HIST 410 – Sport History and Culture

Formerly HIST 430 – Sport History and Culture

Description
This course examines the prominence, variety, cultural distinctiveness and functions of sports (and spectacles) in ancient and modern societies.
The first half of the term focuses on the Ancient World, from prehistory to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, with a special emphasis on Greek culture and Roman spectacles. The phenomenon of ancient sports and spectacles – the Greek Olympics, the shocking violence of the Colosseum games – are not approached as isolated pastimes but as essential elements in social, political and religious life. Likewise, the second half of term covers sport in the 20th century: from the humble origins of the modern Olympics in 1896 through the use of the games and sport in general as a political-social platform during Fascism and Nazism, Communism and the Cold War, up to the most relevant social issues reflected by sport in our present time.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this course students will be able to:
– Describe the chronology and the context of significant events in the history of sport.
– Evaluate the history of sport as a means of reflecting and assessing the human experience.
– Understand and read about sports as a representation of many of the historical and contemporary political, economic and cultural power relationships and conflicts that frame our world.
– Critically analyze and evaluate sports from a sociological perspective.
– Improve their ability to perform critical and constructive thinking, thereby developing thought-provoking attitudes of inquiry and investigation.

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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