FSP 131-06 First-Year Senlinar
Baseball and American Culture
Fall 2007
Tuesday, Friday 10:00 - 11:20, Bliss 114
David Venturo
Office:
Bliss 220
Telephone: 771-2155
E-mail: dventuro@tcnj.edu
Baseball is often sentimentalized as a timeless and unchanging game. In fact, baseball,
especially professional baseball, is deeply rooted in time, and, over the last 150years, changes in
how the game has been played, administered, financed, and promoted reflect larger changes and
trends in American culture. With baseball as its focus, this seminar explores topics in American
culture including race, ethnicity, immigration, labor-management relations, industrialization and
urbanization, "scientific" business practices, growth of the mass media and public relations, as
well as tendencies to mythologize and sentimentalize the game. Particular areas of discussion
include the invention and interpretation of baseball statistics, Negro League baseball, the
integration of major league baseball in the late 1940s, the rise of the Players' Association, the
end of the reserve clause, strikes and lockouts, the development of the modern "farm" system,
the function of the baseball commissioner, and financial politics of the game.
Be prepared for substantial and challenging reading. This course covers its ground
intensively, and many students will find the assigned works more interesting and enjoyable if
they keep up with the reading, since class discussion is central to the course. In addition,
attendance and active participation are crucial factors taken into account for the final grade.
Therefore, if you sense problems developing which might affect your class work, please let me
know as they arise. More than two unexcused absences or more than three absences of any
kind (barring documented family crises or health problems) may adversely affect your grade.
Mentoring: Because this is a first-year seminar, you will be expected to meet with me regularly
during the semester for gUidance and advice on your papers and to discuss your progress in the
course and your academic adjustment to life at The College of New Jersey.
The written work for this class consists of three short (4- to 5-page) papers, a longer ('" 10- to
12-page)final paper, and several (1- to 2-page) feedback assignments. The paper assignments
are designed to help you learn the art of researching a scholarly project: to read through
primary and secondary sources; to identify important topics of debate and discussion in the
discipline; to create your own topic for exploration within the context of those discussions and
debates; and then to research and write a paper which demonstrates mastery of sources and
methodologies. The papers are also designed to help you distinguish between research and
mere reporting. I expect to meet with you as you draft your papers in order to help qulde you
through your research and writing. Some class time will be devoted to such important lessons as
the crafting of thesis statements, the use of topics sentences, the construction of arguments, and
the citing and framing of sources. The feedback assignments, which explore various topics
between major assignments, consist of one-to-two page papers that will be turned as indicated.
In addition, everyone will be expected to make a 20-minute oral presentation, a ten-minute
response to a presentation, and an end-of-course presentation. You will have an opportunity to
choose topics for presentations and responses during our third class meeting on September 7.
Presentations and responses will be evaluated for their clarity, originality, research, and rhetorical
effectiveness. Papers will be evaluated based on clarity and focus of argument and effectiveness
in your use of primary and secondary sources in support of your thesis. In addition, your papers
will be graded for style and mechanics. Sloppy writing and proofreading will adversely affect
your grade, so write and revise with care. Unexcused late papers will be penalized, so please
turn in your papers ON lIME-at the start of class in class on the day due. You will receive a
reserve reading list along with this syllabus. You will be expected to consult and use, but by no
means restrict yourself to, these sources as you write your papers and prepare your
presentations. In addition, you will be expected to document properly your use of sources using
Chicago or MLA style. The Chicago ManualofStyle(15th ed.) and the MLA Handbook for Writers
ofResearch Papers (6th ed.) are available in the Reference Room of the newTCNJ Library.
Final grades will be based on performance in the following areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Firstpaper (20% of final grade)
Second or third paper (Choose one) (25% of final grade)
Final paper (30% of final grade)
Class participation, including presentations, responses, and feedback assignments
(25% of final grade)
This syllabus also is available on the Web at: www.tcnj.edu/tvdventuro
Texts:
Burk, Robert F. NeverJust a Game: Players, Owners, and American Baseball to 1920
(Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001) ISBN: 0807849618
Gelzheizer, Robert P. Laborand Capitalin 1!Jh CenturyBaseball(Jefferson: McFarland, 2006)
ISBN: 078642169X
Korr, Charles P. The End ofBaseball As We KnewIt: The Players Union, 1946-81
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2005) ISBN: 025207274X
Lewis, Michael. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (New York: W.W. Norton, 2004)
ISBN: 0393324818
Lipson, Charles. CiteRight: A QUick Guide to Citation Styles-MLA, Chicago, the Sciences,
Professions, and More(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006) ISBN: 0226484750
Rader, Benjamin G. Baseball: A History ofAmerica's Game. 2nd ed. (Urbana: University of Illinois
Press, 2002) ISBN: 0252070135
Tygiel, Jules. Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy. Expanded Edition
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) ISBN: 0195106202
Tygiel, Jules. Past Time: Baseball As History(New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)
ISBN: 0195146042
White, G. Edward. Creating the NationalPastime: Baseball Transforms Itself, 1903-1953
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998) ISBN: 0691058857
Reading and Paper Assignments
WeekI
T
Aug. 28
Introduction to course.
F
Aug. 31
Tygiel, Past nme, pp. 3-14.
T
Sept. 4
Monday classes meet this Tuesday.
F
Sept. 7
Tygiel, Past Time, pp. 15-34. Choose presentation and response
topics.
Week II
Week III
sept. 11*
Gelzheiser, Laborand Capital, pp. 35-70. Feedback assignment due.
F
Gelzheiser, Laborand Capital, pp. 71-99.
T
Sept. 14
Week IV
sept. 18*
T
Gelzheiser, Laborand Capital, pp. 100-145. First paper due.
Sept. 21
Gelzheiser, Laborand Capital, pp. 146-173.
T
Sept. 25
Burk, NeverJusta Game, pp. 116-177.
F
Sept. 28
Burk, NeverJust a Game, pp. 178-209.
F
Week V
Week VI
T
Oct. 2
Burk, NeverJust a Game, pp. 210-240.
F
Tygiel, Past Time, pp. 64-86. Second paper due.
Oct. 5*
Week VII
T
Oct. 9
White, Creating the National Pastime, pp. 47-126.
F
White, Creating the National Pastime, pp. 160-189, 206-244.
Oct. 12
Week VIII
T
Oct. 15
F
Oct. 19
White, Creating the National Pastime, pp. 127-159.
Tygiel, Baseball's Great Experiment, pp. 3-70.
Tygiel, Past nme, pp. 87-115.
Week IX
T
Oct. 23
Fall Break: No Classes.
F
Oct. 26*
Tygiel, Baseball's Great Experiment, pp. 71-143. Third paper due.
Week X
T
Oct. 30
Tygiel, Baseball's GreatExperiment, pp. 144-208.
F
Nov. 2+
White, Creating the NationalPastime, pp. 275-315. Proposal and
bibliography due.
Week XI
T
Nov. 6
F
Nov. 9
Week XII
T
Nov. 13*
Tygiel, Past Time, pp. 165-97.
Korr, The End ofBaseball as We KnewIt, pp. 1-67.
Korr, The End ofBaseball as We KnewIt, pp. 68-130. Feedback
assignment due.
Nov. 16
Korr, The End ofBaseball as We KnewIt, pp. 131-185.
Week XIII
T
Nov. 20
Korr, The End ofBaseball as We KnewIt, pp. 186-266.
F
F
Nov. 23
Week XIV
T
Nov. 27
F
Nov. 30
Thanksgiving Break.
Lewis, Moneyball, pp. xi-xv, 3-96.
Lewis, Moneyball, pp. 97-161.
Week XV
T
Dec. 4
Lewis, Moneyball, pp. 162-216.
F
Dec. 7#
Lewis, Moneyball, pp. 217-286. Final paper due.
*indicates due date of feedback assignment.
*indicates due date of a short paper.
+indicates due date of proposal and working bibliography for final paper.
#indicates due date of final paper.
Reserve Listfor Baseball and American Culture
Please note: The RESERVE BOOKS are intended to help you with class assignments,
discussions, and papers. They are to be used IN THE UBRARY. They DO NOT ORCULATE.
Please DO NOT WRITE in these (or any other) library books.
fnitruclor: VENTURO
Course: FSP I]106
. PAGE I
~
CALL #
GV862.3.L54 1997
GV862.5.B56 2005
'ITrLE
THE FOLLOWING ARE THREE HC)UR
RESERVE
Light
Block
GV863.AIA372002
GV863.A IA4 1996
GV863.A 1G66 1989
GV863.AIK562003
Alexander
Alexander
"Goldstein
Kirsch
GV863.AIKS72007
Kirsch
GV863.AIK661998
GV863.AIL262006
Koppett
Lamster
GV863.AIM353 1999
GV863.AIP43 1993
GV863.AIR332002
GV863.A 1RS6 1979
Marshall
Pearson
Rader
Ritter
GV863.AIR671999
Rossi
GV863.AIR93 1998
Ryczek
GV863.AIS481960+
V.l
GV863.A 1S48 1960+
v.2
GV863.A 1S48 1960+
v.3
GV863.Al T93 2002
Seymour
The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball
Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of
the Game
Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Depression Era
Our Game: An American Baseball History
Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball
Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime"
During the Civil War
Baseball and Cricket: The Creation of American Team
Sports: 1838-72
Koppett's Concise History of Maior League Baseball
Spalding's World Tour: The Epic Adventure That Took
Baseball Around the Globe-And Made it America's
Game
Baseball's Pivotal Era: 1945-1951
Baseball in 1889: Players vs. Owners
Baseball: A History of America's Game
The Image of Their Greatness: An IJIustrated History of
Baseball From 1900 to the Present
A Whole New Game: Off the Field Changes in Baseball:
1946-1960
When Johnny Came Sliding Home: The Post-Civil War
Baseball Boom: 1865-1870
Baseball: The Early Years
Seymour
Baseball: The Golden Age
Seymour
Baseball: The People's Game
"
Tygiel
GV863.A 1T94 2000
GV863.AIW4471996
Tygiel
GV863.AIW4481995
White
GV863.NSDS3 1991
DiClerico
GV863.P4
Peterson
White
;
.
Extra Bases: Reflections on Jackie Robinson, Race, and
Baseball History
Past Time: Baseball as History
Creating the National Pastime; BaseballTransforms
Itself: 1903·1953
Sol White's History of Colored Baseball, with Other
Documentson the Early Black Game: 1886-1936
The Jersey Game: The" History of Modem Baseball
From Birth to the Big Leagues in the Garden State
Only the Ball Was White
Its
,
THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY LIBRARY
RESERVE DEPARTMENT
Instructor: VENTURO
Course' FSP 13106 PAGE 2
CALL #
AUTHOR
GV863.AIH45 1994
GV863.25.AIJ262000
GV863.25.AIG651999
GV863.29.AID655
1991
GV865.AIK4352000
Kelley
GV865.AIK4461998
Kelley
GV865.AIR5
Ritter
GV865.AIW5452005
Wilson
GV865.C6A65 1984
GV865.F45B45 2006
Alexander
BeIth
GV865.G68A32001
GV865.J29F542001
GV865.K78A3 1987
GV865.M325094 1998
Greenberg
Fleitz
Kuhn
Overmyer
GV865.M38E53
GV865.R6A291972
GV865.R6E352007
Einstein
Robinson
Eig
GV865.R6R341997
GV865.R6T93 1997
Rampersad
Tygiel
GV865.R8C73
GV865.R8M562006
GV865.R8S62 1975
GV865.V4A3
GV865.W34Z351995
Creamer
Montville
Smelser
Veeck
Zang
GV865.W75D482003
GV867.T665 1987
GV867.3.L68
Devine
Tomlinson
Lowenfish
Helyar
Jamail
Echevvaria
Klein
TITLE
THE FOLLOWING ARE THREE HOUR
RESERVE
Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball
Full Count: Inside Cuban Baseball
The Pride of Havana: a History of Cuban Baseball
Sugarball: The American Game, the Dominican Dream
The Negro Leagues Revisited: Conversations with 66
More Baseball Heroes
Voices From the Negro Leagues: Conversations with 52
Baseball Standouts
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days
of Baseball Told By the Men Who Played it
Early Latino Ballplayers in the United States: Major,
Minor, and Negro Leagues, 1901-1949
Tv Cobb
Stepping Up: The Story of Curt Flood and His Fight For
Baseball Players' Rights
Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life
Shoeless: The Life and Times of Joe Jackson
Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner
Queen of the Negro Leagues: Effa Manley and the
Newark Eagles
Willie's Time
I Never Had it Made
Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First
Season
Jackie Robinson: A Biography
Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His
Legacy
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life
The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth
The Life that Ruth Built: A Biography
Veeck - As in Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck
Fleet Walker's Divided Heart: The Life of Baseball's
First Black Major Leaguer
Harry Wright: The Father of Professional Base Ball
The Baseball Research Handbook
The Imperfect Diamond: The Story of Baseball's
Reserve System and the Men Who Fought to Change It
..
THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY LIBRARY
RESERVE DEPARTMENT
Instructor: VENTURO
Course' FS» 13106 PAGE .3
.
CALL #
AUTHOR
GV867.6.B482003
Bevis
GV867.64.G642001
GV87l.M432006
GV875.AIG452006
GV875.AIP372001
Gmelch
McNeil
Gelzheiser
Parrott
GV875.A3N3662004
Macdonald
GV875.C58C372006
Carney
GV875.C58N382005
Nathan
GV875.C6A8 1987
Asinof
-.
GV875.C65G871998
Guschov
GV875.K29B781985
Bruce
GV875.N35H432003
GV875.N35L362004
Heaphy
Lanctot
GV875.N35R53 1995
GV875.N42P732006
Ribowsky
Prager
GV875.P55K672006
Koszarek
GV875.S28M42 1978
Mead
GV880.B8692001
Burk
GV880.B87 1994
Burk
GV880.L49 2003
GV880.M57 1991
Lewis
Miller
GV880.P69 2003
Powers
TITLE
THE FOLLOWING ARE THREE HOUR
RESERVE
Sunday Baseball: The Major Leagues' Struggle to Play
Baseball on the Lord's Day, 1876-1934
Inside Pitch: Life in Professional Baseball
The Evolution of Pitching in Major League Baseball
Labor and Capital in 19111 Century Baseball
The Lords of Baseball: A Wry look at a Side of the
Game the Fan Seldom Sees - the Front Office
The League That Lasted: 1876 and the Founding of the
National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs
Burying the Black Sox: How Baseball's Cover-Up of
the 1919 World Series Fix Almost Succeeded
Saying It's So: A Cultural History of the Black Sox
Scandal
Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World
Series
The Red Stockings of Cincinnati: Base Ball's First AlIProfessional Team
The Kansas City Monarchs: Champions of Black
Baseball
The Negro Leagues: 1869-1960
Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin ofa Black
Institution
A Complete History of the Negro Leagues: 1884-1955
The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of
Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard
Around the World
The Players League: History, Clubs, Ballplayers and
Statistics
Even the Browns: The Zany, True Story of Baseball in
the Early Forties
Much More Than a Game: Players, Owners & American
Baseball Since 1921
Never Just a Game: Players, Owners, and American
Baseball to 1920
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
A Whole Different Ball Game: The Sport and Business
of Baseball
The Business of Baseball
Grading Rubric
Grading papers is an art, not a science. The following table, therefore, provides guidelines only. It breaks
down the course's grading criteria into four categories: argument, evidence, style, and mechanics. These
are not, however, entirely discrete categories, and, in fact, your performance in one area may very well
affect your performance in another. For example, readers may have difficulty grasping your argument if
they have to struggle to understand the sentences that convey it. Sometimes an overwhelmingly good or
bad performance in one area may outweigh other factors.
CRITERIA
ARGUMENT
EVIDENCE
STYLE
MECHANICS/
GRAMMAR
A
Argument clearly stated at
beginning and developed
logically throughout the
paper to a conclusion.
Paragraphs organized
around concepts with
strong topic sentences.
Argument is bold, fresh,
and compelling.
Extensive and varied factual
evidence supports argument.
No significant omissions,
irrelevancies, or errors of fact.
Quoted and paraphrased
material is introduced fluidly,
with varying and helpful
framing.
Excellent prose style:
clear, elegant, persuasive.
Language and phrasing
are precise and, in some
cases, memorable.
Writer has an identifiable
and coherent voice.
Minimal errors in
grammar, spelling,
punctuation, etc.
B
Argument generally clear,
but some digressions or
failures to develop fully to
a conclusion. Papers in the
B-/C+ range generally
have a routine argument,
one that rehashes class
discussion rather than
breaking new ground.
Generally good evidence, but
some lack of variety of sources,
errors of omission, and/ or
irrelevant data. Quoted and
paraphrased material is framed
properly, though at times
mechanically.
Clear, serviceable prose
that does not obscure
understanding. Writer
has used varying
sentence patterns,
although the sentences
lack the rhythm and
precision of an A paper.
Writer's voice is
emerging.
Occasional errors
such as
typographical
errors, spell ing
mistakes, and
inappropriate use
ofthe passive
voice.
C
Argument is implied, but
not explicitly stated and/or
not well developed to a
conclusion. When
organized, paragraphs and
topic sentences emphasize
sequence (time, scenes,
etc.) rather than concepts.
Unnecessary plot
summary. These papers
often recognize an image
or thematic pattern and
display that pattern, but do
not advance an argument.
Some evidence, but excessive
dependence on a single scene or
source, substantial omissions or
irrelevancies, and/or minor
errors of fact. Quoted and
paraphrased materials are
dropped into the text without
adequate attribution or framing.
Understandable writing,
but sometimes vague,
wooden, or choppy.
Sentences are
haphazardly constructed,
giving the impression
that the writer has little
control.
Repeated,
significant errors
which detract from
overall effect of
paper or suggest a
wavering
commitment to the
assignment. *
D
Argument is barely
discernable and/or poorly
developed.
Very little, or largely irrelevant
evidence, and/or substantial
errors of fact. Problems in
quoted and paraphrased
material ranging from
misquotations to passages that
arouse suspicions of plagiarism.
Writing is confusing,
vague, and/or hard to
understand.
Frequent and
serious errors
which make paper
hard to understand
or suggest a
profound lack of
commitment to the
assignment. *
GRADE
F
No discernable argument
or paper totally digresses
from argument.
Virtually no relevant evidence
and/or very serious errors of
fact. Problems in quoted and
paraphrased material that
indicate irrelevance or
plagiarism.
Writing is nearly
unintelligible.
Massive errors
which render paper
nearly
unintelligible. *
*Note: At this level, my response to errors in mechanics, grammar, spelling, and diction will be targeted,
not comprehensive.
Students who clearly do not understand a grammatical or stylistic principle (e.g., passive voice, comma
splice) will not be markedly penalized before the problem is noted; once the instructor has explained the
principle (in class, in office hours, or in comments on a paper), repetition of these errors in future
assignments may significantly reduce students' grades.
Class Discussion/Participation: You are expected to read the assignments with enough care and
thought to participate productively in all class activities including class discussions, presentations, and
peer-response assignments. This doesn't mean you are necessarily expected to understand everything you
read, but you should be ready to voice your questions, doubts, and points of confusion as well as your
conclusions and insights. Regular attendance and willingness to participate meaningfully are crucial to
your success. More than two unexcused absences or more than three absences of any kind (barring
documented family crises or health problems) may adversely affect your grade.
Final Exam: In lieu of a final examination, you will make an end-of-course presentation during
finals week. It should be based on the research done for your final paper and will be graded on both depth
of insight and clarity of presentation.
Attendance: Absence is excused only for those reasons recognized as valid by the College and
outlined in the Student Handbook. If you are absent for a legitimate reason, you are still expected to get
assignments from classmates. If you miss more than two classes, you are required to meet with me to
arrange a schedule of writing assignments to make up for missed time. If you miss more than three classes,
your class participation grade may be seriously affected.
Plagiarism and Academic Honesty: All students are expected to be familiar with, and adhere to, the
College's policies regarding academic integrity as well as the definition and description of plagiarism on the
College's Writing Program homepage. Technical plagiarism (i.e., sloppy, incomplete, or erroneous citation
of consulted materials) can result in failure of an assignment. Instances of suspected academic dishonesty
will be dealt with in conjunction with the College's Office of Academic Integrity.