FYS 26 Play Ball!: The Social Significance of America’s National Pastime
Sport is a central feature of American life, and relatively few institutions in the United States have been as enduring as that of baseball. From its pastoral origins in the 19 th Century U.S. to its current global status, baseball as an institution offers an opportunity to critically examine the ways in which “America’s pastime” has been shaped by the society around it, as well as how baseball has itself shaped the communities and nations in which it is played. The course will touch on immigration, labor issues, race, gender, collective identity, municipal politics, and will use baseball as a lens to understand broader social processes of modernization, rationalization, and globalization. Far from the commonsense assumption that baseball is “just a game”, this course will teach students to think critically about the relationship between sport and society.
Prerequisite
Open only to first year frosh