contact Prof. Bart Wojdynski at bartw@uga.edu.

Grading scale

  • 90-100: A
  • 80-89: B
  • 70-79: C
  • 60-69: D
  • 0-59: F

REQUIRED TEXT

More Than Just A Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945, by Kathryn Jay. Copyright, 2004, Columbia University Press.

Reading schedule

  • Weeks 2-3: Chapter 1, “Sports, the American Way”
  • Weeks 4-5: Chapter 2, “An Athletic Cold War”
  • Weeks 6-7: Chapter 3, “A Brave New World”
  • Week 8: Midterm
  • Week 9-10: Chapter 4, “Making Sense of the Sixties”
  • Weeks 11-12: Chapter 5, “Walking the Picket Line and Fighting for Rights”
  • Weeks 13-14: Chapter 6, “Competing on the Open Market”
  • Week 15: Chapter 7, “High-Priced Heroes Go Global”

ONLINE VIDEOS, AUDIO RECORDINGS AND READINGS

I will post links to online video, audio and reading assignments on the class web site. With the exception of Week 1 assignments, I will post assignments at least three days before you need to complete them. Please check frequently for updates. All online assignments are mandatory.


ONLINE DISCUSSION GROUPS

You will be assigned to one of 12 online discussion groups. On designated days, during scheduled class time, you will participate in an online discussion rather than attend class.

Participation in the discussion group, during the scheduled time, is mandatory. You must check in and out and post at least five comments during the scheduled class time.

I will email discussion topics to a member of the discussion group, who will serve as the discussion leader, the day before the scheduled discussion. The leader will take attendance, tally each members’ comments and lead the discussion that week. Responsibility for leading the group will rotate among group members. If the discussion leader misreports attendance (i.e. falsely claims a group member or members were present), the relevant group member/s and the discussion leader will each be penalized two percentage points from their grade.

Please see more detailed instructions for the online discussions on the Discussion Instructions page.


RULES

  1. You are allowed three unchallenged absences for the semester. Missing a lecture or other mandatory in-class event or an online discussion counts as an absence. Use your allotment of three absences as you would sick days at a job. In other words, save them for when you are sick. Unless you have a documented, major medical or major family emergency, you will be penalized for any absences beyond three. In general, I would classify a major emergency as something that keeps you out of all your UGA classes and activities for more than a week. I only want documentation for major emergencies. If you have a medical or other situation that keeps you out of class for just a day, that day will count against your unchallenged absences. I do not want documentation for absences unless they are major medical or family emergencies.
  2. Arrive on time for class. On days that I administer quizzes, I will do so at the beginning of class and we will mark attendance based on who takes the quizzes. If you are late to class on a quiz day, it is your responsibility to see me immediately after class to let us know you were present for that class.
  3. Mute your cell phones at the start of every class. Any exceptions must be approved by me. If your phone rings, buzzes or pings during class, it could count against your class participation grade.
  4. Make-up examinations for the midterm or final will be granted only in rare instances. They will be essay-style tests rather than multiple choice. Any make-up examinations need to be negotiated directly with me.

POLICIES 

  1. As a University of Georgia student, you have agreed to abide by the University’s academic honesty policy, “A Culture of Honesty,” and the Student Honor Code. All academic work must meet the standards described in “A Culture of Honesty” found here. Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is not a reasonable explanation for a violation. Questions related to course assignments and the academic honesty policy should be directed to the instructor.
  2. The University of Georgia is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for qualified students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws including the American Disabilities Act. Help for disabled students is available from the Disability Resource Center. More information is available at www.dissvcs.uga.edu. If you have a particular issue that needs to be accommodated, please share it with the instructor as early as possible in the semester.
  3. Students who train or use service animals should be aware of UGA policy.  A FAQ is available at http://eoo.uga.edu/policies/pdfs/ServiceAnimalPolicyFAQ.pdf .
  4. The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.