Sports Media Minor

The sports media is one of the fastest growing areas in the world of the media. Live television rights in the United States were estimated to be worth $22.42 billion in 2019, with hundreds of different television stations and online outlets showing live sporting events. Seemingly every professional and amateur team, league, and athlete is active on social media. If you are looking to enter the field of sports media, this minor will prepare you to enter the workforce. If you are a sports fans, this minor will help you become better media consumers who can identify inequalities in sports media production and representation.

Eligibility

Any student enrolled at the University of South Carolina may choose this minor except for students with majors in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Curriculum

Required Courses (6 hours)

JOUR 101 – Media and Society
Principles, history, philosophies, theories of the mass media and allied professions and their societal role and impact.
JOUR 391 – Sports Media and Society
History of sports media and an analysis of current relationships between the sports industry, athletes, media, social media and the audience.

Principles Courses (6 hours)

Pick at least one but no more than two of the following:

JOUR 201 – Principles of Public Relations
Methods used by business, government, consumer groups, minorities, environmentalists, and others to influence public attitudes toward their activities.
JOUR 202 – Principles of Advertising and Brand Communication
An introduction to the advertising and strategic communications industries. Discussion of the structure and history of the business, social impacts and regulation, research, planning, creative, media planning, sales promotion, event promotion and the integrated nature of all promotional communication.
JOUR 203 – Principles of Visual Communication
Theory and history of visual communication in the mass media emphasizing informational and persuasive messages created by graphic, photographic, and multimedia processes.
JOUR 204 – Principles of Journalism
Principles and foundations of journalism to reflect both how journalism serves communities and how its techniques are developed to effectively communicate to audiences.

Pick at least two of the following (6 hours):

JOUR 244 – Special Topics in Sports Media
Topics addressing issues in the world of the sports media. Topics may change from term to term. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
JOUR 343 - Social Media for Sports Media
Effective social media use in the world of the sports media. Topics relating to advertising, journalism, public relations, visual communications, and mass communications will be discussed. Provides contextual background on various social media and uses exercises to develop best practices.
JOUR 345 – Sports Media, Gender, & Sexuality
How the sports media culture helps create and maintain, as well as challenge, inequalities based on gender and sexual identity. Students will learn how gender and sexuality are constructed through sports media and how they intersect with race, class, able-bodiedness and nationality.
JOUR 428 – Super Bowl Commercial
An exploration of how Super Bowl commercials reflect and influence our society. Topics include the way different groups are portrayed, the strategy behind the commercials, and how creative tactics have evolved.
JOUR 499 – Special Topics
Topics in journalism and mass communications. Individual topics will vary by title.

College of Information and Communications