AMCULT 103 - First Year Seminar in American Studies
Fall 2023, Section 003 - Race, Gender, Recreation, and Sport in Twentieth-Century America
Instruction Mode: Section 003 is  In Person (see other Sections below)
Subject: American Culture (AMCULT)
Department: LSA American Culture
See additional student enrollment and course instructor information to guide you in your decision making.

Details

Credits:
3
Requirements & Distribution:
HU
Other:
FYSem
Waitlist Capacity:
unlimited
Consent:
With permission of instructor.
Advisory Prerequisites:
Enrollment restricted to first-year students, including those with sophomore standing.
Repeatability:
May not be repeated for credit.
Primary Instructor:
Start/End Date:
Full Term 8/28/23 - 12/6/23 (see other Sections below)
NOTE: Drop/Add deadlines are dependent on the class meeting dates and will differ for full term versus partial term offerings.
For information on drop/add deadlines, see the Office of the Registrar and search Registration Deadlines.

Description

During the 2016 Summer Olympics, African American athletes Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Michelle Carter, and Ashley Johnson made history by performing extraordinarily well in sports that white athletes typically dominated (gymnastics, swimming, shot put, and water polo, respectively). Commentators remarked with excitement that these athletes were “firsts” in their respective sports and named all the ways in which they were exceptional. This course will examine the historical reasons why these sportspersons were extraordinary. For African Americans, anti-black racism, sexism, and exclusion from leisure spaces (e.g., parks, gymnasiums, playgrounds, and swimming pools) hindered full participation and mastery in sports and recreational programs. In the twentieth century, what one did, or was able to do, in one’s spare time became more than merely personal choice, but battles over women’s rights, civil rights, respectability politics, citizenship, and upward mobility. Using historical essays, newspapers, photography, documentary film, and podcasts, we will explore how certain leisure activities and sports became racialized and gendered in the twentieth century.

This is a first-year seminar—an opportunity for students to critically examine a topic and become familiar with the expectations of college-level intellectual engagement. To these ends, the course will use several formats to enable students to gain their intellectual footing, including presentations, short writing assignments, active class discussion, and a take-home final exam.

Intended Audience:

First-year students

Schedule

AMCULT 103 - First Year Seminar in American Studies
Schedule Listing
001 (SEM)
 In Person
25111
Closed
0
2Y1
6Enrollment Management
-
TuTh 10:00AM - 11:30AM
8/28/23 - 12/6/23
Note: 001: Monuments, Power and Place
002 (SEM)
 In Person
31745
Open
2
2Y1
6Enrollment Management
-
MW 11:30AM - 1:00PM
8/28/23 - 12/6/23
Note: 002: Latinx Freedom Dreams
003 (SEM)
 In Person
32021
Closed
0
2Y1
6Enrollment Management
-
MW 2:30PM - 4:00PM
8/28/23 - 12/6/23
Note: 003: Race, Gender, Recreation, and Sport in Twentieth-Century America
004 (SEM)
 In Person
32028
Open
2
2Y1
6Enrollment Management
-
TuTh 2:30PM - 4:00PM
8/28/23 - 12/6/23
Note: 004: U.S. in the World: Empire, Culture, and Resistance

Textbooks/Other Materials

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Syllabi

Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms.

Click the button below to view historical syllabi for AMCULT 103 (UM login required)

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CourseProfile (Atlas)

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CourseProfile (Atlas)