How do sports influence society?

Tracie Canada, Assistant Professor, Cultural Anthropology

This course will examine the giant role that sports play in the modern world. It will explore the history of sports in the U.S. and worldwide, and the role of forces like race, gender, mythmaking, economics, and fan cultures in a variation of games from soccer to basketball and football.

Cross-lists: SOCIOL 151CNS/ ICS 150CNS

Martin Smith, Associate Professor of the Practice, Education

Description forthcoming.

Alexander Karsten, Instructor, Classical Studies

This course studies sports, games, and athletes in Greek and Roman societies. Through close reading of primary sources in translation, we will learn about the variety of competitions available, the risks of participating, the rewards of winning, and the social and cultural attitudes towards different types of athletes. We will compare the ancient history of athletics to the discourses and controversies in the modern world of sports.

Larissa Carneiro, Lecturing Fellow, Religious Studies

This course is an introduction to the field of sport and religion. The course will focus on the examination of how sport can work as religion creating a sense of community through rituals that reinforce and maintain social bonds and collective experience. Duke University is very known for its athletic program, amazing athletes, and fandom. The Duke Blue Devil represents not only the athletes of our school, but every current student and Duke alumni. The course will use Duke's sport culture to investigate how sports work as religion creating a sense of identity and community that transcends space and time.

Ed Tiryakian, Lecturing Fellow, Markets & Management Studies 

This course will look at sports through many professional and amateur lenses. The business of sports has recently grabbed the headlines as sports and sports teams are now considered a viable and enviable asset class. But more importantly and historically, sports has played an invaluable role in social policies and politics. From the desegregation of sports in the 40s and 50s to the essential role athletes and leagues had in the Civil Rights movement of the 60s to the most recent presidential election, sports, and athletes have a powerful and essential role in society. Global Sports will look at our favorite pastimes from multiple angles and even look at Duke's athletics and their significance on our Duke experience.

Scott Yakola, Chair, Health, Wellness and Physical Education

This course explores the dynamic role of leadership in both athletic and broader societal contexts and how their intersection can have a powerful impact on people. It will investigate how effective leaders create and inspire teams, shape communities, and drive positive social change, drawing on real-world examples from sports organizations, community initiatives, and civic movements. Students will examine key leadership theories, ethical decision-making, and the unique challenges leaders face in high-profile, high-pressure environments

James Holaday, Instructor, Thompson Writing Program

For well over 100 years, sports have played an important role in American (and world) culture. And as long as there have been sports, people have written about them. From game reports in newspapers to biographies to autobiographies to predictions for the future to pure fiction, writings related to sports run the gamut. They often cross the line from journalism to literature or even poetry. In this class we will examine how writing about sports has changed over time by reading some of the genres listed above; then students will embark upon several sports-related writing projects of their own. First, students will produce a memoir-type paper on their experiences with sports. Athlete or fan, success or failure, funny or sad–everyone has a story! Secondly, students will produce a paper on an element of sports history. Sports have helped shape society (think Jackie Robinson’s integration of major league baseball) or been shaped by them (think performance enhancing drugs or Olympic boycotts). For this paper, students will go beyond the obvious and do some research to examine a bit of sporting history. Third, since a large part of writing about sports involves telling stories about others, often using the words of those people, the next project will consist of interviewing a sports personality. To do this successfully, students will do any necessary research so that relevant questions can be asked of their subjects. Finally, students will have a chance to use their creativity and write a short story. The story must center around a sporting event of some sort and be written within set word limit guidelines.