Sports

Sources:
Dr. Zhenmei Zhang, Contemporary Sociological Research on the Family, Fall 2009

SOC 420: Contemporary Sociological Research on Sports

Fall semester 2010
Wells Hall – Front Stoop
Instructor: Mr. John Girdwood
Home Office: 6419 Beecher Rd, Flint MI 48532
Phone: 1-77-Girdwood
Email: girdwoo1(at)msu.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Friday 6a-7a or 6p-8p and by appointment

Description:

This graduate seminar will introduce students to some of the key debates and topics in the sociology of sports, improving their ability to critically analyze work in this field and inspiring students’ own sports-related research. The course materials draw on a variety of theoretical, historical, and methodological perspectives to examine topics such as gender, race, academic/collegiate (student athlete), and international sports issues as well as methodological approaches to utilize in scholarly work.

Immediately Available Extra Credit Options:

  1. Find a book cheaper than is listed below (free material excluded)
  2. Find a broken link in this syllabus when accessed online
  3. Find a grammatical error which can be certifiably proven to be incorrect (no tricks)

Reading Materials:

  • Delaney, T. (2008). The Social Aspects of Sports Tailgating. The New York Sociologist, Vol. 3, 2008
    • Available online: http://newyorksociologist.org/08/Delaney-08.pdf
  • Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports. McFarland.
  • McGwire, J. (2010). Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secrets. Triumph Books.
  • Selected articles available on electronic journal sites

There are four major tasks to be accomplished:

  • -10% Preparation of the reading for class presentation and discussion:  During weekly meetings, each student will be assigned major responsibility for a specific portion of the readings that we will discuss as a class. Every discussion leader should prepare a 10 minute presentation for the assigned readings, accomplishing two things in their presentation: 1) an overview of the “big questions” and main theories in the reading; 2) key issues related to data, measurement, and methods.  For each segment, 10 minutes will be devoted to presentation and 5 minutes to Q&A/discussion. I will be available throughout the week to meet or discuss via email reading strategies and preparing for these presentations. Grades will be based on class participation (handout, presentation, and discussion). After the presentation, the whole class will discuss additional questions of the readings. During the discussion or near the end of it I will present supplementary material to add breadth and depth to coverage of the topic.
    • For our class purposes, “main theories” can be thought of as “general concepts”
    • For our class purposes, “data, measurement, and methods” can be thought of as “the way the author presents the material”
  • -20% Short essays: The students need to submit 3 short essays of their critique of the week’s reading (3-5 pages) during the whole semester. There will be 4 opportunities to turn in papers.  Two of these essays will be graded.  Three must be handed in.  It would be to the benefit of the student to write and submit all 4 papers.
  • -20% Midterm exam: The exam is a take-home exam. This midterm will consist of a set of 3-4 essay questions, based on the course reading and lecture materials. You will select two questions and write your responses that show your ability to understand and use the material.
  • -50% Research proposal and presentation: Research proposal should follow the general National Institutes of Health guidelines in which the research problem is specified, the literature review identifies key knowledge gaps, hypotheses are stated, the data are described, and the analyses are outlined (15-20 double space pages). We will work through the paper process together using the following deadlines:
    • -5% Topic & data source (if relevant) due Week 7
    • -10% Introduction and literature review due Week 9
    • -15% Presentation of draft paper/proposal due Week 11
    • -20% Final version of full paper/proposal due Week 14

Grading Philosophy:

  • Every student has the capacity to get a 4.0 in this class
  • Grading is done by a minus (-) system meaning that you enter the class with a 100% grade and only begin losing points off of your 4.0 if you do not submit an assignment by the required due date
  • Assignments are cumulative.  The writing assignments occur during the first 1/2 of the course.  You should write them as “mini-chapters” of your final paper.  In other words, if you write using this approach then your final paper will essentially be in rough draft form by mid-semester.

Students will give 3 presentations based on their papers during the semester.  During Week 7, students will give short presentations of their research topic and preliminary thoughts on their plans, and feedback will be provided by the rest of the class. During Week 9, students will give short presentations on their work-in-progress and we will discuss research problems and suggestions for their resolutions. During the last week of class, students will present their papers to the class. Presentations should follow the format one would expect at a professional meeting (e.g., ASA or PAA meetings). Students can work alone on their research papers or work in a group of 2 students who share a research interest. For those who choose to work in groups, contributions of each author must be specified in a separate memo to the instructor.

The combined emphasis on reading and critiquing scholarly works, leading discussions, taking part in issue oriented discussion, taking an essay exam, writing a research proposal, and making presentations to the class is designed to maximize the chances that you will become familiar with the concepts and information relevant to sports sociology and will be able to use them in other contexts such as preparing for graduate work, writing a thesis or dissertation, presenting papers at conferences, and performing other professional activities.  I will not give an incomplete for this course. Please finish all assignments by the end of the semester.

Week 1
Theory: Introduction to the Sociology of Sports

  • READ – Delaney, T. (2008). The Social Aspects of Sports Tailgating. The New York Sociologist, Vol. 3, 2008
  • READ – PG 1 – 20: Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports. McFarland.

For further reading:

Gans, H. (2010). Public Ethnography; Ethnography as Public Sociology. Qualitative Sociology, 33(1), 97-104. doi:10.1007/s11133-009-9145-1

Week 2
Methodology: Content Analysis

  • READ – PG 1 – 50: McGwire, J. (2010). Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secrets. Triumph Books.
  • RESEARCH – Locate, print, read, and bring to class between 25 – 40 pages of news media material directly related to the book from the following sources:
    • ESPN, Fox Sports, CNN, CBS, NBC, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, or any college newspaper
    • Any college or professional sports team website
    • Any TV or radio interview that involves someone directly related to the subject at hand (Mark McGwire and/or steroids)

Week 3
Methodology: Content Analysis (cont.)

  • WRITE – Assignment Due: Short essay answering the question “What is content analysis and how can a researcher use it as a viable methodology?”
  • READ – PG 50 – 100: McGwire, J. (2010). Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secrets. Triumph Books.

For further reading:

Morley, D. (1992). Television, audience and cultural studies. London: Routledge.

Week 3
Methodology: Content Analysis (cont.)

  • WRITE – Assignment Due: Short essay coupled with 10 minute PowerPoint presentation covering your content analysis of news media material
  • READ – PG 100 – 200: McGwire, J. (2010). Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secrets. Triumph Books.

For further reading:

Sassatelli, R. (2010). A Serial Ethnographer: An Interview with Gary Alan Fine. Qualitative Sociology, 33(1), 79-96. doi:10.1007/s11133-009-9144-2

Week 4
Theory: Introduction to the Sociology of Sports (cont. from week 1)

  • READ – PG 100 – 175: Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports. McFarland.
  • RESEARCH - Listen to an episode of “The Final Word with JayReelz & J.D.” on BlogTalkRadio
  • RESEARCH - Create a Twitter account and follow at least 40 athletes (professional or student-athletes)

Week 5
Theory: Introduction to the Sociology of Sports (cont.)

  • READ – PG 175 – 250: Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports. McFarland.
  • RESEARCH - Listen to an episode of “The Knicks Blog Radio” on BlogTalkRadio
  • RESEARCH – Discover new media connections for at least 12 athletes (professional or student-athletes)
    • Cannot be standard new media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.)
    • Suggestions: BlogTalkRadio, uStream, Blogs
  • WRITE – Assignment Due: Short essay summarizing the content on 4 college athletics websites (must be the actual university website, not a fan site)

Week 6
Theory: Introduction to the Sociology of Sports (cont.)

  • READ – PG 250 – 300: Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports. McFarland.
  • WRITE – Assignment Due: Short essay summarizing the content on 4 college athletics websites (must be the actual university website, not a fan site)

For further reading:

Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of talk. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Week 7
Midterm: Introduction to the Sociology of Sports

  • Any late assignments may be turned in at this time with no penalty
  • Mid-term exam will be distributed during this class period
  • Topic and data source for final paper must be submitted at the beginning of this class period

Week 8
International Sports

  • Skille, E. A. (2010). Competitiveness and health: The work of sport clubs as seen by sport clubs representatives – a Norwegian case study. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 45(1), 73-85. doi:10.1177/1012690209352395
  • Tester, K. (1989). The Pleasure of the Rich is the Labour of the Poor: Some Comments on Norbert Elias’”An Essay on Sport and Violence”. Journal of Historical Sociology, 2(2), 161-172. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6443.1989.tb00137.x
  • Yuchtman-Yaar, E., & Semyonov, M. (1979). Ethnic Inequality in Israeli Schools and Sports: An Expectation-States Approach. The American Journal of Sociology, 85(3), 576-590.

Week 9
Final Paper: Introduction and literature review

For further reading:

  • Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Sherry, E. (2010). (Re)engaging marginalized groups through sport: The Homeless World Cup. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 45(1), 59-71. doi:10.1177/1012690209356988
  • Mong, S., & Roscigno, V. (2010). African American Men and the Experience of Employment Discrimination. Qualitative Sociology, 33(1), 1-21. doi:10.1007/s11133-009-9142-4

Week 10
Student Athletes

  • Gnida, J. J. (1995). Teaching “Nature versus Nurture”: The Case of African-American Athletic Success. Teaching Sociology, 23(4), 389-395.
  • Kreager, D. A. (2007). Unnecessary Roughness? School Sports, Peer Networks, and Male Adolescent Violence. American Sociological Review, 72(5), 705-724.
  • McDill, E. L., & Coleman, J. (1963). High School Social Status, College Plans, and Interest in Academic Achievement: A Panel Analysis. American Sociological Review, 28(6), 905-918.

Week 11
Final Paper: Presentation of draft paper/proposal

  • Billings, A. C., Halone, K. K., & Denham, B. E. (2002). “Man, That Was a Pretty Shot”: An Analysis of Gendered Broadcast Commentary Surrounding the 2000 Men’s and Women’s NCAA – Final Four Basketball Championships. Mass Communication and Society, 5(3), 295. doi:10.1207/S15327825MCS0503_4
  • Forbes, G. B., Adams-Curtis, L. E., Pakalka, A. H., & White, K. B. (2006). Dating Aggression, Sexual Coercion, and Aggression-Supporting Attitudes Among College Men as a Function of Participation in Aggressive High School Sports. Violence Against Women, 12(5), 441-455. doi:10.1177/1077801206288126

Week 12
American Sports – Authority, Influence, and Inequality

  • Blackburn, R. M. (2008). What is social inequality? The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 28(7/8), 250.
  • Brooks-Gunn, J., Duncan, G. J., Klebanov, P. K., & Sealand, N. (1993). Do Neighborhoods Influence Child and Adolescent Development? The American Journal of Sociology, 99(2), 353-395.
  • Leifer, E. M. (1990). Inequality among Equals: Embedding Market and Authority in League Sports. The American Journal of Sociology, 96(3), 655-683.

Week 13
Race & Gender in Sports

  • Denham, B. E., Billings, A. C., & Halone, K. K. (2002). Differential Accounts of Race in Broadcast Commentary of the 2000 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four Basketball Tournaments. Sociology of Sport, 19(3). Retrieved from http://hk.humankinetics.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/eJournalMedia/pdfs/5163.pdf
  • Leonard, W. M. (1986). The Sports Experience of the Black College Athlete: Exploitation in the Academy. International Review For The Sociology Of Sport, 21(1), 35-49.
  • Theberge, N. (1990). Gender, Work, and Power: The Case of Women in Coaching. The Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 15(1), 59-75.
For further reading:

Goffman, E. (1976). Gender advertisements. Studies in the Anthropology of Visual Communication, 3, 69–l54 [revised and published as Gender Advertisements (1979). Cambridge: Harvard University Press].

Ostberg, J. (2010). Thou shalt sport a banana in thy pocket: Gendered body size ideals in advertising and popular culture. Marketing Theory, 10(1), 45-73. doi:10.1177/1470593109355255

Week 14
Final version of full paper/proposal due