Sports and Politics in American History

Catalog description

This course will explore the relationship between sports and politics over the course of American history since the 19th century. Sports and politics have come together surprisingly frequently in the last two centuries and this course will take a case study method to examine particular episodes of politicized sports. In the course of our investigations, we will the following questions: How do we define politics? How have sports acted as a place for subversion and resistance? Conversely, how have sports reflected the power structure? No background knowledge is necessary. Course materials will include memoirs, articles, and a variety of visual sources, including film and photography. Course requirements will include a research paper. (HIST-HNA)