Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2017 - SA 352 J100

Games, Sports and Cultures (A) (4)

Class Number: 4817

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 4 – Apr 7, 2017: Tue, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101 or 201W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An anthropological examination of games and sports in cross-cultural perspective. Particular attention will be given to the social construction of games and athletic activities as well as the cultural, political and aesthetic meanings attached to these. Topics that may be examined include: the embodiment of culture in sporting activities; the impact of inter-cultural contact and globalization on games and sport; the shaping of gender, class and ethnic identities through sport involvement; appropriate methodologies for producing sport ethnographies.

COURSE DETAILS:

Sports and games are an important force in human culture and society, and have arguably become even more so with the rise of globally organized and watched competitions and leagues, both in the concrete and virtual realms. Major teams and events have important spatial impacts on their host cities, including the building of new sports venues and the implementation of security measures to ensure that sports tourists have a seamlessly pleasant experience. National and local teams and athletes become important centers of identity for legions of fans. Meanwhile, people at all skill levels regularly take part in recreational play, whether on local courts and fields or in virtual realms. This course takes an eclectic look at games and sports as phenomena at scales of the local, national, international, and virtual. An important component of the course will be a modest ethnographic project that you will conduct during the second half of the term, focusing on a local adult sports team, league, or regular drop-in game, or a site of social online gaming. In conducting your project, you will learn more about how games and sports can shape the lives of involved individuals, taking into account issues of power, social structures, and the human capacity for fun and play.

Grading

  • Class participation and attendance 15%
  • Weekly reading responses 15%
  • Sports film analysis 15%
  • Ethnographic project proposal 5%
  • Critical synthesis of course themes 20%
  • Sports ethnography 30%

NOTES:

Grades in this class will be based on a percentage scale. Reading responses will not be accepted after 12 noon the Sunday before class; late submissions for all other assignments will result in a grade reduction of 5 percentage points per day, unless you present documentation for a medical reason or other significant emergency. All other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01– S10.04).  Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style.  It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.    

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Nardi, Bonnie A. 2010. My Life as a Night Elf Priest: An Anthropological Account of World of Warcraft. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Thangaraj, Stanley I. 2015. Desi Hoop Dreams: Pickup Basketball and the Making of Asian American Masculinity. New York: New York University Press. Suggested Texts: Galeano, Eduardo. 2013. Soccer in Sun and Shadow. Revised and updated. New York: Nation Books.  

All books are available on reserve at Belzberg Library at SFU’s Vancouver campus. Both are also available electronically through SFU’s online library system. Additional required readings are available through Canvas, the SFU Library, or online as noted.  

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS