Women and Sports: Contested Bodies (WMNST 545)
Prof. SE Cayleff
Fall 2015; Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3:15
The following books are for sale at KB Books for use in this course.
Susan Cahn, Coming on Strong: Gender and Sexuality in 20th Century Women’s Sports
University of Illinois, 2015. CoS
Susan Cayleff, Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias University of Illinois
Press, 1995.
O’Reilly and Cahn, eds. Women and Sports in the United States Northeastern Univ. Press, 2007.
WaS
BB: Articles not found in these texts are available electronically on Blackboard.
Course goals:
This course will:
*Trace diverse American women’s creation of and involvement in sports from the mid
nineteenth century to the present
*Evaluate the influences of social class, race, ethnicity, attitudes towards sexual orientation and
gender identities and regional differences for their impact on which girls and women pursued
which games and sports
*Reveal how culturally constructed beliefs and medical “experts” views on women’s physical
abilities affected opportunities for certain athletes
*Establish the critical connection between homophobia and transphobia in women’s sports and
its impact on both lesbian, non-lesbian, and trans* athletes
*Highlight how “differently-abled”/ “physically-challenged” athletes negotiate the rigors of sport
and public perceptions of them
*Explore how the human/animal bond manifests in certain sports
*Examine how elite athletes have been both path breakers and burden bearers in their own times
*Reassess how legislative change has impacted girls and women’s sport since Title IX
*Discuss the feasibility of economic reward as a female athlete as sport-determined
*Critically analyze how women, as non-athletes, are abused and exploited by a culture of sex and
violence that exists in certain male sports milieus
At course’s end students are expected to:
* Integrate cultural factors into their interpretation of why attitudes towards girls and women in
sports have shifted over time
*Theorize how race, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity and physical ability
determine opportunities, cultural perceptions, personal challenges and economic opportunities
* Understand the acceptability of individual vs. team sports competition for girls and women by
era and social class
*Speculate on the advances made and areas still in need of grave improvement since Title IX
Legislation
**Throughout the class emphasis will be placed: attendance; on improving writing and analytic
skills; and active verbal participation in all class discussions**
Course grading procedures:
Much of this class relies on your participation and discussion.
Students are expected to come to class having done all the readings and prepared for discussion.
Beginning with Week Three students will serve as co-discussion leaders with the professor. You
will choose which week you will co-facilitate and must communicate via email with classmates
working on the same week. This entails designing precise and analytic questions for
discussion. These are emailed to the professor Saturday for a Tuesday class and Monday
for a Thursday class no later than 4 p.m. Each student designs two questions that are
submitted IN WRITING/HARD COPY to the professor. Those two questions are also
considered by the group. Each participating student must have one of their questions put in
use. Each group can bring to class only four questions total.
I will give you suggested revisions that you must incorporate as a group (you collectively design
your questions and collectively revise them as well). The revised questions are then copied and
distributed by the student co-discussion leaders at the start of class to everyone. You will help
facilitate discussion throughout the class. This will entail roughly a 45-60 minute discussion
depending on the week.
Grading breakdown:
Co-discussion leader participation: (twice) 20% SIGN UP ON SEPT. 1
Research paper proposal (one or two pages): 5% DUE 9/29
Final 10-12 page research paper AND one page research summary due (for inclusion in booklet)
25% DUE DEC. 3
In class attendance: 10%
Semester-long discussion participation: 15%
Attend one women’s sporting event, write up: instructions to follow 10%; DUE 10/29; half the
class will report on their experience.
Observe media coverage of one women’s sporting event, 10% DUE 11/12, half the class will
report on their research.
Presentation of your individual research paper: 5% December 1-or 3 or 8.
Extra credit opportunity:** Interview a female athlete and write a 2-3 pages 1-3 points
depending on quality). Instructions to follow.
These points will be added to your 5% grade for oral presentation.
This means it is possible to earn over one hundred percent in this class.
1. LEARNING OUTCOMES:
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Learning Objective 1 Students will be able to identify how culture shapes the appreciation of sport and how sport
is generative of culture.
Goal 1.1 Students will be able to recognize certain communities and nationalities become identified with
specific sports
Goal 1.2 Students will be able to identify how cultural aesthetics get transferred onto specific sports and to
athletes of specific genders, sexual orientations and race
Goal 1.3 Students will recognize sports generative power to create subcultures of supporters and participants
who create their own codes of behavior, language and cultural norms circulating around a sport.
Learning Objective 2 Students will be able to understand and analyze the relationship between sports and gender.
Goal 2.1 Students will identify the various ways that sports create notions of femininity (and masculinity)
that serve as cultural models.
Goal 2.2 Students will discover the key roles that woman have plaedy in the production of sport.
Goal 2.3 Students will examine the role of sex and sexuality marketing and acceptance of athletes.
Learning Objective 3 Students will appreciate the way sports and athletic activities become racialized.
Goal 3.1 Students will discover the complex relationship between race, sports, athletes, and production of
capital.
Goal 3.2 Students will learn the complex relationship between race, sports audiences, athletes.
Goal 3.3 Students will interpret the way sports media addresses the issue of sex, gender social class and race
in sports.
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Students will learn how to critically analyze and write effective arguments using research and their
own original thoughts.
2. CLASS ETIQUETTE
Please do:
*Arrive on time
*Do all of the readings for that day
*Turn assignments in on time
*Communicate with the professor or graduate assistant if you must leave early or
know you will miss a class
Please do NOT do any of the following during class:
*Read a newspaper or anything unrelated to this class
**Listen to electronic devices
*Surf the internet: Those using lap tops are required to seat in the front seats in
each row.
*Use text messaging
*Engage in distracting, off-subject conversations with classmates
Results: If you violate these points of etiquette, you will be asked to leave that
class (this begins with the first infraction) and you will not receive attendance
credit for that day. Other infractions will be handled similarly. Repeated
infractions may result in failing the attendance portion of your grade (please
recall that 4 absences constitute an F/”O” grade).
**Please do not “fold up” your materials until the class time has ended.
3. Regarding Plagiarism
http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28&pid=138
EVERY STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO TAKE THE ON-LINE SDSU PLAGIARISM
TUTORIAL BY THE END OF THE SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES. IF YOU DO NOT
DO SO YOU MAY BE DROPPED FROM THE CLASS. YOU MUST BRING IN
PRINTED PROOF THAT YOU RECEIVED 100% ON IT. KEEP TAKING IT UNTIL
YOU EARN 100%. PLEASE GIVE THIS WRITTEN PROOF TO The Prof. NO
EXCEPTIONS, THANK YOU.
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:
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For written work, copy anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it into
your paper without using quotation marks and/or without providing the full reference for
the quotation, including page number
For written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book,
article, or the web without providing the full reference for the source (including page
number in the humanities)
For an oral presentation, copy anything from a book, article, or website and present it
orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own
words, and bring a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
Use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full
reference for the pictures or tables
Recycle a paper you wrote for another class
Turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
Purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
Copy from of a classmate
Use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam
situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When in
doubt, always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might make your
professor smile; if you don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility
to ask your instructor.
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Judicial Procedures Office’s discretion. Instructors
are mandated by the CSU system to report the offense to the Judicial Procedures Office.
Consequences may include any of the following:
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failing the assignment
failing the class
warning
probation
suspension
expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers
of Research Papers (6th edition, 2003); visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before
turning in your paper or doing your oral presentation if anything remains unclear.
The University of Indiana has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to
cite sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.
4.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. (Calpulli Center, Third Floor,
Suite 3101). To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that
accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with
an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Students who need accommodations should contact me after you have spoken with SDS.
5.
Major and Minor in Women's Studies
Thinking about a Major or Minor in Women's Studies? The program offers exciting courses, is
committed to women's issues and social justice, and is adaptable to your interests and
concerns. Women's Studies is not impacted! For more information contact: Dr. Doreen
Mattingly, mattingl@mail.sdsu.edu, 594-8033. Her office hours are posted in the Women's
Studies Office, AL346.
6. Women's Studies Community Events and Meetings
ALL ESSAYS ARE DUE ONE WEEK AFTER THE EVENT. ALL ESSAYS ARE DUE
BY November 24th. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED.
Women’s Studies has a commitment to linking the academy and the community. You will have
the opportunity to attend departmental colloquia or brown bag lunches, and/or lectures or events
sponsored by other departments or organizations in the broader San Diego community. If you
are doing this assignment for more than one Women's Studies class per semester, you must
attend different events and write different reflections for each class. Turning in the same paper
for credit in more than one class is considered cheating.
PROMPT: How did attending this event clarify or expand upon insights gained in this
class? In what ways did it contradict what we have been learning? Give three examples of
the first part, 2 of the second part if it applies. You must analyze how this event enhances
your understanding about issues we have covered in our class. Please provide these
examples AND relate the event to at least two readings from our class syllabus. Essays
without these specifics will receive a zero. Alas, no chance of re-writes (“do-overs”).
Essays will be graded on a one-two-three point scale. These points will be added to the 5%
of points allotted to your end-of-semester oral presentation.
7. Religious Holidays: Students who know they will be absent for a religious holiday are
asked to speak to the professor or graduate assistant during the first week of classes and make
arrangements for this. No retroactive accommodations are given, so please plan ahead.
8. ABSENCES
Attendance is taken during each class. Three or more absences equals a Zero for this
portion of your grade. If you are seeking an excused absence, regardless of what it is, it
must be accompanied by written proof (eg: doctor’s note, plane ticket for a death, etc.)
Sorry, no exceptions.
9. STUDENTS IN ECONOMIC CRISES
SDSU has an Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT) that helps SDSU undergraduate students
who need immediate support due to an unforeseen financial crisis. This support could include
short-term provision of food, shelter, or other items. In many situations, campus personnel will
coordinate with community social service agencies to support our students in these situations. If
you are in an immediate economic crisis situation, please ecrt@mail.sdsu.edu or call (619) 5941630. This is only for situations that could not have been foreseen (e.g., death or major illness of
a relative who supported the student financially, loss of housing due to a violent or harassing
situation, etc.). They cannot help students in situations that could have been foreseen (e.g., out of
state student who came to SDSU even though her parents told her they would only pay for her
college if she went in-state, and so on).
SYLLABUS
Readings marked CoS are from Cahn, Coming on Strong
Reading marked WaS are from O’Reilly and Cahn, Women and Sports in the United States
August 25:
Negotiating the Playing Field
* Sketch notes to share: the meaning of sports in your life (casual participant, fan (sport and
team(s), scholarship athlete, elite competitor, coach and so on).
* Write ten associations that come to mind with the phrase: “A woman and female-identified
athlete is _____.”
*Discussion of course mechanics, graded assignments, co-facilitation and so on.
August 27:
Film: Sex in Sports (HBO Films) -Discussion
September 1:
PLEASE NOTE TODAY YOU SIGN UP FOR YOUR WEEK TO BE CO-DISCUSSION
LEADER
“ Late Nineteenth-Century Views of Women’s Bodies: Cultural Beliefs and Medical
Expertise”
Atkinson, “The Feminist Physique: Physical Education and the Medicalization of Women’s
Education” BB.
Further readings see week one on Bb.
September 3:
Female and Male Athletic Ideals: 1880s-1900
D. Mrozek. “From Swooning Damsel to Sportswoman” (12pp); and “The Amazon and the
American ‘Lady’: Sexual Fears of Women as Athletes” (9pp) BB.
Further readings see Bb.
September 8;
Female and Male Athletic Ideals: 1880s-1900s (conclusion)
G.I.Berlage, “An Unlikely Convergence: Victorian Ladies and the National Sports of Baseball,”
and “Women’s Own Semi-Professional and Professional Baseball Teams in the Late 1800s and
Early 1900s” in Women In Baseball: The Forgotten History (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1994). .
See Bb for further readings.
September 10:
“Early Athletic Competition for girls and women: social class, public spectacle and ideal
femininity
Cahn, “The New Type of Athletic Girl,” and “Grass-roots Growth and Sexual Sensation in the
Flapper Era,” and “Games of Strife: The Battle over Women’s
Competitive Sport” CoS
See Bb for further readings.
September 15
Exploring Race issues (note: these two classes focus solely on race issues, but these same
concerns are reflected throughout the entire syllabus)
Jim Myers, “Racism Is A Serious Problem in Sports,” USA Today December 16-20, 1991. BB
Susan Cahn. “Cinderellas” of Sport: Black Women in Track and Field.” CoS
September 17
Race in Sports
Film: “Race and Sports” HBO Films (60 mins)
Further readings on Bb
September 22
Lightning rods: Women Athletes Before Their Time
Cayleff, Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (excerpts)
P. Gallico, “Honey: Tough Babe, Vanity Fair, 1932. BB.
Cahn, “Beauty and the Butch: The ‘Mannish’ Athlete and the Lesbian Threat,” CoS
September 24
Discussion continued from 9/22
September 29
NOTE: Your one page research paper proposal is due today
The All-American Girls Baseball League, and Beyond: The “Pursuit of Femininity” and
the Taint of Lesbianism:
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Rules of Conduct, 1943-1954,” WaS
See Bb.
October 1:
AAGBL (Continued)
Cahn. “No Freaks, No Amazons, No Boyish Bobs,” CoS
James Fallows, “Throwing Like a Girl,” WaS
October 6:
Lesbianism, Homophobia and *Transphobia in Women’s Sports
Heidi Eng, “Queer Athletes and Queering in Sport” pp. 49 – 61.
“Play It, Don’t Say It: Lesbian Identity and Community in Women’s Sports,” CoS
See Bb for further readings.
October 8:
Lesbianism, Homophobia and *Transphobia in Women’s Sports (continued)
Barry Bearak, “Inquiry About Sprinter’s Sex Angers South Africans,” New York Times, Wed.
Aug. 26, 2009. BB
See Bb for 3 additional readings.
October 13:
Physically Challenged/Differently-Abled Athletes
**Film clips: Murderball
Blinde and McCallister, “Women, Disability, and Sport and Physical Fitness Activity: The
Intersection of Gender and disability Dynamics,” WaS
See Bb for two additional readings.
October 15:
Physically Challenged/Differently-Abled Athletes
Kathleen Ernst, “A New Sense of Freedom,” Wilderness, Spring 1990. BB
Mark Starr, “I Can See the Finish Line,” WaS
October 20
Health
Irene McCormick, “Understanding the Female Athlete Triad,” WaS
Cantu and Mueller, “Catastrophic Injuries in Female Athletes: Cheerleading Leads the List,”
WaS
See Bb for two additional readings.
October 22:
Health (continued)
Ana Cintado, “Eating Disorders and Gymnastics,” WaS
Mariah Burton Nelson, “Stronger Women,” WaS
October 27
Film: Strong and discussion
Anne Alexander, “Killer Instinct,” BB.
October 29:
Students report on the women’s sporting event they attended
“Male Sports Culture: Exploitive Sex and Violence Against women”
J. Benedict, “Out Of Bounds: Inside the NBA’s culture of Rape, violence, and Crime (NY:
Harper Collins 2004) excerpts BB.
B. Center. “Remarks draw focus to women’s cause,” San Diego Union Tribune 4/26/06
(Re: sexist attitude towards Padres woman trainer in the locker room). BB
See Bb for two additional readings.
November 3: Film: The Inuit Olympics and discussion How Cultures Conceptualize
Competition and Sport’s Meaning
November 5:
Media and Women’s Sports
FILM: Training Rules
“HBO isn’t in this corner,” USA TODAY Nov. 8, 2006. BB.
Jean O’Reilly, “The Women’s Sports Film as the New Melodrama,” WaS
ASee Bb for two additional articles.
NOTE: Today you turn in your 4 page reflection on media coverage of a female athlete or a
women’s sport
November 10
Media and Women’s Sports (continued)
FILM: Dare to Dream re: U.S. national women’s soccer team
David Zirin, “Mia’ Culpa: The All-Too Quiet Retirement of Mia Hamm,” WaS
Further readings on Bb.
November 12:
Students report on media coverage of woman athlete or women’s sports
“Lack of News Coverage,” BB.
November 17:
“Title IX and the Revolutionary Changes of the 1970s and Beyond
“Law and Equity: Tile IX and Its Aftermath,” WaS. Read pages 321-337.
Further readings on Bb.
November 19:
“Title IX and the Revolutionary Changes of the 1970s and Beyond
“Law and Equity: Tile IX and Its Aftermath,” WaS. Read pages 337—356.
Doug Lederman, “Win for Women Who Wrestled,” BB.
November 24:
Title IX discussion continued
FILM: Title IX
ALL extra credit WMNST events are due today.
NOVEMBER 26: NO CLASS THANKSGIVING
December 1:
Student presentations
December 3
Student presentations
ALL RESARCH PAPERS ARE DUE TODAY
December 8
Student presentations
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**Some suggestions for individual paper topics; individual sports and thematic topics appear
on Bb***