|
Mark
Rubinfeld Foster
308 Office
phone: 832-2430; Home phone: 364-1228 E-mail:
mrubinfeld@westminstercollege.edu
http://people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/mrubinfeld Office
Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., and Thurs. 4:00-5:15,
and by appointment. |
Keith Embray Converse B-13 Office Phone: 832-3252 E-mail: kembray@westminstercollege.edu Office Hours: By appointment. |
Course
Description:
This
course explores sports as a significant cultural, political, and economic force
in American society. Focusing on both established and alternative sports, the
course incorporates a sociological perspective to critically examine how sports
are organized, played, experienced, observed, perceived, and critiqued in
Required
Books (Available at the College Bookstore):
Coakley,
Jay. 2007. Sports in Society: Issues
& Controversies. 10th ed., McGraw Hill.
Required
Articles (On Reserve):
Adler
Peter and Patricia A. “College Athletes and Role Conflict”
Bilger,
Richard: “Enter the Chicken”
Colloff,
Pamela: “Flipping Out”
Colloff,
Pamela: “She’s Here, She’s Queer, She’s Fired”
Draper,
Robert: “Pumping Irony”
Finkel,
Michael: “Running Like Hell”
Foley,
Douglas E.: “High School Football”
Garber,
Greg; “A Tormented Soul”
Gilbert,
Haney,
Travis: “More then Skin Deep.”
Levine,
Mark: “The Birdman”
Macur,
Juliet: “Please Let Me Die”
Plaschke,
Bill: “Her Blue Heaven”
Robertson,
Linda: “XXL”
Rubinfeld,
Mark: “The Mythical Jim Thorpe”
Smith,
Gary: “The Ball”
Sprawson,
Charles: “Swimming with Sharks”
Thompson,
Wendy: “Wives Incorporated”
Young,
Charles M.: “Losing: An American Tradition”
Ziegler,
Mark: “Fatal Errors”
Course Objectives:
*
To evaluate different theoretical frameworks for critically analyzing sports.
*
To explore sports as a significant cultural, political, and economic force in
American society.
*
To learn how sports reflect, reinforce, and challenge dominant American values.
*
To examine the myths, paradoxes, and controversies associated with sports.
*
To study the racial, ethnic, class, sexual, gender, and generational dimensions
of sports.
*
To consider different ways to reform and improve sports.
Procedures
and Course Outline:
This
course utilizes a variety of learning tools including readings, lectures, movies,
video tapes, class discussions, field trips, and small group exercises.
Assignments
and Grading:
Your
final grades will be based on the following: a mid-term (30 percent of your
final grade), a final examination (30 percent of your final grade), two formal
papers (each worth 15 percent of your final grade), and a group presentation
(10 percent of your final grade). To pass the course, you must complete all of
the course assignments. Final course grades will based on the percentage of
total points earned: A (93-100), A-
(90-92), B+ (87-89), B
(83-86), B- (80-82) C+ (77-79), C
(73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69),
D (63-66), D- (60-62), and F (below 60).
Mid-term
and Final Exam: The mid-term and final exam will include multiple choice,
true-false, and short essay questions covering information from the readings,
lectures, videos, and class discussions.
Two
formal papers: You will responsible for writing two formal papers, each
four-to-six pages long (double spaced), related to the class discussions,
lectures, readings, themes, and videos. Late papers will be accepted up to one
week late with a ten-point penalty; after one week, no late papers will be
accepted. An absence on the day a paper is due is not a valid reason for
missing a deadline. It is your responsibility to find someone to deliver the
paper for you, or to e-mail a copy of the paper to me on the due date.
Group
presentation: You will be placed into groups with each group giving a
thirty-to-forty minute presentation on a sport or sports-related issue not
covered in class.
Class Participation and Attendance:
Class
attendance, discussion, and participation are significant components of the
classroom experience. As such, any student who misses eight or more classes
will not be able to get a grade higher than a “B” for this class; any student
who misses twelve or more classes will not be able to get a grade higher than a
“C” for this class. Although there is no formal attendance policy for students
who miss seven or less classes, do know that a significant number of
questions on the midterm and final will focus on class lectures and
discussions. Furthermore, since I will be weighing class participation in
borderline grading situations, students who regularly attend class and
frequently participate in classroom discussions will have an “edge” in
achieving a higher, final grade. Finally, I reserve the option of giving
quizzes, assigning additional homework, or emending this syllabus as the need
arises.
Student-Student
and Student-Faculty Relationship:
All
students must be respectful of other students. This means no talking while
other students are talking or trying to listen. Once class begins, no chatting,
no reading, no sleeping in class. If you must eat, make sure it is a “quiet”
food. Leave your cell phones at home or, at the very least, make sure that they
are turned off. In other words, act appropriately for a college class; if your
actions create a distraction, you will be asked to leave. In accordance with
college policies, any acts of cheating or plagiarism will be penalized to the
severest extent. At any time, feel free to meet with me to discuss readings,
lectures, assignments, or other matters relevant to this course. If you cannot
meet with me during my scheduled office hours, I am also available by
appointment. It is especially important for you to see me early in the semester
if you are having difficulties with the course. Do not wait till the end of the
semester when there is little, if anything, I can do to help you out. Finally,
feel free to meet with me if you want to learn more about pursuing sociology as
a major or a minor, or, if you would like my assistance incorporating
sociological analysis into work that you are doing in classes outside of
sociology.
Group Presentations
Due
to time constraints, there are a number of sports and sports-related issues that
we will not be able to cover in the course. In order to provide you with an
overview of some of these, we will use group presentations that will: 1) allow
us to cover more material than we could normally cover through lectures and
readings, 2) provide you with a greater variety of viewpoints, and 3) afford
you the opportunity to experience working on a group project that includes
public speaking.
Each
group will be responsible for reporting on the sociological significance of a
particular sport or sports-related issue not covered in the class. Groups will
have 30 minutes (plus an additional five minutes for questions and answers) to
report on the sport or sports-related issue. The group should not try to cover
all aspects of the sport or sports-related issue but focus, instead, on a few
of the more pertinent points, emphasizing what it thinks the students should
learn about the social significance of the form. Sports not covered in class
may include, for example, soccer, cycling, NASCAR, bull-riding, diving, golf,
bowling, extreme skiing, and martial arts. Sports-related issues not covered in
class may include fan violence and/or riots, cheating scandals, groupies, “jock
culture,” and public financing of stadiums.
In
presenting their material, group members will need to focus on the sociological
significance of the sport or sports-related issue they have chosen, as well
as to tie their presentation to some of the major themes covered in the class
and/or text.
Each
member of the group must participate in the oral presentation. All students in
the group will receive the same grade unless the group reports to me that one
or more of its members failed to participate or otherwise work cooperatively
with the bulk of the group members. It has been my experience that the best
presentations are those that involve the following:
Solid
preparation: All group members should
be equally prepared for the presentation. This usually necessitates a clear
delineation of member roles in preparing for and conducting the presentation.
Furthermore, it will take some time to choose, edit, and organize the best
video and/or audio clips related to the presentations; don’t wait to the last
minute. In addition, many of the best presentations involve outside research or
activity (e.g., interviewing band members, bringing in a guest speaker,
attending a large concert and videotaping crowds, conducting on-campus surveys
about students’ popular culture likes and dislikes). The bottom line is that
the format is up to each group. There are only two limitations: that the
presentation takes no more than 30 minutes (plus 5 minutes for questions and
answers), and that it addresses the sociological significance of a popular
culture form not already covered in class.
Class
activity and/or handouts: Having the
class take an active role in at least part of the presentation (through
handouts, posters, transparencies, videos, or any other audio or visual aids
that the group deems useful) often results in better class attention and
discussions. In presenting your material, strive to be informative, engaging,
and creative. Try to think of different ways of involving the class into your
presentation so that your audience stays interested.
Introduction
of the panel members: You can make
the group presentation more personal by introducing yourselves at the beginning
of your presentation. This helps to lessen the “intimidation factor”, and to
create an atmosphere more conducive to audience participation. Furthermore, try
not to forget to establish eye contact with members of the audience, and to
smile from time to time. If you can, also try to avoid reading from your notes
or cue cards.
Careful
time budgeting: Use your time wisely.
Thirty minutes is not very long for a presentation. While you should be
prepared to use the entire time for your presentation, this does not mean that
you should try to cram as much information or activities as possible into your
presentation. It is better to cover two well-developed points about a topic
than to zip through ten confused and disjointed points.
Expectations
about audience participation: Of
course you will do the best you can to encourage participation and discussion
from the class. However, the burden of responsibility is not entirely yours.
The rest of the class is also responsible for ensuring that the group
presentations are an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
This entails: 1) listening attentively (showing respect for speakers), 2)
taking part in the discussion and/or activity, and 3) preparing at least one
question or comment to share with the class during the question and answer
period.
Grading: As previously mentioned, each member in the group
receives the same grade. The final grade will be based on the following
criteria: 1) substance or content, 2) creativity and resourcefulness (use of
materials, exercises, activities, etc.), and 3) form and style (articulation,
length, organization, preparedness, etc.). If there are any problems with one
or more group members not contributing to group meetings or to the group work,
first try to approach the member(s) with your concerns and, if that fails,
notify me as soon as possible. If the group consensus is that one or more
members of the group are not participating to the satisfaction of the group,
the non-participating member or members will not get credit for the assignment,
and receive a zero for their group presentation grade. This ensures that the
group is not penalized for the lack of preparation of any of its members and
that no group member or members receive credit for the work that others are
doing.
Having
fun: Education does not always have
to be a chore. In addition to learning new material, this is an opportunity to
develop public speaking skills, gain self-confidence, make new friends, and
have some fun. This is your time to teach and to reach. This is also an
excellent opportunity to be daring and creative. Go for it!
COURSE OUTLINE
|
Week |
Topic |
Assignments |
|
1 |
Introduction to Sports and Society |
No readings or assignments due. |
|
2 |
The Sociology of Sport |
Tuesday January 16 Chapter 1 in Sports
in Society: “The Sociology of Sport: What Is It and Why Study It?” (and) Richard Bilger’s “Enter the Chicken.” Wednesday January 17 Greg Garber’s “A Tormented Soul.” |
|
3 |
Sports and Socialization |
Monday January 22 Chapter 4 in Sports
in Society: “Sports and Socialization: Who Plays and What Happens to
Them?” (and) Bill Plaschke’s “Her Blue Heaven” Wednesday January 24 Charles M. Young’s “Losing: An American Tradition” (and) Douglas E. Foley’s “High School Football” |
|
4 |
Sports and Education (and) Sports and Deviance |
Monday January 29 Chapter 14 in Sports
in Society: “Sports in High School and College: Do Varsity Sports
Programs Contribute to Education?” (and) Peter and Patricia A. Adler’s “College Athletics and
Role Conflict) Wednesday January 31 Chapter 6 in Sports
in Society: “Deviance in Sports: Is It Out of Control?” (and) Mark Ziegler’s “Fatal Errors.” |
|
5 |
Deviance in Sports (and) Sports and Violence |
Monday February 5 Michael Finkel’s “Running Like Hell” (and) Juliet Macur’s “Please Let Me Die” (and) Linda Robertson’s “XXL” Wednesday February 7 Chapter 7 in Sports
in Society: “Violence in Sports: How Does It Affect Our Lives?” |
|
6 |
Field Trip (and) Midterm Review |
Monday February 12 *** FIELD TRIP *** (Details to be Announced) Wednesday February 14 Midterm Review |
|
7 |
Midterm Exam |
Wednesday February 21 *** MIDTERM EXAM *** |
|
8 |
Sports and Gender (and) Sports and Sex |
Monday March 5 Chapter 8 in Sports
in Society: “Gender and Sports: Does Equity Require Ideological Changes?” (and) Wendy Thompson’s “Wives Incorporated.” (and) *** PAPER DUE: TOPIC I *** Wednesday March 7 Pamela Colloff’s “Flipping Out” (and) Pamela Colloff’s “She’s Here, She’s Queer, She’s
Fired” |
|
9 |
Race and Ethnicity in Sports |
Monday March 12 Chapter 9 in Sports
in Society: “Race and Ethnicity: Are They Important in Sports?” (and) Travis Haney’s “More than Skin Deep” (and” ***Top Three Choices for Group Presentations*** Wednesday March 14 Mark Rubinfeld’s “The Mythical Jim Thorpe” |
|
10 |
Race and Ethnicity in Sports (and) Social Class in Sports |
Wednesday March 21 Chapter 10 in Sports
in Society: “Social Class: Do Money and Power Matter in Sports?” (and) Gary Smith’s “The Ball” (and) *** PAPER DUE: TOPIC II *** |
|
11 |
Social Class in Sports (and) Sports and Politics |
Monday March 26 Robert Draper’s “Pumping Irony.” Wednesday March 28 Chapter 13 in Sports
in Society: “Sports and Politics: How do Governments and Globalization
Influence Sports” (and) Charles Sprawson’s “Swimming with Sharks” |
|
12 |
Sports and Disability (and) Alternative and Extreme Sports (and) The Future of Sports |
Monday April 2 Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Lucky Jim” (and) *** PAPER DUE: TOPIC III *** Wednesday April 4 “The Birdman” |
|
13 |
The Future of Sports (and) Group Presentation Preparations |
Monday April 9 Chapter 16 in Sports
in Society: “The Future of Sports” Wednesday April 11 Group Presentation Preparations |
|
14 |
Group Presentations |
Monday April 16 Group Presentations (and) *** PAPER DUE: TOPIC IV *** Wednesday April 18 Group Presentations |
|
15 |
Group Presentations (and) Group Presentation Grades (and) Final Exam Review |
Monday April 23 Group Presentations (and) ***Final Class***
(Leftover Group Presentations, Group Presentation Grades, Final Exam Review,
Class Wrap-up) ***FINAL EXAM*** is scheduled for Thursday, April 26th, |