RELGST 1428 - RELIGION AND SPORTS

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Long Description This course will provide an overview of research into the relationship of sports, spirituality, and religion. The approach will be cross-cultural with an eye to ancient and non-Western cultures. Informed by anthropological discourse on ritual theory and cultural performance, we will compare sports fandom to religious devotion, sporting venues to holy spaces, and athletes to revered religious figures. We will examine large sporting events such as the Olympics or the Super Bowl as ceremonial activities, rich with symbolism, rather than simply business or entertainment ventures. Seeking to understand the sense of connectedness and deeper meaning that sports can provide, we will also learn to appreciate how athletes can draw on religious belief or ritualized behavior to enhance their performance. After getting acquainted with academic discourse on the main terms of our inquiry-religion, sports, ritual theory, and cultural performance - we will move through an assortment of case studies. They will include sports and ritual among the ancient Greeks, Romans, Mesoamericans, and Native Americans. For the modern era we will consider sporting rituals in North America and Asia. We will also learn about beliefs in divine agency in modern sports, as well as instances where sports and religion have come into conflict.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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