Royce A. Singleton, Jr.
Professor of Sociology
Course Syllabus
Seminar: Race, Gender, and Sports
Fall 2000
Course Description
In this course we will use sociological theory and research and critical
thinking to investigate the links between race and sports and gender and
sports. By sports, I mean activities that emphasize physical rather
than cognitive abilities, that involve competition, and that have organizational
structures and formal rules that guide the participants (Coakley, 1998:18-20).
From a sociological perspective, we will be interested in sports as social
phenomena involving human interaction and the products of human interaction—values,
beliefs, institutions, and society as a whole. Social interaction,
as sport sociologist Jay Coakley notes (1998:3), determines
The types of sports played in a particular group or society,
the ways they are organized, the resources dedicated to sports and sport
programs, the people who get to play sports, the conditions under which
sport participation occurs, the individuals who sponsor and control sports,
the rewards that go to participants, the definition of an “athlete,” and
the meanings associated with sport participation . . .
Race and gender focus the sociological perspective on two of the most important
determinants of social life. Just as race and gender shape social
identity and life chances, they also shape the definition and organization
of sports. The racial and gender issues related to sports are, in
fact, so numerous that we cannot hope to address them all in this course.
The six monographs that form the core reading will concentrate on a few
of these issues; and through individual term papers and presentations we
will turn our attention to others.
Course Format
Class sessions will involve the discussion of weekly assigned readings
for the first three-quarters of the semester, followed by the presentation
of student papers. With this seminar format, I assume that students
and instructor share the responsibility for making this class a successful
learning experience. To contribute to and get the maximum benefit
from class discussions, it is important:
-
to attend class regularly and come prepared. If you haven’t completed
the assigned reading before class, then class discussions are likely to
seem vague and one-sided.
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to respond to what others, including the instructor, have to say, especially
when you wish to dispute their views. Only by disagreeing openly
and discussing our differences can we hope to advance our mutual understanding.
-
to be willing to see sports from perspectives or theories that challenge
conventional ways of viewing reality.
During the last three weeks of the semester, you are asked to make a class
presentation based on a research paper. The papers may deal with
any issue related to race and sports or gender and sports that is not covered
in the readings. Your task is to clearly define the issue and review
the relevant social science literature. Three deadlines are important:
(1) October 4, one paragraph statement of your topic is due; (2) November
20 – December 4, class presentations of your research; and (3) December
8, final papers are due. The schedule of presentations will be determined
by October 16. Although the presentation and paper are part of the
same project, one should not and need not be an exact replica of the other.
You should not read your paper in class; in fact, you are not expected
to have your paper in final draft form at the time of your presentation.
Ideally, discussions following presentations will provide ideas for revising
and improving papers.
Course Requirements
Your grade will be determined as follows:
10% - Class attendance and participation in class discussions
40% - Weekly reaction papers to the assigned reading
20% - Comprehensive final examination
30% - Term paper and presentation
Each week, from weeks 3 through 9 (September 18 to November 6—see course
outline below), you are asked to write a 2-page reflective essay on the
assigned reading. The focus of the essay is up to you. The
only requisites are that it must be analytical and it must be a thoughtful,
critical reflection on the reading; that is, it should demonstrate clearly
that you have completed the reading and carefully thought about it.
You may take issue with the author’s conclusions; cite a personal example
that supports or challenges a key argument; connect some aspect of the
reading to current events on campus or elsewhere; connect the readings
to other parts of the course; and so forth. Each essay is due at
noon on the day the class meets, and late essays will not be accepted.
To take into account the inevitable conflicts with other course work or
whatever, you are only required to hand in five essays in all; however,
you may submit more than five to offset a lower than acceptable grade on
an essay.
Required Books
Todd W. Crosset, Outsiders in the Clubhouse: The World of Women’s
Professional Golf,
Albany: State University of New York
Press, 1995.
Jon Entine, Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We
Are Afraid to Talk
About It, New York: Public Affairs,
2000.
Ben Joravsky, Hoop Dreams: A True Story of Hardship and Triumph,
New York:
HarperPerennial, 1996.
Michael Messner, Power at Play: Sports and the Problem of Masculinity,
Boston: Beacon,
1992.
Kenneth L. Shropshire, In Black and White: Race and Sports in America,
New York: New
York University Press, 1996.
Shona M. Thompson, Mother’s Taxi: Sport and Women’s Labor, Albany:
State University of
New York Press, 1999.
Reserve Readings
John Hoberman, "The Price of 'Black Dominance'," Society (March/April
2000):49-56.
Howard L. Nixon, II, and James H. Frey, "Race Relations and Sport"
and "Gender Relations and
Sport," chs. 12 and 13 in A Sociology
of Sport, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1996.
Course Outline
Date
Topic
Assigned Reading
Sept. 4 Discussion of film
“On the Ropes.”
11
The sociological perspective. Gender, race, and sports:
Nixon and Frey
What are the issues?
18
Why are people afraid to talk about racial differences in
Entine, chs. 1,2,6-18
athletic performance?
25
Why do black athletes dominate some sports?
Entine, chs. 3-5,19-24
Oct. 4 What are the
effects of African American dreams of ath-
Joravsky; Hoberman
letic stardom?
16
How are African Americans discriminated against in
Shropshire
professional sports and what can be done about it?
23
How do sports help to produce culturally dominant con-
Messner
ceptions of masculinity?
30
How do women athletes manage the conflicting expecta-
Crosset
tions of sport and society?
Nov. 6 How does women's work
facilitate the sports participation Thompson
of others?
13
Midterm examination.
Nov. 20 –
Dec. 4 Paper presentations.
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