CSS Course Descriptions

ETHN 3024 (100): Introduction to Critical Sport Studies

Instructor:  Nicholas Villanueva

Learn to think in an informed and critical way about sports in society. Examine the socio-cultural significance of sports as it relates to topics such as youth, social class, race/ethnicity, gender, identity, and intercollegiate athletics. Readings, class discussions, videos, and guest speakers will help expand our understanding of this important social phenomenon.

ETHN 3701 (001):  Gender, Sport, and Culture

Instructor:  Nicholas Villanueva

Critically examines the experiences of girls and women in American sport from a psycho-socio-cultural perspective with a particular emphasis on the constructs of gender, race, class and sexuality and how these constructs both independently and collectively mediate the female sport experience. Explores theories and interpretive frameworks from sport studies, feminist studies, race studies, psychology and cultural studies. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024.

ETHN 3702 (001):  African American Sport Experience

Instructor:  Nicholas Villanueva

Provides a socio-cultural and historical overview of the contributions of African Americans (men and women) to sport in America. Focus is on the macro (patterns of behavior related to large-scale social structures and processes) and micro (behaviors we observe in society, often readily observable in the context of sport and exercise) level of sport analysis. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024.

ETHN 3704 (001):  Athlete as a National Symbol: Nationhood / Nationalism and Sport

Instructor: Nicholas Villanueva

Explores the nationalistic terrain of US sport as a way to understand how athletes became a symbol of nationhood and how they are influenced by, and themselves influence, other aspects of US society and culture. Using historical and contemporary examples, this course examines how race, gender, sexuality, economics and the media constructed the nationalistic world of sports today.

ETHN 4714/5714 (001): Sport and Social Justice

Instructor: Nicholas Villanueva

Takes a look at the nuanced and controversial relationship between sport and peace. Although sport is heralded as a powerful tool for social good, drawing attention to causes such as conflict resolution, HIV prevention, environmental initiatives and improved international relationships, it also continues to reflect and reproduce social inequalities in ways commonly overlooked. Recommended prerequisite: ETHN 3024. Same as ETHN 5714.