Social History of Sports in the U.S.  This course is entirely on-line, so all information can be obtained through the Blackboard site, or by e-mailing Bill Offutt directly at [email protected] or [email protected] NOTE: Because this course is extremely condensed into 40 days, I will be posting much of the material ahead of when it is due, for students to work through at their own pace; in other words, you can work ahead as you feel like it. There are certain pieces of material, from Unit Two forward, that will be added to both the Course Documents , where the assigned readings are, and Discussion Board , where focused questions and material will guide your responses. The materials will be added in time for use by the various intermediate deadlines. However, there are particular deadlines for completion of the discussion writing on the various units of material as well as the two papers that make up the grade, and students must pay close attention to these deadlines in order to complete the course. Course Goals: This course will examine the experience of sports and leisure for different groups of Americans (e.g., African-Americans, women, working class), from colonial times to the present but primarily focused on the 20th century. My goal is to introduce students to historical analysis and argument through the examination of the sports and leisure time activities that won increasing popularity among Americans from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth century. This course will incorporate analytical categories from social history (class, race, gender, ethnicity) as well as the frameworks used by cultural, economic, and political history. This course will thus involve students in gaining a better understanding of the relationships that sports and leisure have with the social, economic, cultural and political forces at work in the United States and the world. Students will appreciate the issues that have affected sports participation over the years, including racial and gender discrimination, class economics, and commercialization. Students are expected to learn not only the basic data of American social history of sports but also to express that knowledge in oral and written argument that employs evidence to prove historical theses. Precise assignments for discussion are given at the end of this syllabus. Students will also be expected to use the Blackboard site for discussion. This course is thus NOT about player statistics, won-loss records, and/or fantasy leagues. It is about understanding the role sports has played in American society over time, and that is a serious historical inquiry. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Identify and analyze the changing meaning and significance of sports and leisure to American society and culture. 2) Discuss the major developments in sports as they were influenced by major social, economic, cultural and political forces in American history, and (in turn) how sports pa.

1. Social History of Sports in the U.S.
This course is entirely on-line, so all information can be
obtained through the Blackboard site, or by e-mailing Bill
Offutt directly at
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
NOTE:
Because this course is extremely condensed into 40 days, I will
be posting much of the material ahead of when it is due, for
students to work through at their own pace; in other words, you
can work ahead as you feel like it. There are certain pieces of
material, from Unit Two forward, that will be added to both the
Course Documents
, where the assigned readings are, and
Discussion Board
, where focused questions and material will guide your
responses. The materials will be added in time for use by the
various intermediate deadlines. However, there are particular
deadlines for completion of the discussion writing on the
various units of material as well as the two papers that make up
the grade, and students must pay close attention to these
deadlines in order to complete the course.
Course Goals:
This course will examine the experience of sports and leisure
for different groups of Americans (e.g., African-Americans,
women, working class), from colonial times to the present but
primarily focused on the 20th century. My goal is to introduce
students to historical analysis and argument through the
examination of the sports and leisure time activities that won

2. increasing popularity among Americans from the late nineteenth
to the late twentieth century. This course will incorporate
analytical categories from social history (class, race, gender,
ethnicity) as well as the frameworks used by cultural, economic,
and political history. This course will thus involve students in
gaining a better understanding of the relationships that sports
and leisure have with the social, economic, cultural and
political forces at work in the United States and the world.
Students will appreciate the issues that have affected sports
participation over the years, including racial and gender
discrimination, class economics, and commercialization.
Students are expected to learn not only the basic data of
American social history of sports but also to express that
knowledge in oral and written argument that employs evidence
to prove historical theses. Precise assignments for discussion
are given at the end of this syllabus. Students will also be
expected to use the Blackboard site for discussion. This course
is thus NOT about player statistics, won-loss records, and/or
fantasy leagues. It is about understanding the role sports has
played in American society over time, and that is a serious
historical inquiry.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
1) Identify and analyze the changing meaning and significance
of sports and leisure to American society and culture.
2) Discuss the major developments in sports as they were
influenced by major social, economic, cultural and political
forces in American history, and (in turn) how sports
participated in those social, economic, cultural, and political
changes
3) Organize and consolidate material provided in lectures and
readings in order to answer essay questions which require
comparative analyses, synthetic thinking, and cause/effect
linkages.

3. Course Learning Outcomes:
abilities in the following areas:
1.
Communication:
Students will demonstrate the ability to express and argue
varied interpretations of historical developments, using primary
and secondary sources.
2.
Analysis
, think clearly and critically. Students will demonstrate ability
to state and defend a thesis on a historical issue, employing
appropriate evidence, differentiating between primary and
secondary sources and evaluating their authorship, point of view
or bias, and reliability.
3.
Intellectual integration and application
, examine, organize and use disciplinary ways of knowing and
apply them to specific historic events and issues. Students will
write papers using primary and secondary historical sources.
4.
Social interaction
line means.
5.
Valuing
, Students will identify, appraise and comprehend the values of
various individuals and social groups/societies within the
American past.
6.
Information literacy and research
, demonstrate ability to read critically and accurately a range of
materials: history textbooks, historical monographs, literary
sources, newspapers and journals, diaries and memoirs, and
internet web sites. Employ analytical techniques to evaluate
authorship and point of view in these sources. Demonstrate
knowledge of political geography and ability to use maps.

4. Reading Assignments:
Students will read from the following:
Kathryn Jay, More Than Just a Game: Sports in American Life
since 1945
Susan Ware, Title IX: A Brief History with Documents
The two books should be purchased, and they are available at
the Pace Bookstore on each campus or online at
http://pace.bncollege.com
or through on-line sources such as Amazon.com.
Course Structure:
LECTURES (each Blackboard unit has 2):
line, or you may print out the lectures and highlight, but you
MUST not simply read them.
You need to focus on them more than your average textbook
, and you MUST be able to integrate the lecture material with
the texts in your essays. Discussion Board Forums are set up to
expand on or ask questions about the lectures, and those posts
will contribute to your discussion grade.
ASSIGNMENTS:
s discussion on the Discussion Board.
2 Essays:
You will have a choice of two essay questions; you must
answer one in no less than four typewritten, double spaced
pages. You will have a week from the distribution of the
questions to the date they are due through the
Assignments
link to Turnitin. The first essay involves a rough draft, a mark-
up of a different student’s paper, and then a revision of your
own. The dates of distribution of the questions and their due
dates appear later in the syllabus. You are encouraged to discuss

5. the questions among yourselves, but all outlines and all writing
must be done individually. I am happy to answer any and all
questions on these essays by e-mail or through questions posted
on the Discussion Board related to the essays.
Thoughts on Writing Essays:
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers, only good
and bad arguments. Your answer should contain a clearly stated
position/thesis/overall generalization at the outset, supported by
subsequent paragraphs, each of which proves a logically needed
element of that thesis (a sub generalization). Within each
paragraph, evidence must be produced to convince me that the
sub generalization is true, and a good rule of thumb demands
THREE pieces of evidence to prove a sub generalization. A
good argument will then draw its various pieces, which together
should completely cover all aspects of the question, into a
conclusion. Obviously, your essay should be planned and
outlined before you write.
NOTE:
mailed you on each paper.
Late Papers:
mail before the deadline. PROBLEMS WHICH ARE
DISCUSSED BEFORE THE PAPER IS DUE WILL BE
TREATED LENIENTLY AND WITHOUT PENALTY.
Otherwise, late papers lose 10%.
Readings and Discussion:
you must
post at least 3 times on the Discussion Board for each course
unit
in the
Course Documents
section of Blackboard. Each comment is part of the Writing
Enhanced aspect of the course, so make sure you write complete
sentences and use proper grammar.

6. Do not try to answer all points/issues in a single posting. You
should concentrate on one single issue per post on readings, as
in you should answer one question or make one point. DO NOT
COMBINE MULTIPLE ANSWERS TO MULTIPLE
QUESTIONS IN A SINGLE POST. One paragraph per post is a
good rule-of-thumb. For the lectures, your responses can be
more lengthy, but comment only on one lecture at a time.
Scholastic Integrity:
Cheating and plagiarism are the most serious offenses in
academic life. If they occur, you will lose credit for the work ,
and your grade will certainly suffer. In addition, the university
procedures for handling cases of scholastic dishonesty will be
initiated. Essays that have been plagiarized will receive an F.
Turnitin
makes it easy to identify, so DON'T do it.
GRADES:
Grades will be apportioned on the following point basis:
Discussion—first 4 50 points (25%)
First essay 50 points (25%)
Discussion—2nd 4 50 points (25%)
Second essay 50 points (25%)
NOTE: THE
DATE DUE
REFERS TO AS OF
11:59pm
ON THE DATE LISTED
UNIT: THEMES:
Readings/Discussion Date Due
1 Introduction: self, course,
videos Articles (on Blackboard)
Defining sports

7. Videos July 12
Survey of American Sports to
1900 Lectures
2 Baseball to WWII, other mass sports Jay,
Chapter 1 July 16
Collegiate Sports, first half of 20th Cen
Videos, Articles
Lectures
3 Race and sports to Jackie Robinson (1947) Jay,
Chapter 2 July 20
Integration of sports, 1940s-1960s
Videos, Articles
Lec
tures
ESSAY QUESTION CHOICES AVAILABLE AS OF JULY 21
4 Gender and sports to 1970s/before IX Jay,
Chapter 3 July 24
Politics and sports--Olympics to 1972
Article, Park
Lectures
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #1 TO TURNITIN DUE BY
11:59 PM ON MONDAY JULY 28
REVISION EXCERCISE: PAPERS FOR MARK-UP
AVAILABLE BY NOON
JULY 30
MARKED UP PAPERS SUBMITTED TO TURNITIN BY
AUG 2, NOON
5 Race and ethnicity, late 20th Century Jay,
Chapter 4 Aug 1

8. Videos, articles
Lectures
6 Gender, Sexual Identity, and Sports, Title
IX book Aug 5
Title IX and
beyond Videos, articles
Lectures
FINAL VERSION ESSAY #1 SUBMITTED
AUG 5
7 College sports, 1960s-now Jay,
Chapter 5 Aug 9
Sports and
politics Articles, lectures, videos
ESSAY #2 POSTED, under ASSIGNMENTS, AS OF
AUG 7
8 Economy of modern sports Jay,
Chapter 6-7
Vi
deos, articles Aug 13
Le
ctures
ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE BY
11:59 PM ON AUG 15