Global Game: Sports and Globalization

Catalog description

This course will discuss how sports exemplify most of the contemporary phenomena associated with globalization. The course will deal with these areas: sporting event; athletes as stars, migrants and guest workers; the distinction between professionals and amateurs; the politics of international sports organizations; the impact of mega events such as the Olympics on cities and the relation between sports and development. Students will learn to analyze sports as social phenomena that illuminate contemporary situations and problems in the international arena. This course will appeal to students interested in urban studies, contemporary debates about nationality, double citizenship and naturalization, North-South immigration, and issues of commodification and commercialization.