IDND 200 - Advanced Topics in Gender, Race, and Area Studies

This course examines the development of physical fitness, athleticism, and competitive sports in America from the antebellum period to the present. Students begin the course with a chronological and thematic examination of the most popular sports in U.S. history. Students will also explore how physical fitness, team sports, and athleticism have reflected and informed issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and international politics throughout U.S. history. Utilizing this intersectional lens, students closely examine the historiography on boxing/organized fighting, baseball, basketball, and bodybuilding/weightlifting. Throughout the second half of the course, students will complete a research project on their favorite sport or a topic of interest in physical fitness. Students will work closely with the instructor to choose a topic that reflects both their interests and themes of the course.  May be repeatable for credit.

Course Designation/Attribute: VP, DI

Anticipated Terms Offered: Periodically