Learning Goals and Methodologies:
In this course we are going to explore and attempt to resolve the issues (i.e. Financial Fair Play, paying D1 athletes, etc.) which deprive our favorite sports of their enjoyability. This course will encourage you to use critical and analytical thinking to pose potential plans for solving these major issues. The core assignments for this course will require you to engage with your classmates and collaborate in designing blueprints. Each assignment will be done in groups. The core assignments include the following:
- Issue #1: PowerPoint presentation displaying the chosen issue along with the blueprint for resolution.
- Issue #2: 10-page research paper presenting and analyzing the chosen issue along with proposing a potential solution (1 paper per group).
- Issue #3: 8-page research paper presenting and analyzing an issue which your group deems “unsolvable” and thoroughly explains why (1 paper per group).
Along with the core assignments, you will have weekly assignments (individual) where you will have to find a sports issue from the past and summarize how it was resolved and the impact it had on its respective sport. The weekly assignments will be graded on completion, but core assignments will be graded by the audience. If the class can debunk and refute your solution or belief, your group will get a C, if not, then your group will get an A.
Readings:
No required readings. You will have freedom of choice to analyze any text you want, as long as it pertains to the issue you chose in the core or weekly assignments.
Course Objective:
Develop a greater appreciation for sports by studying the beauty in their complexity.
I really admire this idea for a course. A regular fan can only see from the outside of what wrongdoings might be going in sports, but to have a whole course dedicated to uncovering the truth of some of these implications seems interesting.
I totally agree. As sport fans, we will all come away with something we didn’t know and gain a greater interest in the sports we immerse ourselves in.
As a soccer fan, I really admire how unique this course is. I like how students will have to make blueprints as a group and outsmart their classmates. Understanding problems with money and soccer and being able to find unique solutions with peers is a great life skill to have in the future. I also like how your audience has to try and debunk your proposal because this forces the group to think critically and work extra hard to make sure their plan is perfect. Overall, this class seems very cool and distinctive.
I’m glad you agree with the grading policy. I think it will encourage students to ” think critically and work extra hard”, like you said, to perfect the plans and make sure are foolproof.
I think your idea to have students collaborate on blueprints to solve major financial issues is one that definitely helps them understand the subject. To be able to pose these solutions, we must be educated and be able to learn about the background and history. I think this would definitely be a very focused course that I would take.
Great to hear that you support the idea of collaboration. Most of these issues are very complex and difficult to solve, therefore with more people putting their minds toward one issue, the better and more resilient the blueprints will be.
Like everyone else has said, this is a really unique class that you don’t often see. I think it would be a really great addition to anyone’s schedule if they’re interesting in sports though!