everything.study
HISTORY 136

SPORT, RECREATION, & SOCIETY IN THE UNITED STATES

3-4 credits.

As much as we may try to convince ourselves that sport offers an escape from the "real world," constant news of players' strikes, stadium financing controversies, and the lack of diversity in league management remind us that we cannot separate the games we play and watch from the political, social, and cultural contexts in which they are embedded. Explore how sport has shaped and been shaped by major trends in American social, political, and economic history. The focus is not on player stats or the morning edition of SportsCenter, rather with serious historical arguments and debates about sport's relationship to American capitalism, social movements, and urban development. Readings also provide a diverse set of perspectives on the politics of race, gender, and class in American sport in the twentieth century.

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities or Social Science Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify how American sports have both shaped and been shaped by broader social, cultural, and political trends. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Explain how and why major social, economic, racial, and political changes have occurred in sports in the past 150 years. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze primary sources related to American sports. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Develop an original argument (thesis) based on the analysis of primary sources. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify how American sports have both shaped and been shaped by broader social, cultural, and political trends. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Explain how and why major social, economic, racial, and political changes have occurred in sports in the past 150 years. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Analyze primary sources related to American sports. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Develop an original argument (thesis) based on the analysis of primary sources. Audience: Undergraduate

Sources