Sociology of Movement

Date / Topic / Reading
Class One / Introduction to Sociology of Sport and Movement /
  • Chapter One (p. 3-25): “The Sociology of Sport” (Delaney, 2015) The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction

Class Two / Introduction to the Sociological Perspective on Sport
(Sport as Social Phenomenon) /
  • Serazio, Michael. 2013. Just How Much is Sports Fandom like Religion? The Atlantic. Jan 29, 2013. much‐is‐sports‐fandom‐like‐religion/272631/
  • BRING ONE PAGE REFLECTION TO CLASS*
  • Suggested Movie: Seabiscuit (2003)

Class Three / Why is sport important to society? /
  • Chapter Four (p. 72-94): “The Sociology of Sport” (Delaney, 2015) The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction The Impact of Sport on Culture 72
Case Studies: Significance of Sports in Society
Class Four & Five / Social Theory and Sport: What are the Primary Sport and Sociological Paradigms? /
  • Chapter Two (p. 26-49): “Social Theory and
Sport” (Delaney, 2015) The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction
Sport and Sociological Paradigms, Social Conflict Analysis/Conflict Theory, Symbolic Interaction Paradigm, Critical Theory
Class Six / Sociology of Sport: Equality and Gender (US: Title IX; International: IOC & Rio Case Study) /
  • Cahn, Susan. 2011. Testing Sex, Attributing Gender: What Caster Semenya Means to Women's Sports. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport. 4, 38‐48.
  • Acosta, Vivian R. and Linda Jean Carpenter. 2009. Thirty‐seven years later, Title IX hasn't fixed it all. Academe. 95(4).
Quick History Through Video:
Class Seven / Review and Exam / Exam
Class Eight / Global Perspectives on Gender: Comparative Perspectives /
  • "Women 2000 and Beyond: Women, Gender Equality and Sport" (2007). United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women & Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
  • 2). Bring a relevant article to class: Have you spent time in a different culture? Do you play a sport - or did you love a sport in your past? Please an article that highlights your sport in a different culture or women's roles in a different culture around the world. Be prepared to turn them in - we will discuss them in class.

Class Nine / Youth, Movement: and Organized Sports: Leisure versus Sport in Society /
  • Heffernan, Lisa Endlich. 2013. Parents Ruin Sports for their Kids by Obsessing about Winning. The Atlantic. Oct 10, 2013.
  • Ripley, Amanda. 2013. The Case against High School Sports. The Atlantic. Sept 18, 2013.
  • Epstein, David. 2014. Hyperspecialization Is Ruining Youth Sports—And the Kids Who Play Them. (2 pages).
  • Suggested Reading: Anderson, Eric. 2012. I9 and the Transformation of Youth Sport. Journal of Sport and Social Issues. 37(1): 97-111. (15 pages) (Canvas Website)
  • Suggested Movie:McFarland (2015)

Class Ten (Expanded) / Sociological Method: Introduction of a Lens to Study Sports / Field Observation & Community Study; Class will not meet this week. Please see syllabus for paper length guidelines.
“What morals do youth sports aim to teach? How successful are youth sports at teaching these morals? How do organized youth sports (such as AYSO, or high school) create and reinforce hierarchies – and are these status good or bad for us as a society?
Suggested Movie: Sandlot (1993)
Class Eleven / Violence in Sports / Do contact sports such as football teach excessive violence?
  • Walton, Alice G. 2012. Should Helmets Be Required? The Danger of Repetitive Brain Injury. The Atlantic. Feb 28, 2012. required-the-danger-of-repetitive-brain-injury/253479/ (4 pages)
  • Zirin, Dave. 2013. How Jock Culture Supports Rape Culture, From Maryville to Steubenville. (2 pages)
  • Phillips, Brian. 2013. Man Up. From Grantland.com. jonathan-martin-miami-dolphins-bullying-scandal (3 pages)
  • Thomas, Louisa. 2014. Together, We Make Football. Grantland.com (6 pages)
  • Suggested Movie: Moneyball (2011); It’s Not Just a Game (2011)

Class Twelve / Commodification of Sports: Social Class, Money, and Power in Sports / Branch, Taylor. 2011. The Shame of College Sports. The Atlantic. Sept 7, 2011. sports/308643/?single_page=true (26 pages)
Weissmann, Jordan. 2013. The Outrageous 5-year Rise of College Sports Spending. The Atlantic. Jan 17, 2013. (2 pages)
The cost of soccer around the globe
Suggested Movie:
Class Thirteen / Sports and Media /
  • Chapter Fifteen (p. 371-392): “The Media in Sport” (Delaney, 2015) The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction The Impact of Sport on Culture 72

Class Fourteen / Sport for Development and Peace /
  • Readings and activities TBD

Class Fifteen / Topical Panel Discussions /
  • Topics: Sports and Sexuality; Race and Sports; Performing Enhancing Drugs; Sports and Gender

Final Exam / Tues, Dec 13, 8:00-10:00am /
  • Exam

Required Text:

  • The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction, 2D Ed.Paperback– July 22, 2015byTim Delaney & Tim Madigan
  • Articles assigned and available on Westmont Canvas

Topical Panel Discussion Options:

Sports and Sexuality– Panel discussion: Our current sports culture discourages gay men and women from coming out. Guiding Questions: Do the gender roles that govern our society work in the same way in the arena of sports, or do sports have different rules regarding gender roles? Can you make any predictions about how a homosexual or bisexual orientation will be treated in sports in the near or distant future? On what do you base that prediction?

Sports and Gender– Panel discussion: Professional women’s sports (such as the WNBA) should continue to be financially supported by investors even if they do not make a profit for their investors. Guiding Questions: Have female professional sports been financially successful or unsuccessful? What factors have led to this success or lack of success, and what does this reveal about American values? Have they been successful in other ways? Do they serve an important role in society? How do we treat female athletes, and what does that treatment reveal about our gender role expectations?

Race and sports– Panel discussion: All mascots with racial and ethnic ties should be removed from professional and amateur sports. Guiding Questions: Some team mascots have racial and ethnic ties, such as the Cleveland Indians, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the UCSB Gauchos. Discuss the claims by some that these mascots are racist and should be banned from sports. Does our tolerance of these mascots reveal anything about our views of race in America? Does race matter less in the context of sports than it might in other contexts? What about the claim that black athletes are more “naturally” gifted than white athletes?

Performance-enhancing drugs– Panel discussion: Athletes accused or convicted of performance-enhancing drugs should be banned from their respective Halls of Fame. Guiding Questions: What is the current state of performance-enhancing drug usage in various professional and amateur sports? Lay out the major arguments for those who believe that PEDs should be allowed and those who believe they should be banned. What do these arguments reflect about the norms and values of American culture and about our beliefs regarding the role of sports in our culture?

Length: 5 pages; Double -spaced; 12pt, Times New Roman Font.

References page required in either MLA or APA format (strictly adhering to professional ethics regarding the use of source information).

Due: Dec 1, 2016

Attach a copy of your observations, with the date/location, and the article to your paper for submission with a large paper clip. If your article is more than 10 pages, submit the first page of the article with the abstract instead of the full paper.

Goal of the Assignment: The goal of this assignment is to apply a sociological lens to youth sports and to incorporate academic writing, popular media, and personal experiences and observations.

Sports have made an enduring impact on the social world in which we all live. It is a taken for granted aspect of our everyday lives – whether that entails watching Sportscenterfive times in one day or choosing to wear clothing styles that resemble the latest trends of the NBA or Nike-sponsored tennis players. Yet there is more to sport than just what we see on a daily basis. The organization of the sports we play and the sports we love is a reflection of the organization of society, thus by critically studying sports we will gain a greater understanding of society. There is not place better to witness this than by watching organized youth sports.

Activity: Observe a youth sport in your local town or area for a minimum of two hours. Take notes on the physical artifacts (what kids are wearing – are their uniforms sponsored? Are the female uniforms “sexy” ? Do any of the gear or clothing mimic professional leagues?); how parents are responding to the experience (Who wants to win? What is the role of substitutes – does everyone play? Is there anger, aggression, critique, encouragement? How do the kids respond?).

Academic Integration: Find one scholarly journal article (from a peer-reviewed journal) that pertains to issues youth in sport/leisure. Make sure that this article connects in some way to what you experienced while doing your observation. Using the article and material learned in class; relate this experience to your observation in your paper. Consider the following questions: “What morals do youth sports aim to teach? How successful are youth sports at teaching these morals? How do organized youth sports (such as AYSO, or high school) create and reinforce hierarchies – and are these status hierarchies good or bad for us as a society? This assignment rests largely on the quality of the observations and your ability to connect itwith class material and one very good scholarly article, thoughtfully integrated throughout the paper. Reflect on these and your experiences in a 5 page paper.

Critical Reflection Reading Assignment Prompt:* Please come to class with a one page (1.5 space; 12pt Font) reflection on the article that answers the following questions:

November 3, 2017: 1). Describe a time that you experienced sport as a “religious totem” in your life

2). Do you agree or disagree with the author’s posited theory that “that sports remain our civic religion”? Why or Why not?

3). In the article, the author quotes a famous sociologist (Emile Durkheim) as saying, “Whenever a society (or, here, sports subculture) worships a divine form, it is, in fact, also simultaneously worshipping itself.” Pondering this quote, what do you observe that we, as a faith-based higher education community worships about ourselves through our culture of sport?

Evaluation

1. Assignments (quizzes, essays, presentation)20%

2. Youth in Sport Observation Pape20%

3. Exam60%

95+A (4.0)

90-94A- (3.7)

______

87-89B+ (3.3)

83-86B (3.0)

80-82B- (2.7)

______

77-79C+ (2.3)

73-76C (2.0)

70-72C- (1.7)

______

67-69D+ (1.3)

63-66D (1.0)

60-62D- (0.7)

______

59 or lessF (0.0)