University of Victoria / European Studies Program
EUS 301: Cultural and Intellectual Systems and Developments in Europe
Playing the Game[s]: The Olympics in European and Comparative Perspective
Fall 2014
Time and Location: Tuesday 4:30 - 7:20, in CLE D126
Instructor and Coordinator: Dr. Matt Pollard is the coordinator/administrator of the course and
is therefore responsible for the Moodle site, student evaluation, attendance records, and grade
calculation and submission. All student questions and concerns should be addressed directly to
him.
Contact Information:
E-mail: matthewp@uvic.ca
Telephone: 250 721 6328
Office Hours: Mondays 2-3 pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 9-10 am.
Description: This course will explore the cultural, political and historical phenomenon of the
Olympic Games from a variety of disciplinary and cultural perspectives, with particular
emphasis on the twentieth-century European context. By incorporating speakers from a variety
of disciplines, this multi-media course will encourage students to explore the cultural, historical
and political issues surrounding one of the most significant athletic events of the twentieth
century.
Format: Lectures, screenings, discussions and debate
Weekly/Required Readings: will be available through moodle.uvic.ca on a weekly basis. It is
expected that you should read the material before the class. You are expected and required to
keep track of the course readings by checking your e-mail and/or moodle on a regular basis.
Method of Evaluation: Student performance will be assessed on the basis of the following
criteria:
Attendance: (weekly)
Participation (ongoing)
Group Presentation: (December 3rd)
Two 40-minute tests (October 8th, November 5th)
Short Paper: (due November 19th)
Final Take-home Examination: (due Friday, December 13th)
10%
10%
15%
20%
15%
30 %
Explanation of Course Requirements
Attendance (10%) is taken every class; one unexplained absence results on the loss of one mark
out of ten. Although this percentage represents a relatively small portion of your final grade, it
is an expected and mandatory course requirement. Please be aware of the academic
regulations cited on page 31 in the University Calendar: “Students are expected to attend all
classes in which they are enrolled… /…/ Students who neglect their academic work, including
assignments, may be refused permission to write the final examination in a course”.
Students missing more than four classes in this course may be debarred without notice from
writing the final examination, and will receive an N. Students may ask for an academic
concession or extension regarding missed or late work upon providing proper documentation of
a personal or medical affliction.
Your grade for participation (10%) is largely determined by the extent to which you
demonstrate your knowledge of and interest in the material by contributing to the discussions.
The group presentation in the Battle of the Bids (20%) will require each group to select a
European destination and present to the final class a bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The details of how the groups will be composed, as well as the assignment format and criteria,
will be finalized in the first months of class.
The two short tests (10% each) are based on readings, lectures and assigned material covered
from the beginning of the course (test one) and material since test one (test two). The tests will
begin promptly at 4:30 pm in each class.
The short paper (15%) requires students to research a single topic of their choice (from a list
provided). The required length is four pages, the required number of print sources is four, and
details for the paper’s criteria will be provided.
The Final Take-home Examination (30%) will ask you to answer in essay and/or paragraph form
a set of questions provided by your instructor. The questions will ask you to synthesize course
material from the entire semester in order to take a position on an Olympic issue. The final
submission date is December 13th, hardcopy form only, and early submissions are accepted.
Grading: Grades will be issued in a numerical form and then converted into a final letter grade
according to the following scale:
A+
90-100
A
85-89
A-
80-84
B+
77-79
B
73-76
B-
70-72
C+
65-69
C
60-64
D
50-59
F
0-49
Course Policies
Accessibility Statement:
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you
have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to
approach me and/or the Resource Center for Students with a Disability (RCSD) as soon as
possible. RCSD staff members are available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide
referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs the
quicker we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.
Absences and Incomplete Work:
Regular attendance, completion of in-class tests and the punctual submission of work are
important and mandatory components of completing the course successfully.
Concessions and Documentation:
Students may ask for an academic concession, such as the rescheduling of a quiz or test or an
extension for an assignment, upon providing proper documentation of a personal or medical
affliction or of a time conflict.
Proper documentation would include a doctor’s note or a memo from Counseling Services, or a
memo from a coach, employer or faculty member. It must be dated before or close to the time
of the missed work or classes.
Add/Drop Deadlines:
It is the student’s responsibility to attend to ADD/DROP dates as published on page 6 in the
Calendar and the Undergraduate Registration Guide and Timetable. You will not be dropped
automatically from a class that you do not attend.
Withdrawals and Deferrals:
Students who miss substantial amounts of class and assignments without documentation will
be asked to withdraw, or will receive an N at the end of the semester.
Students who miss more than six classes for documented medical or personal reasons may still
be asked to apply for a backdated withdrawal. Even when the reasons for failing to meet course
requirements are valid, it is not academically sound to allow students missing significant
amounts of work to continue in the course.
Students are to familiarize themselves with the withdrawal dates on page 6 of the academic
calendar.
Students may only apply for a course deferral if a) they have serious and documented medical
or personal reasons for not completing the final exam and b) they have already completed
practically all the course requirements at the time of their application.
A Note on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
Actions such as plagiarism, multiple submissions, falsifying materials used in academic
evaluations, cheating or aiding others to cheat violate University policies on academic integrity
and are considered serious offences. You must inform yourself about the university regulations
(see the Uvic Policy on Academic Integrity on pages 33-34 of the University Calendar).
Classroom Conduct:
Since the quality of the learning environment is paramount, every student has the right to learn
and your instructor has the duty to perform his or her teaching duties in a cooperative and
effective manner.
Activities that could disrupt the learning environment for you and your instructor would include
the non-academic use of electronic devices. Students are asked to turn off their cell phones and
mp3 players during class. The appropriate use of laptops or tablets is for taking notes only.
Effective Electronic Communication:
Unlike text messaging or chat, e-mail between you and your instructor should be seen as a
professional form of correspondence. Since it is often my first impression of your writing and
communication skills, an e-mail message should not only follow the rules of spelling,
punctuation and grammar, but should also take into account the following:
How to Write an E-mail from Beginning to End:
[My apologies in advance to all who find the following completely self-explanatory]
1. Try to use an e-mail address that identifies you by name or @uvic.ca as your domain (to
avoid Spam filtering)
2. Put some information in the subject line (such as the course).
3. Use a greeting.
4. Use the phrases “please” or “thank you” when requesting information.
5. Do not send a follow-up message one hour later, asking why I did not get back to you (48
hours is a good general turnaround time).
6. Please avoid asking questions that can be answered by checking the syllabus, which is posted
on moodle.
Syllabus and Course Plan
All readings are either available though moodle.uvic.ca or online; additional materials may be
provided by the instructor.
1. Class 1: Tuesday, September 9th
Course Introduction
Reading:
1. Hoberman, John. “The Olympics: Think Again”. Foreign Policy July /August 2008, Issue 167,
pp. 22-28
2. Class 2: Tuesday, September 16th
The Ancient Olympics
Reading:
1. Miller, Stephen. Ancient Greek Athletics. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 2004. (Selections)
p. 11-19, p. 113-128
3. Class 3: Tuesday, September 23rd
Pierre de Coubertin and the Olympic Revival
Readings:
from Pierre de Coubertin 1863-1937. Olympism. Selected Writings. General Editor: Norbert
Müller. Lausanne, IOC, 2000.
1. “Why I Revived the Olympic Games” (1908) (pp. 542-546)
2. “Olympism and Education”, “Olympism as a State of Mind” (547-548)
3. “Olympia” (1929) (pp. 563-576)
4. “The Philosophic Foundation of Modern Olympism” (pp. 580-584)
5. “The Education Value of the Olympic Ceremony” (pp. 599-603)
6. “The Charter of Amateurism” (pp. 635-638)
4. Class 4: Tuesday, September 30th
The Nazi Olympics of 1936
Readings:
1. Arnd Krüger, "Germany: The Propaganda Machine," in The Nazi Olympics: Sport, Politics,
and Appeasement in the 1930s (eds. Arndt Krüger and William Murray) U. of Illinois Press, 2003.
pp. 17-43.
2. Large, David Clay. “The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936”. The Palgrave Book of Olympic Studies
(eds. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj and Stephen Wagg) Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave
MacMillan, 2012. pp. 60 - 71
5. Class 5: Tuesday, October 7th
Test I (40 minutes)
From Kampf to Krieg: Olympia (1938) and Request Concert (1940)
Reading:
1. Silbermann, Marc. “The Fascist Discourse: Eduard von Borsody’s Request Concert”. German
Cinema. Texts in Context. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 1995. pp. 67-80
6. Class 6: Tuesday, October 14th
The Political Arena: Munich 1972 and the boycotts of 1976, 1980, and 1984
Reading:
1. The Official Report of the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, pp. 32 – 39. Online at
http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/1972s1pt1.pdf
2. Smith, Red. “Olympics’ officials decided the show must go on – why?” Globe and Mail,
September 6, 1972, p. 33; ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Enter the terms : “Red Smith”
Olympics’ Munich show” in Uvic Libraries Search Everything).
3. Recent articles on the ongoing Sochi Games and worldwide reaction – including calls for a
boycott or on-site protests -- to Russia’s anti-LGBT laws t.b.a.
7. Class 7: Tuesday, October 21st
Presentation of the “Battle of the Bids” project
Commercializing the Games
Readings:
1. Alan Tomlinson, “The Commercialisation of the Olympics: Cities, Corporations, and the
Olympic Commodity,” Global Olympics: Historical and Sociological Studies of the Modern
Games. Research into the Sociology of Sport .Volume 3 (2005), 179-200.
2. Robert Barney, Stephen Wenn, Scott Martyn, Selling the Five Rings. The International
Olympic Committee and the Rise of Olympic Commercialism. Salt Lake City: the University of
Utah Press, 2004. pp. ix – xvi, 1 – 30.
3. Rick Gruneau, “Commercialism and the Modern Olympics,” in Five Ring Circus. Money,,
Power, and Politics at the Olympic Games (eds. Alan Tomlinson and Garry Whannel) London
and Sydney: Pluto Press, 1984. pp. v – x, 1 - 15
8. Class 8: Tuesday, October 28th
Guest Speaker: Serhy Yekelchyk (History / Germanic and Slavic Studies):
Soviet Sport and the 1980 Moscow Olympics
Reading:
1. Guttmann, Allen. “The Cold War and the Olympics,” International Journal 43, no. 4 (1988):
554-568.
9. Class 9: Tuesday, November 4th
Test II (40 minutes)
Owe Canada! (1976) to Oh Canada! (2010)
Reading:
1. Terrence Teixeira. “The XXI Olympiad: Canada’s Claim or Montreal’s Gain?: Political and
Social Tensions Surrounding the 1976 Montreal Olympics”. The Palgrave Book of Olympic
Studies (eds. Helen Jefferson Lenskyj and Stephen Wagg) Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave
MacMillan, 2012. pp. 120 – 133
2. Shaw, Chris. “Why Resist the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver?” Online at:
http://www.straight.com/news/chris-shaw-why-resist-2010-winter-olympics-vancouver
3. Donnelly, Peter. “Own the Podium or Rent it? Canada’s Involvement in the Global Sporting
Arms Race” Policy Options. December 2009-January 2010. pp. 41-44
Online at: www.archive.irpp.org/po/archive/dec09/donnelly.pdf
Tuesday, November 11th: Remembrance Day/ Reading Break, no class
10. Class 10: Tuesday, November 18th
Guest Speaker: Christine O’Bonsawin (History / Indigenous Studies):
Indigenous Representation(s)
Reading:
O'Bonsawin, Christine.''’No Olympics on stolen native land': contesting Olympic narratives and
asserting indigenous rights within the discourse of the 2010 Vancouver Games', Sport in Society,
13: 1 (2010). pp. 143-156. Online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17430430903377987
Short paper due
11. Class 11: Tuesday, November 25th
Arguments for or against the Olympics and the Future of the Games
Reading:
1. Yosomono, Eric. “Five Things They Don’t Want You to Know about the Olympics”. [Note: This
article is satirical and contains sexual themes and language]
http://www.cracked.com/article_19733_5-things-they-dont-want-you-to-know-aboutolympics.html
2. Dyreson, Mark. ““To Construct a Better and More Peaceful World” or “War Minus the
Shooting”? The Olympic Movement’s Second Century”. Onward to the Olympics. Historical
Perspectives on the Olympic Games. (eds. GP Schaus and S.R. Wenn) Publications of the
Canadian Institute in Greece, No. 5. Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2007. pp. 335-350
Distribution of the Take-home examination questions
Group Presentations preparation
12. Class 12: Tuesday, December 2nd
Course Evaluations
Group Presentations: Battle of the Bids
Course Conclusion
The final take-home examination is to be submitted in the Germanic and Slavic Studies office
(CLE D243) in printed form by 4 pm on Friday, December 13th.