Class Review: ACCT 387 Risk Management in Entertainment, Sports, and the Arts
by Kayla Bowens ‘25
ACCT 387- Risk Management in Entertainment, Sports, and the Arts is the first course I took to satisfy my Marshall upper division elective requirements, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed taking this class. My professor for this course was Kristen Jaconi, and I was in the 2 p.m.-3:50 p.m. section on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
About the Professor
Professor Jaconi is one of the most intelligent, professional, and kind professors I have ever taken a class with. She genuinely cares about her students and is very accommodating and approachable. Her classroom atmosphere was encouraging and often humorous at times. Professor Jaconi is always willing to offer her knowledge and shares information about scholarships, internships, and events on campus relating to the course. Definitely someone to keep in touch with.
If you are interested in learning more about safety protocols, event planning, securities, sports legalities, and any of the additional pre-planned arrangements that go into assessing risk, I highly recommend this class with Professor Jaconi.
About Course: Assignments and Time Commitments
I initially took this class because I got several recommendations to take a class with Professor Jaconi, but I gained much more from this course than I would have ever thought. We started every class by examining the most current updates on sports news, the actors and writers strike, business issues, and any other important topics during the time.
The material we learned in class related directly to our homework assignments, which usually took the form of a memorandum or written report mimicking a work product you would create as a working professional. Although the papers could be time consuming at times, if you set aside a few hours for a couple of days and follow the rubric, your grade will reflect the work you put in, which felt rewarding. Especially because the topics were genuinely interesting.
In addition to this, we watched documentaries in class that we would write discussion board posts about. This would include things like answering questions about the film and making connections to class content. At the end of the course, we had a group presentation in front of industry executives to give constructive feedback.
My Personal Experience
My favorite part of this course was the various guest speakers we had from CEOs, CFOs, and founders of businesses like the Crypto Arena, Princess Cruises, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), and Spotted Talent and Model Management. They would often give us their contacts and offer to answer additional questions or just chat. Professor Jaconi would give us materials in advance to read up on the companies and the industry, in addition to asking us to come to class with questions.
Overall, after this course, I have become considerably more understanding of my surroundings and have a newfound appreciation for the work that is done behind the scenes in regards to entertainment, sports, and the arts. I had no knowledge of what risk management was prior to this class, but its importance became clear very early on.
The content is very much transferable to real world situations, and our class lectures were discussion-based making the class more engaging. ACCT 387 is by far one of the most compelling business courses I have taken thus far. The class is open to any major and does not require d-clearance. Although labeled as an accounting course, this class is very practical and eye opening.
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