239852 American Sports Cultures (BS) (SoSe 2012)

Sports is one of the most central forms of U.S. American popular culture that has been playing a vital role in (re)producing national identity, generating community cohesion, and conveying societal values. As the historian Murray Nelson writes: “The study of sports in American history is the story of great American themes—racism, sexism, responses to war, demagoguery, sudden economic success, immigration, urban growth, community life, advances in transportation, media hype, and so forth” (118).

The seminar explores various aspects of sports in the United States in past and present, addressing both phenomena characterizing a wide array of disciplines and the history and social role of specific, typically U.S. American sports. Topics include the theory and history of Sports in the United States; sports and the nation; race/ethnicity, class, and gender in sports.

Learning Goals and Methodology:

On the thematic level, the seminar will provide students with an introduction to U.S. American sports cultures, primarily through the analysis of theoretical texts and sports-themed American films. On the methodological level, students will exercise skills in analyzing texts and films as well as in presenting their results orally and in writing.

Literaturangaben

All texts will be made available on a Stud-IP page by March 1, 2012. Registered Students will receive the password via email.