Hagerstown Community College
OFFICIAL COURSE SYLLABUS DOCUMENT
COURSE:* PED 240-Diversity and Cultural Issues in Sport and Athletics
INSTRUCTOR: Robert T. “Bo” Myers 240-500-2367 rtmyers@hagerstowncc.edu
SEMESTER/YEAR: Fall 2012
COURSE DESCRIPTION:* PED 240 explores the progression and history of diversity and
cultural issues that have evolved in sport and athletics. The integration of public education and
the cultural changes that have occurred in American society relating to access and availability
of opportunities in sport will be examined. Students will be challenged to explore their values
and research noted experts in the field including Dr. Harry Edwards.
TEXTBOOK:*Ethics in Sport-William J. Morgan, Human Kinetics
ISBN-13-978-0-7360-6428-6
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:*The student will be able to:
 Explore selected ethical issues in sport and athletics.
 Evaluate attitudes of individuals and groups who participate in sport and athletics.
 Analyze the evolution of the culture of sport including the participants, spectators,
and society at large.
 Consider the positive and negative aspects of sport and athletics in our culture.
 Research a current topic related to ethics in sport and athletics.
Total Hours of Coursework: 45 hours classroom
To earn one academic credit at HCC, students are required to complete a minimum of 37.5 clock
hours (45 fifty-minute “academic” hours) of coursework per semester. Those hours of
coursework may be completed through a combination of hours within the classroom and hours
outside the classroom. Certain courses may require more than the 37.5 minimum hours of
coursework per credit. For most classes, students should expect to do at least 2 hours of
coursework outside of class for each hour of in-class coursework.
COURSE CONTENT OBJECTIVES:
PED 240-Diversity and Cultural Issues in Sport and Athletics will guide students through a
series of current topics relating to ethics in sport. With the explosion of media exposure
and the emphasis on winning in our society, the examination of our reasons for
participating and living vicariously through “our teams and players” will be emphasized.
Students will be challenged to examine and revise, if necessary, their positions concerning
sport and athletics as integral to the American cultural experience.
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:
4 exams-50%
1 research paper (includes oral presentation)-15%
4 directed readings and presentations-20%
COURSE NUMBER (EX. IST 102)
1
DATE
1 case study-15%
90-100-A
80-89-B
70-79-C
60-69-D
Below 60-F
COURSE POLICIES:
Students are expected to attend all classes. In case of an emergency or participation in college
functions, the student must confer with the instructor to make up missed work. Further it is the
student’s responsibility to withdraw officially from any class which he/she ceases to attend.
Failure to follow this procedure will result in the recording of an “F” grade.
TOPICAL OUTLINE: See attached
CONTACT INFORMATION: rtmyers@hagerstowncc.edu 240-500-2367 ARCC 210
Services for Students with Special Needs: Students who have special needs are encouraged to
identify themselves to the Coordinator of Disability Services as early as possible. Reasonable
accommodations based on current documentation are provided to qualified students.
COURSE NUMBER (EX. IST 102)
2
DATE
Attachment
The professor reserves the right to adjust the topical outline at any time. The nature of the
course is to be current and topics of relevance will be substituted when necessary.
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What is Ethics? How is sport a microcosm of society?
What is a game? What are rules and why do they change?
Winning and losing. The ethical consideration of the outcome.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic rewards. Can we win while losing?
How are sport and athletics preserved internally and externally?
Working around the rules. The spirit vs. the letter of the rules
Ego and sport. Are athletes defined by their play?
Drugs and doping in sport. What is fair and what was fair before fiberglass vaulting
poles?
Title IX of the US Code and how the landscape has changed. Good or bad?
Gambling on the outcome of contests. If we win does it matter by how much?
The NCAA and other umbrella organizations. What is their role? Why do we need more
rules?
Athletic scholarships. Are they awarded for scholars?
Exploring the “Black Power Movement” and how it changed sport.
The Olympics: Culture awareness through sport and athletics.
COURSE NUMBER (EX. IST 102)
3
DATE