History 4464
American Sports History
Spring 2012
Professor: Steve Goodson Place and Time: Pafford 208, TTH 3:30-4:50
Office: TLC 3224 Phone: (678) 839-6042 Department Phone: (678) 839-6508
E-mail: hgoodson@westga.edu Website: http://www.westga.edu/~hgoodson/
Office Hours: MW 1:30-5:00, TTH 2:00-3:15; or by appointment.
Course Description and Goals: This course will examine the history of sports in America from the colonial period to the present. Our goal will be to see what we can learn from the study of sports about the society and culture of the United States. Assignments will allow students to sharpen their writing, interpretive, and research skills.
Exams: There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. Exam questions will be drawn from the assigned readings, from class discussions, from lectures, and from any other material (films, music, handouts, etc.) presented in class. The final exam will not be cumulative. Make-up exams will be given only if the student provides a written doctor’s excuse, and it is the student’s responsibility to let me know in advance if he or she will have to miss an exam.
Class Participation: History is a reading-intensive discipline. Nothing is more crucial to a good historian than the ability to read carefully, thoroughly, and critically. In order to be prepared and to participate in discussions, students will need to do the required reading in advance of each class session. In order to encourage students to do the reading, there may be short in-class writing assignments as well as unannounced quizzes. Attendance will be taken daily and a student’s attendance record will play a significant role in determining his or her final grade. Students are expected to arrive in class on time and to remain until class is ended. Inappropriate classroom behavior will severely damage a student’s final grade. Please turn off cell phones and all other electronic devices before entering class!
Paper Assignments: Each student will be required to prepare three-to-four-page papers on three of the four books we will be reading this semester. There will be a quiz on the fourth book. In addition, each student will write an end-of-term paper (seven to nine pages). All paper assignments must be completed in order for a student to pass the class. Plagiarism will result in failure of the course. See the department’s plagiarism policy at http://www.westga.edu/~history/statementonplagiarism.pdf
Evaluation: Each exam will account for 25% of the final grade, the three book papers for a total of 20%, the final paper for 20%, and class participation for 10%.
Reading List (Available at the Campus Bookstore):
Elliot J. Gorn and Warren Goldstein, A Brief History of American Sports
Elliot J. Gorn, The Manly Art: Bareknuckle Prize Fighting in America
Jules Tygiel, Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy
Warren St. John, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip Into the Heart of Fan Mania
Jennifer Sey, Chalked Up
Tentative Class Schedule:
Jan. 10 – Introduction
Jan. 12 – Gorn, Preface, 3-17
Jan. 17 – Gorn, 17-30
Jan. 19 – Gorn, 30-46
Jan. 24 – Gorn, 47-64
Jan. 26 – Gorn, 64-81
Jan. 31 – The Manly Art
Feb. 2 – Gorn, 81-97
Feb. 7 – Gorn, 98-114
Feb. 9 – Gorn, 114-29
Feb. 14 – Gorn, 129-38
Feb. 16 – Gorn, 138-49
Feb. 21 – Baseball’s Great Experiment
Feb. 23 - No Reading
Feb. 28 – Midterm Exam
March 1 – Gorn, 153-69
March 6 – Gorn, 169-77
March 8 – Gorn, 177-82
March 13 – Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
March 15 – Gorn, 183-96
March 19-23 – Spring Break
March 27 – Gorn, 197-209
March 29 – No Reading
April 3 – Chalked Up
April 5 – Gorn, 209-21
April 10 – No Reading
April 12 – Gorn, 222-36
April 17 – Gorn, 236-49
April 19 – Gorn, Epilogue – Final Papers Due
Wednesday, April 25 – Final Exam (2:00-4:30)