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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 256183, member: 289"] Scoop Jardine is going for his second college degree. He got a degree in “Child and Family Studies” and is now trying to get one in Sociology. He seems to be a true example of the “student-athlete”. Of course, as a fifth year senior, he had to be enrolled in a course of study to play in that fifth year. And those majors become awfully familiar if you look through the SU Media Guide as check the major of other players on that team- and the football team. The basketball team, among the scholarship players, has 4 guys majoring in Child and Family Studies “in the College of Sport and Human Dynamics”. I’m not sure what “child and family studies” would do with sport. I guess there are some “human dynamics” involved. It sounds like they are studying to become social workers or day care providers. Scoop is the only sociologist on the team. Five guys are majoring in “Communication and Rhetorical Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts”. That sounds like public speaking, a good skill to have if you are going to be an athlete or coach. But it’s not really a profession. Brandon Triche took a different route. He’s majoring in “Public Health”. That sounds like it could get him a government job or perhaps one with a contractor in that field. Fab Melo was “enrolled in the college of Arts and Sciences” CJ Fair is enrolled in the College of Sport and Human Dynamics. It didn’t say he was studying child and family services or majoring in anything. Brandon Reese, a walk-on who got a scholarship, (at least he’s listed among the scholarship players), is a history major. Two walk-ons are in the School of Management. One is majoring in Finance and another in “Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise”. Another majors in “Information Management and Technology” and another in “Sport Management”. Maybe he will become an agent for one of the scholarship players. There’s an advertising major and a mechanical engineer. Those sound like things that might lead directly to a job. One guy was majoring in Sport and Human Dynamics. I did a similar study of the football team last year. They had 6 sociology majors and 6 guys studying Child and Family Studies. Sixteen were majoring in Communication and Rhetorical Studies and five more in Visual and performing Arts. Six were majoring in Information Management and Technology. Four were studying “Hospitality and Food Service Management”. From 1-3 players were majoring in Biology, Broadcast Journalism Economics, Engineering, Finance, Forensic Science, Health and Exercise Science, Management, Marketing Management, Mechanical Engineering, Media Management, Political Science, Psychology, Public Relations, Physical Education, Sport Management and Teaching and Curriculum. Eight football players were enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences, twice that number in the College of Sport and Human Dynamics, two in Engineering and Computer Science and one in the School if Information Studies. Looking at their websites, it does appear as if social work is an important part of the curriculum at the College of Sport and Human Dynamics. How that mixes in with sport, I’m not sure. [URL='http://falk.syr.edu/Department/InstitutesCentersPrograms.aspx'][U][COLOR=#0000ff][U][COLOR=#0000ff]http://falk.syr.edu/Department/InstitutesCentersPrograms.aspx[/COLOR][/U][/COLOR][/U][/URL] The page on “Child and Family Studies” includes an article and video on Kris Joseph: [URL='http://falk.syr.edu/ChildFamilyStudies/Default.aspx'][U][COLOR=#0000ff][U][COLOR=#0000ff]http://falk.syr.edu/ChildFamilyStudies/Default.aspx[/COLOR][/U][/COLOR][/U][/URL] Perhaps Kris and Scoop and the others in Child and Family Studies will become elementary school teachers after their basketball careers. Those studying Communication and Rhetorical Studies learn about communicating and decision making in groups, which could be applied, I’m sure to numerous professions but could be especially valuable in sports: [URL='http://vpa.syr.edu/prospective-students/firstyear/requirements/crs'][U][COLOR=#0000ff][U][COLOR=#0000ff]http://vpa.syr.edu/prospective-students/firstyear/requirements/crs[/COLOR][/U][/COLOR][/U][/URL] You have to meet the University’s general requirements to take this course: [URL='http://www.syr.edu/futurestudents/undergraduate/applytosu/requirements/firstyear_requirements.html'][U][COLOR=#0000ff][U][COLOR=#0000ff]http://www.syr.edu/futurestudents/undergraduate/applytosu/requirements/firstyear_requirements.html[/COLOR][/U][/COLOR][/U][/URL] I’m sure that’s true of all the courses. Information Management and Studies seems similar: “ Students learn to see the "big picture" through coursework that covers the information industry spectrum. Students focus on the needs of information users, learn the value of information as well as technology, and develop a flexible and highly portable set of skills for the 21st century workplace.” [URL='http://ischool.syr.edu/academics/undergraduate/bsmt/index.aspx'][U][COLOR=#0000ff][U][COLOR=#0000ff]http://ischool.syr.edu/academics/undergraduate/bsmt/index.aspx[/COLOR][/U][/COLOR][/U][/URL] Then there’s Scoop’s current major, Sociology, which takes "... an interdisciplinary approach to public sociology in order to understand, critique, and address structural and social inequalities.” These guys, especially the basketball players, can make a good living from their sport, even if they have to go abroad to find a place to play. If they save their money they will be in good shape. They will still want to having some kind of profession to fall back on after that. It will be interesting to see if these courses play a role in that. Of course, my B.A. in Political Science was of no help at all for me in working for the Social Security Administration for 33 years. But I did have to have a college degree to get the job- any kind of degree. Maybe they just want to know if you can set goals and accomplish them- if you can do a day’s work. Frankly, I didn’t know how to do a day’s work until I actually got a job. I assume these kids are doing the course work themselves. If they complete the work needed for a degree, (a big if), they will have one if a prospective employer requires one. In most professions, you learn the job on the job, not in school. Still, I can’t help but wonder if some of these majors that our basketball and football players seem to commonly take are places where the University “stores” it’s athletes who are not really college academic material so they can retain their eligibility. I wonder who Scoop’s favorite sociologists are. [/QUOTE]

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