Draft Syllabus
Modern European Sports History
Spring 2017 only
Credits: 3
Location: Copenhagen
Home Academic Program: European Humanities
Major Disciplines: History
Faculty Member: William Bowman
William Bowman, Ph.D. in History, The Johns Hopkins University. MA, The Johns Hopkins University. BA
University of San Francisco. 1994-present: Professor of History at Gettysburg College. Visiting faculty to DIS in
spring 2017.
Course Description:
Through an examination of sports, this course will explore some of the most significant themes in modern
history. Historians and other scholars have been studying the field of sports and leisure seriously for at least
the last three decades. In the past two plus centuries, organized sports and leisure-time activities have
formed a major source of entertainment, economic consumption, and even political and personal identity for
countless individuals. Sports have also played a critical role in the efforts of modern men and women to
define aspects of their lives and to find places for themselves in a rapidly changing world. Students in this
course will trace major developments such as the effects of globalization, international relations, urbanization,
shifting gender and race relations, the forging of identities, and the growth and influence of consumerism in
Europe in the modern era.
Learning Objectives:
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Develop an appreciation for modern European sports history
Develop an informed sense of how the course relates to multiple disciplines
Develop critical reading skills
Develop discussion skills, especially through classroom-based work
Distinguish between primary and secondary sources through research work and through
classroom work
Develop writing and communication skills through construction and revision of papers
Course Requirements:
Readings: In addition to the books for purchase, there are several readings for this course. Please check the
syllabus carefully and obtain the readings well enough in advance so that you can complete them thoughtfully
for class.
Students must read assigned readings by the date specified in the syllabus. Although I will provide background
material on occasion, the course will proceed primarily as a read-and-discuss class. There will be several
(minimum of five) unannounced quizzes during the semester. A student can make up one quiz and one quiz
only on the last class day of the semester.
Exams: There will be one midterm and one final exam.
This syllabus is subject to change.
Modern European Sports History | DIS
Draft Syllabus
Papers: There will be two short (4-5 pages) papers due. You will receive handouts and oral instructions
describing paper assignments. There will also be a 1-2 page movie review. In addition, there will be a takehome essay as part of the final exam.
Presentations: There will also be two in-class presentations made by students.
Grading
Participation/Attendance
Quizzes
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Paper, First
Paper, Second
Presentations
Movie Review
15%
10%
15%
15%
15%
15%
(5% + 5%=10%)
5%
Books (list of books for possible use in the course)
Bill Buford, Among the Thugs (soccer culture in Britain)
Franklin Foer, How Soccer Explains the World (chapters on soccer throughout Europe)
Elliot Gorn, The Manly Art (Boxing in Europe and North America)
C.L.R. James, Beyond a Boundary (chapters on cricket in nineteenth-century and interwar Britain).
David Clay Large, The Nazi Games: the 1936 Olympic Games
Christopher Thompson, The Tour de France: A Cultural History
Christopher Young, 1972 Munich Olympics and the Making of Modern Germany.
Additional Readings: In addition to the texts available for purchase, there will also be a number of readings
(essays, book chapters, etc.) as per the syllabus.
This syllabus is subject to change.
Modern European Sports History | DIS
Draft Syllabus
Syllabus:
Introduction to Course: Sports and Sports History
Discussion of Assignments and the Syllabus
Scholars, Sports, Schools of Thought and Manifold Approaches
Reading: Background searching/reading on scholarly approaches to sports.
Assignment: 10 approaches from the Journal of Sport History and/or the International Journal of
the History of Sport (online search)
In the Beginning: The Rise of Modern Sports and Leisure
Reading: Koshar, Histories of Leisure, “Seeing, traveling, consuming,” pp. 1-24
The Case of Britain: Before the Modern Era
Reading: Richard Holt, “Old Ways of Playing,” ®
A Bare-Knuckled Approach (Boxing in England and North America)
Reading: Gorn, Manly Art, pp. 11-97.
The Manly Art, Continued
Reading: Gorn, Manly Art, pp. 98-178.
Boxing into the Early Twentieth Century
Reading: Gorn, Manly Art, pp. 179-254.
Sports on Film I: Discussion and Debate of European Sports Films
Assignment: 1-2 page review of popular sports film
Beyond a Boundary (Cricket)
Reading: James, Beyond a Boundary, pp. xi-135.
Beyond a Boundary II,
Reading: James, Beyond a Boundary, pp. 139-261.
Sports and Leisure: the Russian example
Reading: McReynolds, “Russia at Play.”
First Papers due
Student Presentations (Based on first papers and original research)
Student Presentations (Based on first papers and original research)
Student Presentations (Based on first papers and original research)
The Ocean, The Shore, The Beach, Holidays, United Kingdom and Spain
Reading: Walton, “Consuming the Beach,” pp. 272-298 ®.
“The Power of Joy (Kraft durch Freude)”: Leisure under the Nazis?
Reading: Baranowski, “Strength Through Joy,” pp. 213-236 ®.
This syllabus is subject to change.
Modern European Sports History | DIS
Draft Syllabus
Review for the Midterm (Skill Building)
Midterm I. IDs and Short Answers (Day 1)
Midterm II: Essays (Day 2)
Sports and Film II: Reel vs. Real
Reading: Journal of Sports History, vol. 41, pp. 29-54. ®
Discussion of Second Paper and Presentations
The Modern Olympics
Reading: David C. Young, “How the Amateurs Won the Olympics,” pp. 55-73.
The Nazi Games, 1936
Reading: David Clay Large, Nazi Games: the 1936 Olympic Games (first half).
N.B. Possible date for a field trip to Berlin. This can obviously be moved to fit the schedule of
DIS students and the academic program in general.
The Nazi Games, Day 2
Reading: David Clay Large, Nazi Games (second half).
1972 and beyond: Munich
Reading: C. Young, 1972 Munich Olympics and the Making of Modern Germany. (first half).
1972 and beyond
Reading: C. Young, 1972 Munich Olympics and the Making of Modern Germany. (second half).
The Modern Winter Olympics
Reading: TBA
A National-International Phenomenon: Tour de France
Reading: Thompson, Tour de France, pp. 1-94.
The Wheels Keep on Turning: Tour de France II.
Reading: Thompson, Tour de France, pp. 95-214.
All Toured Out
Reading: Thompson, Tour de France, pp. 215-268.
Sports and Violence? (Italy, UK)
Reading: Buford, Among the Thugs, pp. 11-126, 315-317.
Among the Thugs II (UK, Germany)
Reading: Buford, Among the Thugs, pp. 129-205.
Among the Thugs III: the End of a Way of Life? (Italy, UK)
Reading: Buford, Among the Thugs, 209-313.
This syllabus is subject to change.
Modern European Sports History | DIS
Draft Syllabus
The World is Round: Football (Soccer) (Europe-wide)
Reading: Foer, How Soccer Explains the World, pp. 1-140.
The Ball at Your Feet (Europe-wide)
Reading: Foer, How Soccer Explains the World, pp. 141-256.
The World Cup and European Experience
Reading: TBA.
N.B. Opportunity to attend a local football match as part of the discussions of the last several
classes).
The World Cup and European Experience, Day II.
Reading: TBA.
Women and the Beautiful Game
Reading: Tim Grainey, Beyond Bend it Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women’s
Soccer. (first half).
Women and the Beautiful Game, Day 2
Reading: Tim Grainey, Beyond Bend it Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women’s
Soccer. (second half).
Contemporary Olympics: Politics and Controversies
Reading: TBA.
Second Paper Due
Student Presentations (Based on research and second papers)
Student Presentations (Based on research and second papers)
Student Presentations (Based on research and second papers)
Gender and Race in Contemporary Sports
Reading: TBA.
Modern Sports Dilemmas
Reading: TBA.
Review of Semester and for Final Exam
Final Exam (Cumulative).
This syllabus is subject to change.
Modern European Sports History | DIS