SPORT IN FILM AND FICTION
PHED 510
Dr. Steve Estes SUNY College at Cortland Dep. of Physical Eduction Office Phone: (607)753-5702 ESTES@SNYCORVA.CORTLAND.EDU
Course Description: This course examines sport themes expressed in films, fiction, and poetry, with special emphasis on themes that can be compared with real sport experiences. These themes include, but are not limited to: heroes in American sport compared to heroes in the myths of Western Civilization; youth and aging in sport; sport in the country and the city; nationalism, racism, and sexism in sport; the individual versus the community (team) in sport; and humor and poetry.
Objectives:
The student should be able to identify recurring themes that are often evident
in sport stories. The student should be able to compare and contrast
experiences that actually occur in sport with the stories that have been
assigned. The student should be able to express in oral and written form
specific narratives that define sport experiences.
Required Reading:
Textbook/Reading Packet: ORIARD, M. (1982). Dreaming of Heroes: American
Sports Fiction, 1868 - 1980. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Novels:
MALAMUD, B. (1952). The Natural. New York: Avon Books.
KINSELLA, W.P. (1982) Shoeless Joe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Reading Packet:
Oriard, Michael, "On the Current Status of
Sports Fiction,"
Irwin Shaw, "The Eighty Yard Run," Jack London, "A Piece of Steak," Jack
London, "The Madness of John Harned," Ernest Hemingway, "The Capitol of the
World," William Harrison, "Roller Ball Murder," "Autumn Begins in Martins
Ferry, Ohio," A.E. Housman, "To An Athlete Dying Young," Ernest Lawrence
Thayer, "Casey at the Bat."
Films:
Field of Dreams, The Natural, Rocky , Bull Durham, A
League of Their Own, Rollerball.
Evaluation:
Students are required to lead a discussion of a selected film, novel,
or short story. Examinations are essay, and makeup examinations are granted on
a case-by-case basis; if you plan ahead we will re-schedule examinations,
reports, and presentations. The term report consists of a thematic analysis of
a selected film, novel, or short story. No makeups for unplanned absences.
The grading scale is a curve, where your work is evaluated relative to others
in the class.
Point Distribution | Possible Points |
---|---|
Oral Analysis of selected film or fiction | 10 |
Report on a selected story | 30 |
Midterm | 30 |
Final | 30 |
Total | 100 |
Scale: To be developed in class |
General:
This class discusses sport from the narrative perspective
which includes film, fiction (novels and short stories), and poetry. This
is an enjoyable activity, one which requires you to be familiar with the
material when it is discussed in class. Make sure you get the reading
done! Films are available at the Reserve Book Room in the library or can
be rented at the local video stores. Plan ahead to get your viewing done.
Oral analysis:
This is a seminar where each student will have the
opportunity to lead the discussion of a selected work. Depending on the
size of the class, several students may do the same story. Use the
fiction study sheet to provide the format for your discussion.
Term Report:
All students will be required to analyze one story for a term
project. This will be a written report of 8 to 10 pages in length using your
own analysis, your text, the fiction study sheet, movie and book reviews, and
journal articles reviewing the story.
Examinations:
The midterm and the final will cover the themes of
the sections discussed in class. All questions on the tests are essay,
and will be given to you ahead of time. Answers must be typed.
Academic Dishonesty:
A student who employs dishonest tactics shall
be subject to action ranging from reprimand to a grade of "F." Refer to
the current catalog for specific information. Basically, this means don't
cheat.
CAMPBELL, J. (1972). Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
CAMPBELL, J. (1988). Myths to Live By. New York: Bantam Books.
COOVER, R. (1968). The Perfect Game. The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. New York: Random House.
GENT, P. (1975). Monday. North Dallas Forty. New York: Morrow.
HARRISON, H. (1985). Roller Ball Murder. In D. Vanderwerken and S. Wertz (Eds.). Sport Inside Out (pp.9-19). Fort Worth, Texas: TCU Press.
HEMINGWAY, E. (1987). The Capitol of the World. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
HOUSEMAN, A.E. To An Athlete Dying Young. The Collected Poems of A.E. Housman.
Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
JENKINS, D. (1985). Game-Face. Sport Inside Out. Fort Worth: Texas Christian
University Press.
KINSELLA, W.P. (1982) Shoeless Joe. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
LARDNER, R. (1916). A New Busher Breaks In. You Know Me Al. New York:
Scribners.
LONDON, J.(1905). The Game. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
__________ (1913). The Abysmal Brute. New York: Century.
__________ (1958a). A Piece of Steak. In P. Schweb and H. Warren Wind (Eds). Great Stories From The World of Sport. New York: Simon & Schuster.
__________ (1958b). The Madness of John Harned. In P. Schweb and H. Warren Wind (Eds). Great Stories From The World of Sport. New York: Simon & Schuster.
MALAMUD, B. (1952) The Natural. New York: Avon.
NOVAK, M. (1988). The Joy of Sports. Lanham, Maryland: Hamilton Press.
The Natural. Tri-Star Pictures, 1984.
Personal Best. United Artists, 1980.
Rocky. MGM/UA Film, 1976.
Rollerball. United Artists, 1975.
ROBERTSON, J.O. (1980). American Myth, American Reality. New York: Hill and
Wang.
SHAW, I. (1985). The Eighty Yard Run. In D. Vanderwerken and S. Wertz (Eds.). Sport Inside Out (pp.9-19). Fort Worth, Texas: TCU Press.
SPEED, E. (1985). The Coach Who Didn't Teach Civics. In D. Vanderwerken and S. Wertz (Eds.). Sport Inside Out (pp.680-84). Fort Worth, Texas: TCU Press.
THAYER, E.L. (1971). Casey at the Bat. Sports Poems. New York: Dell.
WASSERMAN, E. (1965) "The Natural": Malamud's World Ceres. Centennial Review,
4(9), 47-64.
WEINSTEIN, S. (1984). The Tournament. Arete: The Journal of Sport
Literature, II(1), 131-39.
WRIGHT, J. (1962). Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio," The Branch Will Not
Break. Wesleyan University Press.
BERMAN, N.D. (1981). Playful Fictions and Fictional Players: Game, Sport, and Survival in Contemporary American Fiction. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press.
DODGE, T. (Ed.). (1980). A Literature of Sports. Lexington, Mass: D.C. Heath and Company.
HIGGS, R.J. (1981). Laurel and Thorn: The Athlete in American Literature. Lexington: The university Press of Kentucky.
HIGGS, R.J. (1982). Sport: A Reference Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
MESSENGER, C. K. (1981). Sport and the Spirit of Play in American Fiction: Hawthorne to Faulkner. New York: Columbia University Press.
Tentative Course Outline: Topics are sequential
Final Review
Summarize course
Collect term papers
Review for final
16. Final Examination
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