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Sports in Society: SOC 380 Summer 2024 Instructor: Dr. Amy Lubitow, Department of Sociology Email: [email protected] Course Description: This course provides an examination of the intersection of sport and society: implications of class, race, and gender-based social issues in youth, college, and/or professional sport structures. The course is grounded in sociological research and requires critical thinking to investigate the links between many of the major issues facing sport organizations today. Course Objectives:

● Cultivate a critical perspective in relation to sports and sports culture in U.S. society ● Explore theories of race, class and gender as they relate to sports culture ● Complete a two-part ethnographic research project

Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this class will be well-versed in intersectional sociological theories, will have completed their mini-ethnography project, and will have increased understanding of the linkages between the socio-historical dynamics of the U.S. that impacts sports culture. Course Materials: All readings for this course will be posted on Canvas. Course Commitment: This is a fully online asynchronous course. All course activity is done online; there are no required synchronous meetings (e.g. no Zoom meetings where the entire class is required to attend). As a general rule, in any 4-credit course, students are expected to spend 4 hours per week in the classroom and 8-12 additional hours per week doing coursework outside the classroom. Since this class does not meet in the classroom you should expect to spend between 14-16 hours per week completing required coursework. Flexibility & Late assignments: In order to ensure a fair academic environment, please note that no exceptions will be made regarding the course guidelines as well as the methods of student evaluation. There are no make-up quizzes and no extra credit offered in this course. Online Classroom Climate: As scholars at Portland State, the free and open exchange of ideas in classrooms is expected and considered necessary for learning. Students are free to express either agreement or disagreement without fear of consequences. This does not mean that the instructor or other students may not challenge your views or disagree with them, but it does mean that you will experience no consequence for disagreeing with anyone, especially the instructor. Additionally, online discussions can easily be environments that are unfair to some students. This does not mean that people cannot disagree or have emotions connected to their words. What this does mean is that we all need to be sensitive, appreciative, and respectful no matter how strongly we might agree or disagree. The goal is to create a psychologically safe space in which everyone feels that they can participate in this course. Academic Honesty: When you draw ideas from someone else, you need to cite the source in the text and provide a references section. For this course, appropriate citations are essential, but any style of citation is acceptable. Note that readings listed in the syllabus and the examples below

use the American Sociological Association (ASA) style. If you use a direct quote (i.e. someone else’s written or spoken words), you must include it in quotation marks. Any time you take a direct quote, as well as when you summarize or paraphrase an idea from another person, you must cite the source and include a references section at the end of the paper. Failure to cite your sources, whether intentional or not, is plagiarism. How to avoid plagiarizing: ● Rule #1: If you use another person’s ideas, cite your source in the text (author last name and

year) ● Rule #2: If you use another person’s exact words, put those words in quotation marks AND

cite your source in the text (author last name and year) Access for students with disabilities: If you have, or think you may have, a disability that may affect your work in this class and feel you need accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center to schedule an appointment and initiate a conversation about reasonable accommodations. The DRC is located in 116 Smith Memorial Student Union, 503-725-4150, [email protected], https://www.pdx.edu/disability-resource-center/ If you already have accommodations, please contact me to make sure that I have received a faculty notification letter and to discuss your accommodations. Title IX Reporting: As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment for my students and for the campus as a whole. Please be aware that as a faculty member, I have the responsibility to report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. If you would rather share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, you can find a list of those individuals on PSU’s Enrollment Management & Student Affairs: Sexual Prevention & Response website at http://www.pdx.edu/sexual-assault. For more information about Title IX please complete the required student module “Creating a Safe Campus: Preventing Gender Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Assault” in the “My Courses” section of Canvas. Basic Needs at Portland State: It can be challenging to do your best in class if you have trouble meeting basic needs like safe shelter, sleep, and nutrition. Resource centers across campus are here to provide assistance, referrals, and support. Please contact anyone on this list for assistance:

● Basic Needs Hub: [email protected] ● Portland State Food Pantry: https://psufp.com, [email protected] ● C.A.R.E. Team: [email protected], (503) 725-4422 ● Student Health & Counseling: [email protected], (503) 725-2800

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Portland State is located on the traditional homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, Watlala bands of the Chinook, the Tualatin Kalapuya, and many other indigenous nations of t he Columbia River. We acknowledge the ancestors of this place and understand that we are here because of the sacrifices forced upon them. We recognize and honor the past, present, and future of these communities.

Required Coursework

Summary Weekly Hypothesis Annotations 25 points each Due Sunday night Weekly Reading Reflection 25 points each Due Sunday night Ethnography Research project 3 parts, 125 points Due Sunday night weeks 1, 3, 4

Hypothesis Annotations (100 points total): Due each Sunday by 11:59pm • You must annotate one reading, in addition to the assigned readings, online. • Because annotations are about a group conversation, late annotations will not be graded. Hypothesis is an online learning tool that will allow us to collectively read and annotate current, topical readings together. To use this tool, simply click on the reading link posted in each weekly module. Once you start highlighting text, a dialogue box will pop up and you can type comments or attach links. Hypothesis Grading: I expect you to complete at least 3 actions each week. An action can be a question, a comment, an answer, some context you looked up and wanted to add – each of these is an annotation, and therefore an “action”. Additionally, each of your “actions” should be: • Constructive: It’s made in good faith to build up and add value to the people reading the text. It

can be a question, answer, or informative comment. Good questions cannot be answered in a few words and might help someone else with a similar question or another student looking to make a comment. Good answers are thoughtful. Good arguments are productive, allowing for the possibility of misunderstanding on all sides, creating spaces for further understanding

• Considerate: At no point will a student be the target of a dismissive or otherwise negative comment; a failure to respectfully engage in this process will negatively impact your grade.

• Substantive: It is more than a very short reply. “I agree,” or “Why?” will not count toward your three actions, though you can post any number of smaller annotations as you would like. They just won’t count for your “three actions.”

Additional suggestions for your annotations • Answer a question from the instructor or another student • Pose a question for other students to answer • Identify a key term and provide a definition; the definition can be paraphrased or quoted

from the current reading, paraphrased or quoted from other course material (cite the source), or paraphrased or quoted from outside sources (cite the source)

• Identify an idea you find interesting or surprising (and tell us why) • Identify an idea you agree with (and tell us why) • Identify an idea you disagree with (and tell us why) • Identify a concept or point that you do not understand (first tell us what you do understand

and then ask for clarification on what you do not understand) • Provide information or a link that would enhance other students’ understanding of the

material (images, memes, GIFs, and other links to outside sources are encouraged!) Additional instructions • Make exactly three annotations

• Each annotation should be about one to three sentences long. If you post an image or link, just give a one sentence description of how it relates to the text you highlighted

• Each annotation must be substantive, adding to our collective work of understanding the reading (e.g. “I agree” is not a sufficient annotation)

• An annotation can include annotating a new segment of text and annotating it OR replying to a question or comment in an annotation from the instructor, TA, or another student

• If a comment or question has already been addressed, you can still give another answer if you are adding something new

• Comments must be respectful to individuals and groups. • We are all here to learn. Please "call in" rather than "call out" misinformed and/or offensive

comments by explaining the issue to the original poster (and to other students who will read the comment).

Annotation Grading Rubric: You can earn up to 10 points each week Full points : You make 3 different, high quality actions that connect to other course concepts or materials, and you have substantive annotation comments that meet the above expectations. While it is okay to express your opinion or thoughts in these posts, people earning full credit on the assignment will spend more of their posts talking about key concepts, making connections to other readings, or posing thoughtful questions to their peers. Partial points: You can earn partial points on these weekly assignments. Reading Reflections (100 points total): Due each Sunday by 11:59pm Too often, when we read the words on a page we do not fully integrate that new information into our existing knowledge structure. Research in cognitive science and learning tells us that “deep learning” requires that the learner reflect on new knowledge and create personal meaning from it. To help us reflect more deeply on readings in this course, we will use reading reflections. For each of the two main readings for the week (see below for which readings), you must respond to two of the following three questions: What is the Main Point? Reading assignments often contain a lot of information. What is the main concept that the author is trying to get across? This may, or may not, have been explicitly stated in the reading. Why did the author choose to emphasize this point, and not some other? Your response is not a summary of the chapter, but an analysis of it in a way that creates new meaning for you. What is Surprising? Your response to this question should be reflective. Did you learn something that is in conflict with your previous notions of the world? Did you learn something that fascinates you in a way that you didn’t expect? How does this new knowledge connect with material in other courses, or with other parts of your life? Responses must also clearly explain “why.” What is Confusing? Responses to this question require careful reading and reflection; it is only though the process of reconciling new information with our existing knowledge structure that we become aware of inconsistencies, or “gaps” in our understanding. Responses to this question should be specific and actionable – that is they should outline a clear path to understanding. Responses must also clearly explain “why.”

Additional Assignment Notes: • Please clarify which reading you are reflecting on. This can be with a heading or with a

simple statement of the article title and author. Use of direct quotes from the reading is encouraged, but not required. If you do use a direct quote, please use a page number.

• Be sure to reflect on BOTH of the week’s primary readings using the questions above to guide you.

• For EACH of the two journal articles/book chapters for the week, you should write between 500-750 words reflecting on the reading material. This means a total of 1000-1500 words for each weekly reflection.

• Please use complete sentences and pay attention to the word count. All other formatting decisions are up to you.

• Reflections can include references to the lecture, hypothesis or assigned media content, but the main goal of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your engagement with the sociological research articles assigned for class. This term, these are:

o Week 1 Readings: Delaney & Madigan 2021 and Townsend & Cushion 2021 o Week 2: Oluo 2020 and Carter-Francique & Richardson 2016 o Week 3: Weaving & Samson 2018 and Newhall 2021 o Week 4: Broussard 2020 and Fenton et al. 2023

Ethnography Project: SOC 380

This three-part project asks you to examine, observe and analyze a live sports event. This event can be formal, informal, professional, recreational, youth or adult-- as long as there is a collective group of people playing a physical game or sport and there are observers/crowd of some kind, this will be a sufficient site.

● Research Proposal: Due week 1 (25 points) ● Fieldnotes: Due Week 3 (75 points) ● Final paper: Due Week 4 (75 points)

Limitation: You must be an observer of the event, not an active participant (e.g. you cannot write the ethnography about your experience playing in a pick -up basketball game, but you could observe others playing pickup basketball. This is because part of ethnography is active observation and note taking.

This 3-part project asks you to propose a research site, make two hours of observations and submit fieldnotes about your observations, and then complete a final ethnographic paper.

Part 1: Research Proposal The proposal asks you to: propose a research site, reflect on why you want to research this particular event/community/subculture; what you already know about it, what you hope to discover, and why it is important to for the rest of us to pay attention to what you discover in your research.

Your proposal should be 1500-1800 words and include the following sections:

Section 1: Observation Site • What event will you be observing? • Who is your main focus in the site (players? Umpires/officials? Spectators?) • What attracted your interest this community as a site for ethnographic research - a personal

experience, a personal question, a personal connection?

Section 2: Explore your assumptions about this event/sport/community. • Are there value judgments you think people make about this community? • What do YOU instinctively think about when you think about this community/site/event?

Section 3: Sociological Significance • How do you see your research in and about this community as connected wider issues,

themes or ideas in society? • What do you believe you can learn about as a result of studying this community and your

interaction in this community? • Do you expect that you might challenge or confirm any of the assumptions you discussed in

section two as you explore this topic/site?

Section 4: Focus/Thesis Statement An effective formula to start a thesis statement (and this focus may change over time, but it’s a starting point) is to acknowledge general understandings or assumptions about your site and then turn to ask some potential research questions. Here is a non-sports example:

“Most people don’t think of their everyday city bus route as a community at all. Instead, they just see a bunch of individuals getting on public transportation to get where they are going. On my bus route, though, I think there is something more complex going on in terms of how regular passengers learn to interact as a kind of community of strangers. I’m interested in exploring just how community might be defined on city busses, how it is formed, and what the behaviors of the passengers tell us about city life and Midwest USA patterns of behavior overall.”

Section 5: Data Collection Plan • Where and when do you plan to make observations? You should observe for 2 hours total! • Do you have the access you will need? • Do you anticipate any difficulties “entering” the site? • Will you observe or interview or do both of those things? • How and why do you plan to participate or not participate in social interaction on the site? • How will you take notes or observations (on your phone, on paper, something else)?

Section 6: Existing Research In this section, consider what types of existing research (secondary sources -- academic books & journal articles) you might use to gain insight into what is going on in your site and to explore the connection between that space and wider society. What disciplines might you explore (anthropology, urban studies, history, sociology, political science, international relations, ethnomusicology, women and gender studies...) and why? What types of media or popular culture sources might provide additional contextual information? Don’t be afraid to theorize connections here. These ideas may change as you conduct your research, but you must begin to wonder about these things in your proposal You do not need to list specific sources here, but you must describe how you think particular types of source material will be helpful and why. In other words, where/how do you anticipate conducting your secondary source research and why are you heading in that direction?

Section 7: Why Does this Matter? Conclude with a specific discussion of why the consideration of your research site matters to the rest of us. What do we stand to discover or gain as a result of your ethnographic inquiry and research? What does this help us to see, to experience, or to understand? Why should this matter to us? This is the “so what” of your research proposal.

Part 2: Observation and Fieldnotes Once you have selected your research study site and received approval from Amy, make a plan to attend the event/match/practice as an observer. • You must make observations for a minimum of two hours total- consider if one event will

last a sufficient amount of time or if you need to observe two events (e.g. a shorter youth sports game may require two separate observations).

• Be prepared to take brief notes/reminders/jottings by hand or on your phone during your observation.

• Immediately after your observation, write fieldnotes. • Length of field notes will vary but aim for 2,000-3,000 words.

Fieldnotes are written or recorded observations collected by writers, researchers, or anyone else doing fieldwork like anthropologists, ecologists, geologists, ethnographers, and journalists. Think of them as data — qualitative data. Field notes can be written descriptions, sketches, photographs, audio recordings, or anything else that helps us document and preserve information. They are basically the raw data and information we collect to help us analyze, interpret, and write.

All field notes generally consist of two parts:

1. Descriptive information, in which you attempt to accurately document factual data [e.g., date and time] along with the settings, actions, behaviors, and conversations that you observe; and,

2. Reflective information, in which you record your thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns during the observation.

Note that field notes should be fleshed out as soon as possible after an observation is completed. Your initial notes may be recorded in cryptic form with reminders on paper or on the Notes app on your phone and, unless additional detail is added as soon as possible after the observation, important facts and opportunities for fully interpreting the data may be lost.

Characteristics of Field Notes

• Be accurate. You only get one chance to observe a particular moment in time so, before you conduct your observations, practice taking notes in a setting that is similar to your observation site in regards to number of people, the environment, and social dynamics. This will help you develop your own style of transcribing observations quickly and accurately.

• Be organized. Taking accurate notes while you are actively observing can be difficult. Therefore, it is important that you plan ahead how you will document your observation study [e.g., strictly chronologically or according to specific prompts]. Notes that are disorganized will make it more difficult for you to interpret the data.

• Be descriptive. Use descriptive words to document what you observe. For example, instead of noting that a classroom appears "comfortable," state that the classroom includes soft lighting and cushioned chairs that can be moved around by the students. Being descriptive

means supplying yourself with enough factual evidence that you don't end up making assumptions about what you meant when you write the final report.

• Focus on the research problem. Since it's impossible to document everything you observe, focus on collecting the greatest detail that relates to the research problem and the theoretical constructs underpinning your research; avoid cluttering your notes with irrelevant information. For example, if the purpose of your study is to observe the discursive interactions between nursing home staff and the family members of residents, then it would only be necessary to document the setting in detail if it in some way directly influenced those interactions [e.g., there is a private room available for discussions between staff and family members].

• Record insights and thoughts. As you take notes, be thinking about the underlying meaning of what you observe and record your thoughts and ideas accordingly. If needed, this will help you to ask questions or seek clarification from participants after the observation. To avoid any confusion, subsequent comments from participants should be included in a separate, reflective part of your field notes and not merged with the descriptive notes.

General Guidelines for the Descriptive Content: The descriptive content of your notes can vary in detail depending upon what needs to be emphasized in order to address the research problem. However, in most observations, your notes should include at least some of the following elements:

• Describe the physical setting. • Describe the social environment and the way in which participants interacted within the

setting. This may include patterns of interactions, frequency of interactions, direction of communication patterns [including non-verbal communication], and patterns of specific behavioral events, such as, conflicts, decision-making, or collaboration.

• Describe the participants and their roles in the setting. • Describe, as best you can, the meaning of what was observed from the perspectives of the

participants. • Record exact quotes or close approximations of comments that relate directly to the purpose

of the study. • Describe any impact you might have had on the situation you observed [important!].

General Guidelines for the Reflective Content: You are the instrument of data gathering and interpretation. Therefore, reflective content can include any of the following elements intended to contextualize what you have observed based on your perspective and your own personal, cultural, and situational experiences.

• Note ideas, impressions, thoughts, and/or any criticisms you have about what you observed. • Include any unanswered questions or concerns that have arisen from analyzing the

observation data. • Clarify points and/or correct mistakes and misunderstandings in other parts of field notes. • Include insights about what you have observed and speculate as to why you believe specific

phenomenon occurred.

Part 3: Ethnography Research Paper

After completing your observations and fieldnotes, you should now plan to write a mini- ethnography. This paper should be 2500-3500 words total, not including references.

Use the following sections to guide your paper: 1. Introduction: What was your topic/research question? Why did you choose this site? What

is the relevance of this inquiry? You may include secondary sources in this section if appropriate.

2. Assumptions & Early Hypotheses: How did you feel about your research question and site prior to making observations? What assumptions did you make about this site or group? What does existing research say about this topic? How does this research inform your assumptions? Include at least two references to course materials in this section.

3. Methodology: What methods did you take in this inquiry? What was your process for gathering information? How did you make observations? Where did you go? What did you notice? Who did you speak with?

4. Data Analysis: Drawing from your fieldnotes, tell us what you saw and heard. Here is where

you analyze and make sense of your observations and the information you collected. What is significant about your observations? How did the data as a whole contribute to your understanding of this topic? Are your observations aligned with the research that you read in class? Were you surprised by any discoveries? Here you are creating a picture of your culture, so don’t forget about dialogue, descriptions, etc. You might include excerpts from your fieldnotes here to really help make a point.

5. Conclusion: Ultimately, what were your findings? Do any of your questions or thoughts

remain unclear? Would deeper examination on this topic be relevant? If so, why? Basic Requirements: • Use a consistent academic format. If you are unsure, use the Chicago format.

• 2500-3500 words, spacing and font size is up to you.

• Include section titles (introduction, methodology, conclusion, etc.) in bolded font.

• Include at least three sources from our course content in your paper.

• Include a works cited page at the end in appropriate academic formatting. This does not

count towards your word count.

Week 1

Overview of Studying Sports through a Sociological Lens Read ● Delaney and Madigan. 2021. The Sociology of Sport

● Townsend & Cushion. 2021. ‘Put that in your fucking research’: reflexivity, ethnography and disability sport coaching

● Listen: The End of Sport: Decoding Racist Representation Lecture Review Lecture 1 Due Sunday Hypothesis 1: Postgame Analysis: Qatar 2022 and the Social Significance of Global Sport

Reading Reflection 1 Research Proposal

Week 2

Race and Sport Read ● Ijeoma Oluo chapter on the NFL

● Carter-Francique & Richardson. 2016. "Controlling media, controlling access: The role of sport media on Black women’s sport participation."

● Listen to: Kimberle Crenshaw Podcast Episode #38 Lecture Review Lecture 2 Due Sunday Hypothesis 2: MLB has integrated Negro Leagues stats. Is it too little, too late?

Reading Reflection 2

Week 3 Gender and Sport

Read ● Weaving & Samson. 2018. “The naked truth: disability, sexual objectification, and the ESPN Body Issue.”

● Newhall. 2021. "‘Mostly What We Do Is Ride Bikes’ A Case Study of Cycling, Subculture, and Transgender Policy."

● Listen to: The End Of Sport: Our Fascist Moment Lecture Review Lecture 3 Due Sunday Hypothesis 3: Playing but Losing: Women’s Sports after Title IX (Contexts)

Reading Reflection 3 Fieldnotes

Week 4

Sports Media and Challenges Via Activism & Social Media Read • Broussard. 2020. “Stick to Sports” is Gone: A Field Theory Analysis of

Sports Journalists’ Coverage of Socio-political Issues.” • Fenton et al. 2023. “Women’s football subculture of misogyny: the escalation to online

gender-based violence.” • Listen to: More than the Game: Justice

Lecture Review Lecture 4 Due Sunday Hypothesis 4: Most Prominent Sports Protests of All Time:

Reading Reflection 4 Final Ethnography Paper