F1514 Sports, Culture and Society

This course will examine the huge role that sport plays in modern cultures today.  We will begin with the extended history of play and games and the debate among social theorists about why human beings like to play.   The class will then move on for the bulk of the term to explore how sports link up to the themes of tradition, identity, and collectivity in a global age where sport is more popular and more commercialized than ever before in human history.  Among the particular cases to be examined will be Italian calcio (including a field trip to see a Serie A game in Milan); the role of the NBA and professional basketball; the Brazilian dance/martial art capoeira (with a workshop and demonstration); and the Olympic Games.