Douglas Hartmann homepage: Courses

2007-2008 | Other Courses Taught

2007-2008 Courses

Sociology 4090: Sport and Society

Course Syllabus

Course Description: Few activities in the modern world are as powerful and paradoxical as sport. On the one hand, sport is a multi-billion dollar industry with the capacity to move people passionately all over the world. On the other hand, many critics see sport as unjust, corrupt, or simply irrational. This experimental new course is intended to stimulate serious and sustained thinking about the realities (and problems) of modern sport. As with standard research in the field, this course will examine how sport is socially organized in the U.S. and around the world. Readings will be on topics ranging from excellence in swimming, the dynamics of race and gender, and the benefits of participatory athletics to the nature of spectatorship and media coverage of elite entertainment sport. Works from classic social theorists such as Clifford Geertz (on cockfighting in Bali) and Norbert Elias (on 19th century English fox hunting) will also be used. In addition, the course will also attend to sport's broader uses and socio-political significance. Olympic sport in China (the host of the next summer Games) will also be explored. The course is intended for a wide range of undergraduates, though some familiarity with basic social scientific thinking and techniques will be helpful. It will begin with H.G. Bissinger's widely-acclaimed Friday Night Lights, a model journalistic account of the myriad ways in which high school football and community life intersect in Midland, Texas.

Readings and Handouts

Links to Public Sociology Sites