ANT 259 - Topics: Anthropology of Sport (1)

Some may believe that sport is a trivial element of social life - “just entertainment.” This course will challenge that assumption and encourage students to consider how and why sport can be understood as a powerful socio-cultural domain. We will explore sport as a site where identity and community are invented, contested, embodied, displayed, and consumed, with special attention to how sport can support and/or subvert relations of power. Using an anthropological framework, we will examine intersecting structures of inequality such as race, gender, and sexuality; consider how collective cultural stories are enacted; delve into issues of globalization; and more. By the end of this course, students will gain an understanding of basic anthropological concepts and methods, have a complex and nuanced understanding of “culture” and sport, and be able to use the methods discussed in this class to evaluate current social issues and interactions that occur in the media and daily life.
(Social Science)