Communication and Sport

Catalog description

CAS 182N : Communication and Sport is an introduction to the unique relationship between communication and sport in our society at any level. This course allows students to understand how we play, watch, interpret and evaluate sport through communication. However, this course is also about the reciprocal relationship of how sport impacts our communication, especially as it relates to how we function and interact on a daily basis. Examples of topics that will be discussed include but are not limited to: the participants of a sports community, the role of the media in sport, fan dynamics and culture, gender roles in sport, race and ethnicity in sport, the use of sport in politics, communication between parent and child, teammates, player and coach, crisis communication in sport, and commodification of sport. Course objectives: - Describe and define the foundational relationships between communication and sport. - Identify and dissect the roles of the "players" who collectively constitute the community of sport - Explain the modern evolution of sports media in the United States and hypothesize how new media and social media will further alter the sports landscape. - Synthesize the student's own fan experiences and rituals with the motivations and typology of fandom. - Examine the creation and function of mythology in sport - Explore and debate gender issues in sport through constructs such as hegemonic masculinity, current coverage and exposure afforded to men's and women's sport, gendered language differences in sports media, and current opportunities and struggles for women in modern sport society. - Recognize and articulate the impact of race and ethnicity on sports culture including discussion of "stacking" practices and media dialogues. - Discover the extent of the historical relationship between politics and sports - Analyze the relationship between sport and the body and interpret what the relationship communicates about performance expectations based on dimensions of identity, such as gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity and disability. - Demonstrate how the shifting of youth sports from game culture to sport culture has led to disturbing trends in parent-child interaction such as evolving participation models and sports rage. - Recognize different leadership behaviors used by coaches. - Judge the importance of group and team cohesion in sport success. - Determine whether commodification of sport outweighs and harmfully diminishes the other roles sports offers to society. - Distinguish, evaluate and apply crisis management skills specific to sport, particularly apologia and image repair. Instructional Methodology: This class is not simply about sport but an ongoing discussion on how to operate effectively in a world that is constantly impacted and influenced by sport. It is expected that students will participate and engage in discussion, activity and assignments relative to different sport contexts. Differences of opinion are encouraged and fans and critics of sports are equally welcome. We will spend time in class on a combination of lecture, case study, debate, student presentation and role play situations. Students who have received credit for COMM 412 may not schedule COMM 182N.