Honors Seminar--Spring 2002 Thursdays 1:30 - 4:10
Nancy G. Rosoff Robeson 205
Assistant Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences x6486Introduction Texts Due Dates Guidelines for Assignments
Class Schedule Schedule Changes/Additions
Sports have played a vital role in American culture, especially in the last one hundred years. In many ways, a close examination of sports provides a useful window into the experience of many groups of people. Events in the wide world of sports can have a meaning far beyond the score of a particular game. This course will examine the nature of various sports and their role in American society from historical and contemporary perspectives. We will consider the relationship between sports and such issues as gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, nationalism, and the role of the media in order to determine how developments in sports have influenced, and have been influenced by, American society and culture.
Throughout the course of the semester, we will examine diverse issues, centered around four main topics: the Olympics, baseball, Title IX, and media coverage of sports. The Olympics (conveniently, the Winter Games are scheduled during this semester) provide an opportunity for elite athletes to compete with one another, but have also served a variety of political interests. We will consider various dimensions of the mythic game of baseball. Title IX promotes gender equity in sports, but its opponents claim that it has reduced opportunities for male athletes. Finally, the media (films, newspapers, magazines, television, and the internet) shape our perceptions of sports through the images they present to us and the manner in which they do so.
Office hours--Due to my responsibilities as Assistant Dean for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, I will not have specific office hours. However, I am generally on campus every day (at least from 7:30 a.m. till late afternoon) and will be happy to meet with you at a mutually convenient time. Call x6486 or email me to set up an appointment. In addition, you should feel free to communicate with me by email; I check messages frequently, even when I am not on campus.Texts--We will read the following books as well as some photocopied materials that will be supplied to you in class. The books are available in the campus bookstore as well as through other sources.
Asinof, Eliot. Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1987.
Bissinger, H.G. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream. New York: Da Capo Press, 1990.
Blais, Madeleine. In These Girls: Hope Is a Muscle. New York: Warner Books, 1995.
Dyreson, Mark. Making the Olympic Team: Sport, Culture, and the Olympic Experience. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998.
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Wait Till Next Year. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Assignment -- click on a specific
assignment for details about it.Due Date Value Book Review 21 February 50 points Olympic Media Watch 7 March 50 points Film Review #1 28 March 25 points Film Review #2 18 April 25 points Newspaper Coverage Analysis 2 May 50 points Journal 10 May 100 points Discussion questions/participation ongoing 25 points You will be graded on several short written assignments over the course of the semester as well as on the quality of your contributions to our class discussions. Throughout the semester, as noted on the schedule, you are expected to submit questions or topics for discussion prior to our class meeting. Please be aware that your contribution to our discussions is essential and expected, as is class attendance. Excessive absence will certainly affect your performance in the class and may well lead to a lower grade than you would otherwise receive.
All assignments should be typed or word processed, using the twelve point size of a standard font. Be sure that you double space and that your margins are of a standard size. Assignments are expected on time; ten percent of the grade will be deducted for each day they are late. I remind you gently of the folly of waiting to the last minute to complete assignments.
You must be sure to cite carefully all sources of information, using a standard format. If you need help knowing what or how to cite, please ask me or one of the reference librarians for help. You can also consult a style manual such as the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or Student's Guide for Writing College Papers, both of which are commonly available. Please be aware of what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. The University defines plagiarism as “the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise.” You may find the following links useful as you seek to avoid problems of this nature.
Advice from the Paul Robeson Library, "How to Avoid Plagiarism"Guidelines for Specific AssignmentsWeb page maintained by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice about plagiarism and how to avoid it
Book Review--Select a book (nonfiction or fiction) about some aspect of sports and society (these guidelines are deliberately vague to provide you with the broadest possible range of choices). Your selection must be approved in advance, no later than one week before the assignment is due. In your review, provide a brief summary of the key points or plot of the book (no more than one-third of your essay), then discuss how the book relates to the themes of the course. You may also discuss the author's effectiveness in presenting the material.
You might wish to review the list of questions we generated in class to provide a framework for your critical viewing.
Olympic Media Watch--Watch at least six hours of televised Olympic coverage, on at least two different dates. Analyze what you have viewed in light of the criteria we develop in class. On each day after you have watched televised coverage, compare what you saw with what is reported in the next day's paper (ideally, you should use a paper with significant national rather than local coverage). You may also want to examine the online versions of newspapers for further comparison, as well as sources from other countries. The Olympic schedule is attached.
The following web sites may be of interest to you as you follow the Olympics.
Official site of the Winter Olympic GamesThe CNN/SI Olympics web siteThe CBS Sportsline Olympics web siteFilm Review #1--Write a two-page review and analysis of A League of Their Own, in which you discuss how the film relates to the various aspects of sports that we are considering in this course (see the beginning of the syllabus if you are not sure what they are!).
You might find interesting or useful information at the following sites:
All-American Girls Professional Baseball LeagueFilm Review #2--Write a two-page review and analysis of Eight Men Out, in which you discuss how the film relates to the various aspects of sports that we are considering in this course. You should also compare the film treatment of these events with the book of the same title.
The Chicago Historical Society's online exhibitNewspaper Coverage Analysis--Over the course of a two-week period (not during the Olympics), closely examine the sports stories presented in a major newspaper (such as the Philadelphia Inquirer or the New York Times). You may use either print or online versions of the newspaper, though please indicate which you have used. As a class, we will decide what criteria you will use to analyze print coverage of sports. You must analyze at least ten days of coverage, including one Sunday. The web sites for several major newspapers are listed below (these are suggestions rather than an exclusive list); some of them require you to subscribe, generally at no cost.The New York TimesJournal--Each week write one or two entries (two pages per week) that contain your observations about sports and society (historical and/or contemporary). Your entries might stem from our class discussions or readings, but could also come from your own interests. From time to time, I may ask you to address a particular subject in your journal. Be sure to make regular entries throughout the course of the semester. Class Schedule
Additions to the syllabus or changes to the schedule
Date Class Schedule 24 January Introductions: What lies ahead? 31 January Presentations and discussions of chapters from Benjamin Rader, American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports, Fourth Edition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1999). Each student is responsible for summarizing the key ideas presented about the intersection of sports, society, and culture over the course of the history of the United States. Everyone will read chapters 9 and 10 as background for our discussions about baseball. Copies of these chapters will be provided on 24 January.
7 February Continue discussions of Rader chapters.
Develop criteria for analyzing Olympic coverage. Click here for various schedules of Olympic events.14 February Discussion of Mark Dyreson, Making the Olympic Team. Submit two questions or topics for our discussion by email to Professor Rosoff by 10:00 a.m. return to top 21 February Book Review due. Be prepared to describe the book you read and to discuss its relation to themes we have discussed in class. 28 February Discussion of H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights. Submit two questions or topics for our discussion by email to Professor Rosoff by 10:00 a.m. You might wish to visit the publisher's web site that contains follow-up information about the players described in the book. 7 March Olympic Media Watch due. Discussion of Madeleine Blais, In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle. Submit two questions or topics for our discussion by email to Professor Rosoff by 10:00 a.m. As you read, compare the experiences discussed by Bissinger with those described by Blais. 14 March FILM: A League of Their Own 21 March Spring Break--no class return to top 28 March Film Review #1 due. Discussion of Eliot Asinof, Eight Men Out. Submit two questions or topics for our discussion by email to Professor Rosoff by 10:00 a.m. Discussion of sports and the law with Provost Roger Dennis--be sure to read the excerpt from the case NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. Copies are available in the Honors College office. 4 April Discussion of Doris Kearns Goodwin, Wait Till Next Year. Submit two questions or topics for our discussion by email to Professor Rosoff by 10:00 a.m. As you read, consider how the author discusses the connections between baseball and society.
Construction of survey to be administered for 4/25.11 April FILM: Eight Men Out and discussion of Eight Men Out (the book) 18 April Film Review #2 due; be sure to compare the print and film accounts of these events.
Title IX--past, present and future. Discussion of reading packet and the film A Hero for Daisy. Be prepared to discuss the pros and cons of Title IX.
See the assignment page for this week for information about readings.
If you'd like to read some reviews of the film or learn more about the filmmaker, you can visit the website.
You might wish to listen to a debate about Title IX that aired on the National Public Radio show Justice Talking in 2000.25 April Discussion of survey results. Click here for further information about the survey.
College Sports--discussion of reading packet.2 May Newspaper Coverage Analysis due. Click here for further information about the questions you should use to guide your analysis. Our class discussion today will derive from your findings. 10 May Journals due to my office (third floor--Armitage Hall) by 1:30 p.m. Questions to consider while watching the Olympics (added 1/31/02):
Some additional assignments and clarifications (added 3/13/02):
- what stories are told about the various competitors?
- what is the proportion of U.S. athletes profiled/covered compared to athletes from other countries? women and men?
- what level of expertise do the various commentators bring to their coverage? who are the commentators? what bias, if any, do they show?
- what sports get prime time coverage? why?
- what stories get long-term coverage (building throughout the Olympics)?
- what negative stories emerge? how are they framed?
- how much emphasis is placed on winning?
- how are different sports marketed to varied audiences? what connections are there between particular sports and advertisements shown during the coverage of them?
- what kind of coverage do the security provisions get?
The assignments pertaining to our discussion of Title IX and college sports have been posted on a separate page (added 4/2/02).
- There will be no class on 3/14; you voted to watch A League of Their Own on your own in order to prepare your review that is due on 3/28.
- By 3/20, send me a list of five questions to guide the newspaper coverage analysis assignment.
- Pick up the copy of and read the case National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Board of Regents University of Oklahoma, 486 U.S. 85, for 3/28. You should have received an email with guidelines for how to "brief" the case.
- For 4/4. be sure to find out why the author of the book we're discussing is in the news.
Remember to administer the survey we developed in class to ten respondents. The survey questions have been posted on a separate page (added 4/17/02).
The questions for the newspaper coverage analysis are available on a separate page. The questions were also distributed in class (added 4/17/02).