Course Syllabus
AEM4940: Sports as Society
“Spring” 2021
MW 1:00-2:15PM
John M. Doris
314.601.5450
Office Hours: MW 11:30 to 12:30, or by appt.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
According to recent polling, 60% of Americans identify as sports fans, and 75% of Americans say they work out regularly. All this watching and working costs: in a recent year, Americans spent $56 billion on sporting events, $33 billion on athletic equipment, and $19 billon on gym memberships (compared to 27 billion spent on books). So much time and money spent suggests that people find sports intrinsically valuable. And so they do. But there’s something else going on as well: sport is a window on lots of other stuff that matters, and probably matters more than sport. As a wine enthusiast once said to me, “We don’t spend all our time talking about wine because wine itself matters so much, we talk about wine ‘cause it gives us a way of talking about what really matters.”
This course is built around having that kind of conversation: talking about sports as a way of taking about what really matters. The perspectives of sports fans and athletes are very welcome; we can have a better conversation about the big stuff if we have a rich understanding of, and appreciation of, sport itself. But we will want to keep our eyes on the prize – pressing, perennial, and difficult questions having to do with such issues as human nature, gender, race, justice, and, yes, the meaning of life.
Given sports’ prominence in our lives, it’s a little surprising that there isn’t more scholarly writing on sports. It’s perhaps less surprising that too much of the scholarly writing that exists has a way of turning dynamic into dreary. We’ll read some academic scholarly offerings, but we’ll also read material from more popular venues, where much of the best writing on sports turns up. We’ll use these and other sources to shine some light on our cultures and, hopefully, ourselves.
Grading: OPI
Format: Online Only
SCHEDULE:
- Why Sport?: The Biological and Cultural Origins of Sporting Competition
Furley, P. (2018) “What Modern Sports Competitions Can Tell us about Human Nature”
Guttman, A. (1978) “From Ritual to Record”
- Grace n’ Grit: Talent, Practice, and Excellence
Gladwell, M. (2008), Outliers: The Story of Success, Chapter 2, “The 10,000 Hour Rule.”
Macnamara, B. N., Hambrick, D. Z., & Oswald, F. L. (2014). “Deliberate Practice and Performance in Music, Games, Sports, Education, and Professions A Meta-Analysis.”*
Baker, J. & Wattle, N. (2018) “Innate Talent in Sport: Separating Myth from Reality”*
- Jacked: PED’s, Fairness, and the Nature of Nature
Bell, C. “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” (2018) Film.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151309/
Noë, A. (2013) “Is It Fair for Baseball to Reject Drugs but Embrace Surgery?”
Noë, A. (2012) “Legalize It: An Argument for ‘Doping’ in Sports”
Beck, J. (2013). “The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race.”
Loland, S. (2018). “Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Sport, and the Ideal of Natural Athletic Performance”
- Sport, Gender, and Justice: From Title IX to Non-Binary Sport
English, J. (1995) “Sex Equality in Sports”
Epstein, R.A. (2011) “Repeal Title IX”
North, A. (2018) “‘I Am a Woman and I Am Fast’: What Caster Semenya’s Story Says About Gender and Race in Sports”
Noë, A. (2014) “Why Can’t Dutee Run?”
Radnofky, Louise, “The Race to Replace the Binary of Men and Women’s Sports”
- Sport, Race, and Justice: The Athlete as Activist
Martin, L. L. (2018) “The Politics of Sports and Protest: Colin Kaepernick and the Practice of Leadership”
Bryant, H. (2020). “Police, Protest, Pandemic and the End of the 9/11 Era”
https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/29979519/police-protest-pandemic-end-9-11-era
Bieler, D. (2020) “LeBron James, Told by Laura Ingraham to ‘Shut Up and Dribble,’ Calls Her Out Over Drew Brees”
Barclay, M. (2020) “I'm Boycotting Professional Sports Leagues That Endorse Black Lives Matter, And You Should, Too”
Mcknight, M. (2020) “How the Missouri Football Protest Changed College Sports Forever”
- Gladiators: Class, Race, Football, and Risk
Benson, P. (2017) “Big Football: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Culture and Color of Injury in America’s Most Popular Sport.”*
Bubar, J., & Stoffers, C. (2018) “Friday Night Lights Out?”
Gross, J. (2020) “For Many MMA Fighters, CTE Fears Are Already a Reality”
Reinke, T. (2017) “Is Football Too Violent for Christians?”
Bry, D. (2016) “American football is too dangerous, and it should be abolished”
- Sports at School: For & Against
Patrick, A. (2011) “The Benefits of Playing Sports in College”
Maslen, P. (2015) “The Social and Academic Benefits of Team Sports”
Kniffen, K. (2014) “High School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits”
Ripley, A. (2013) “The Case Against High-School Sports”*
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/
Cole, J. R. (2017) “Why Sports and Elite Academics Do Not Mix”
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/03/the-case-against-student-athletes/518739/
Golden, D., & Burke, D. (2019) “An Unseen Victim of the College Admissions Scandal: The High School Tennis Champion Aced Out by a Billionaire Family”
- Athletes Behaving Badly: Misconduct, Celebrity, and Redemption
Chapin, A., Gray, E. & Hamedy, S. (2020) “Kobe Bryant Wasn’t A Myth Or A Monster. He Was Human.”
Marcotte, A. (2020) “The Kobe Bryant Rape Case is Painful not Because of What it Says about Him, but about Us”
Van Karr, J. (2020) “Forgiveness, Redemption, and Kobe Bryant's Legacy”
- Bad Business: Stadiums, Cities, and Public Funds
Schein, D. D., Phillips, J. D., & Rider, C. (2017) “American Cities Held Hostage: Public Stadiums and Pro Sports Franchises”*
Schroetenboer, B. (2019) “This Super Bowl Stinks in St. Louis, Still Burdened by Rams Dome Debt”
Rhoeden, W. C. (2019) “Warriors Aren’t Leaving Oakland, They are Abandoning Fans and the City”
- Picking Sides: Fandom, Loyalty, and the Meaning of Life
Serazio, M. (2013) “Just How much is Sports Fandom Like Religion”?
Moore, J.G. (2019) “Do You Really Hate Tom Brady?”*
Mumford, S. (2013) “Ways of Watching Sport”*
- Do It Yourselfers: Gym Rats, Couch Potatoes, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Lee, I., et al. (2012) “Effect of Physical Inactivity on Major Non-communicable Diseases Worldwide”
Checkroud, S. R. (2018) “Association between Physical Exercise and Mental Health”
Markula, P. (2015) “Can We Exercise Too Much?”
Kale, S. (2019) “Gym, Eat, Repeat: The Shocking Rise of Muscle Dysmorphia”
Greif, M. (2017) “Against Exercise”
- Losing It: Aging, Declining, and Ending
Thompson, W. (2018) “When Winter Never Ends”
Minson, C. (2015) “How Does Aging Affect Athletic Performance?”
Miller, S. (2018) “What Happens as Baseball Players Age?
Reynolds, J. M. (2018) “The Extended Body: On Aging, Disability, and Well-being”
READINGS:
There is no textbook. Except where a link appears in the above schedule, all readings will be available on the course Canvas page. All readings are required.
FORMAT:
This course will be conducted online only, synchronously, with a combination of lecture and discussion, via Zoom.
I believe the best way for us to support and learn from each other in these difficult times is with synchronous sessions, so “live” attendance at class sessions is required. However, I recognize that circumstances may make it difficult for some of you to log in at the regular class time, so we will record the synchronous sessions, and those students who need to can view the recordings asynchronously. If you are in this situation, please see an instructor immediately about the attendance policy.
Some of you may have privacy or other concerns about being recorded when you participate in discussion. Note that the recordings will only be accessible through canvass to people participating in or supporting the class, per university policy.
In the interests of effective discussion, course policy will be to require “video on” since this will make it easier for your classmates to engage with you, and for instructors to note your contributions. Technical issues like bandwidth may require exceptions to this policy in individual cases; if “video on” causes you bandwidth or other issues, please contact an instructor.
COURSEWORK:
- 2 Exams: 60% (30% each) of grade
- 1 Multimedia/video group project 25% of grade
- Participation, attendance, etc.: 15% of grade
Participation will be an important part of the coursework.
Attendance will be taken.
Please be on time to class.
To receive a passing mark, all coursework must be completed during the term.
If you require any accommodations, please contact the instructor as soon as possible
If you have any concerns about these policies, please contact an instructor as soon as possible.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
You should be familiar with the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity, which covers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic misconduct:
http://archive.theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/AcadInteg/code.html
A guide to procedures, in the event of an allegation of academic misconduct:
https://theuniversityfaculty.cornell.edu/academic-integrity/guidelines-for-students/#ph6
ZOOM INFORMATION:
Zoom is an effective platform, which we’re finding works surprisingly well in courses. Below is a list of resources for finding your way around.
Zoom’s own guide for meeting attendees:
LSC guides for students and families on remote learning:
http://lsc.cornell.edu/Links to an external site.
Zoom guides at other universities :
http://cteresources.bc.edu/documentation/zoom/zoom-for-participants/ (Links to an external site.) This one is geared toward Canvas
https://cole2.uconline.edu/files/44775764/download?download_frd=1 (Links to an external site.) PDF document
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:
We are committed to students from all backgrounds and perspectives being well-served by this course, and the diversity that students bring to this class being viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is our intent that this course be respectful of diversity of all kinds: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture.
Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.
Given the challenging nature of some material discussed in this class, it is imperative that there be an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Some of the material in this course may evoke strong emotions -- please be respectful of others' emotions and be mindful of your own. Please let me know if something said or done in the classroom, by either the instructors or other participants, is offensive or troubling. It is emphatically not our intention to cause hurt or offense, but if something of this nature occurs, please feel free to:
- Discuss the situation with me. I am always open to listening to students' experiences, and want to work with students to find acceptable ways to process and address the issue.
- Discuss the situation with the class. Chances are there are other students in the class who had a similar response to the material.
- Address the issue through another source such as your academic advisor, or a trusted faculty member. If for any reason you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue directly with me, I encourage you to seek out another, more comfortable avenue to address the issue.
For disability accommodations to access this course, please contact Student Disability Services (https://sds.cornell.edu/) and communicate with me early in the semester to allow for sufficient time for implementation of any services/accommodations that you may need.
To help promote an inclusive classroom, please let me know if:
- You have a name and/or pronouns that differ from your official Cornell records.
- There are circumstances affecting your ability to participate.
- You feel like your performance in class is impacted by experiences outside of class.
- Something was said in class that made you feel uncomfortable or marginalized.
STUDENT SUPPORT:
College students often experience issues that may impact academics or health, such as sleep problems, life events, relationship concerns, anxiety, or depression. If you or a friend is struggling, we strongly encourage you to seek support.
- Academic Advising, Dyson: Dyson_OSS@cornell.edu or tinyurl.com/DysonAdvising
- Academic Advising, Non-Dyson: https://covid.cornell.edu/students/advising/
- Health Issues: https://health.cornell.edu/
- Call Cornell Health at 607-255-5155 (24/7) to speak with a licensed therapist
- Other Support (including options specifically for students of color and LGBTQ students)