KIN 383 The Modern Olympics: Power, Politics and Performance

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1 The University of British Columbia School of Kinesiology COURSE SYLLABUS KIN 383 The Modern Olympics: Power, Politics and Performance Tues / Thurs 2:00 to 3:30pm (Winter 2018) Patricia Vertinsky patricia.vertinsky@ubc.ca Victoria Felkar victoria.felkar@ubc.ca Office: Physical Culture & Sport History Group, Ponderosa Office Annex C West Mall Office Hours: By appointment Course Description Very few cultural phenomena today attract as much attention as the Olympic Games though it is often easy to forget that the original Olympics, as well as their 19 th century revival had as much to do with exercise and education as with the competitive entertainment of sport, the spectacle of the arena. This course examines the Modern Olympics as they have emerged over the past century to become one of the most pervasive sporting festivals and mega events in the world. From the earliest efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin to re-establish the ancient Olympic Games in 1896, through the Nazi Olympics and the Cold War, to the emergence of China as an Olympic power, the awarding of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter games to Vancouver, Sochi 2014, Brazil 2016, South Korea 2018 and Japan 2020, we will explore international conflicts, organizational power struggles, gender, race and disability debates, sites of corruption, Olympic symbols, and athletic issues around access, sex, drugs and performance enhancement associated with various Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and the many issues of exercise and education that have become attached to the Olympic experience. The course will include lectures, films, videos, visiting experts, group projects, and individual assignments. Students will be expected to participate fully and reflect critically upon past, current and future issues affecting the global role of the Olympics and its wide-ranging effects upon sport, culture, ethics, organizational politics, health and medicine, and the environment. Format and Procedures This class consists of two 80-minute classes per week. Classes include lectures, class discussions, guest presentations, media and group and individual activities. Since this course highlights discussion, regular attendance and participation in class and group work is crucial. It is required that students complete the assigned course readings and activities by the assigned date, and take supporting notes from readings and class discussions. They are expected to be capable of initiating discussion concerning the readings as well as the topic more generally throughout the duration of the semester. Students may also be called upon to prepare specific presentations to the class based on the readings or other Olympic-related experiences and participatory activities. Course Requirements Third year standing or permission from the instructor. Policies and Expectations Below is a summary of some of the key expectations for this course: KIN383 Course Syllabus 1

2 Attendance Although attendance is not formally taken in class, regular attendance is required. Students are responsible for all material covered in class whether in attendance or not. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness or disability should report to their instructor upon return to classes. Where prior consultation is not possible, students should contact the instructor as soon as possible and submit supportive documentation to the Undergraduate Advising Centre. Students also have the right to request Academic Concession from the Undergraduate Advising Centre. Students, whose attendance or performance may be severely affected by medical, emotional or other disabilities, should consult with the Instructor early in the term to discuss any special accommodations that might be needed in order to complete course requirements. Supportive documentation from either the Disability Resource Centre or a physician must be submitted to the Undergraduate Advising Office. The University accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the Disability Resource Centre. The University accommodates those whose religious obligations conflict with attendance, submitting assignments, or completing scheduled tests and examinations. Please let your instructor know in advance, preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these grounds. Students, who plan to be absent for varsity athletics, family obligations, or other similar commitments, cannot assume they will be accommodated, and should discuss their commitments with the instructor before the drop date. Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities The University's goal is to ensure fair and consistent treatment of all students, including students with a disability, in accordance with their distinct needs and in a manner consistent with academic principles. Students with a disability who wish to have an academic accommodation should contact Access and Diversity without delay. Questions and inquiries through are always welcome. Please be aware that Dr. Vertinsky or Victoria Felkar may not be able to reply right away. Please keep this in mind around assignment due dates. Also, we ask that you include the course name (i.e. KIN 383) in the subject line, and write in a professional and clear manner. Office Hours There are no set office hours for this course. Both Dr. Vertinsky and Victoria will be available to meet with students at various times throughout the week BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please us in advance to arrange a mutually agreed upon time to meet. Academic Integrity All UBC students are expected to behave as honest and responsible members of an academic community. Breach of those expectations or failure to follow the appropriate policies, principles, rules, and guidelines of the University with respect to academic honesty may result in disciplinary action. It is your responsibility to become familiar with the University of British Columbia s Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Policies, as well as the Student Declaration and the consequences of violating these policies. Inclusivity Statement Education is a multidisciplinary field that brings together faculty, students and others from diverse academic and personal backgrounds. UBC s Faculty of Education is committed to creating a respectful workplace and learning environment that supports inclusion based on the principles of equity, diversity and social justice in order to create an environment that supports its community members full participation. The Faculty of Education is committed to providing accessible, usable, and welcoming spaces for faculty, staff, students, and visitors who have disabilities, are members of racialized communities, Indigenous, transgender, two-spirit and gender-diverse people, regardless of their age, sexual orientation, social status, religion, ethno- linguistic, nationality and/or citizenship status. KIN383 Course Syllabus 2

3 Faculty of Education courses take place in learning environments that are inclusive of gender identity, gender expression, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability, age, etc. Learners and educators expect to be treated respectfully at all times and in all interactions. Non-sexist, non-racist, nonhomophobic, non-transphobic and non-heterosexist language is expected in Faculty of Education classes, course content, discussions and assignments. Please feel welcome to your instructor your name and pronoun and how you would like these to be used. Readings and Resources There is no course pack for this class all readings are accessible on the course library reserve. Readings are expected to be completed PRIOR to each class. Additional readings may be distributed in class. The schedule is subject to change at any time. The readings and discussions are crucial to the integration of the material. Students are expected to contribute to class discussions. Class notes will be made available in PPT file-format through the course Canvas. Students are encouraged to bring these notes along to class, as well as laptops or tablets. Evaluation Assessment for this course has been carefully planned in order to facilitate different learning styles, and provide students with the opportunity to obtain marks for both individual and group assignments throughout the duration of the term. Assessment 1: Individual Participation Details Active individual participation is required throughout the semester. Marks for participation will be obtained through class attendance, spot e-quizzes, current events, group discussions, in class participation and online discussion. Specific details will be provided in class on how participation will be assessed. Due Date Ongoing Weight 20% Assessment 2: Small Group Think Tanks Details Throughout the semester within theme 3, 4, and 8, you will be asked to come to class prepared to discuss the week s required readings in groups of around 4 students. The purpose of this assessment is to provide an opportunity for students to engage in a deeper conversation about the course themes, readings and application activities. Questions will be provided to help guide the Think Tanks. More details will be given out in class during the first few weeks. Due Date Within class on Tuesday January 23 (week 3); Tuesday January 30 (week 4); Tuesday March 13 (week 8) Weight 15% (5% for each discussion) Assessment 3: Take-home Midterm South Korea Winter Olympics 2018 Details During the month of February, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea. Each student will be required to select a specific current event emerging these Olympic Games, and use selected course themes to analyze and discuss their event (e.g. in relation to politics, race, gender, performance enhancement, injury). Questions about and the specific structure of the Midterm project will be provided to students in classes prior to reading week. Due Date February 27, 2018 KIN383 Course Syllabus 3

4 Weight 20% Assessment 4: Term Research Project Individual Paper & Group Presentation: Nationalism and the Olympics in the 21 st Century Details Early in the course, students will be divided into groups of 4 for the term. This project has two components: individual paper as well as a group presentation. Groups will select a specific country from a provided list, and examine that country s particular experiences with and contributions to the Olympic movement in relation to the themes of the course, such as politics, race and gender issues, sports, training and performance approaches, athletic excellence, etc. Groups will be given in-class time and support throughout the semester to work on this assignment. More details will be provided within the first few weeks of the course. Due Date Presentation: In class during Week 13 (March 27 & 29) & Week 14 (April 3 & 5) Weighting Presentation: 15% Individual Paper: 30% Paper: TBA (End of semester after last day of class) Grading This course follows UBC s Standard grading practices: A C A C A C B D B 0-49 F (Fail) B- *Marks will be deducted for late assignments; typically 5% per day for each 24-hour period past the due date and time that they are submitted. In the case of extenuating circumstance, students are required to the instructor as soon as possible. The instructor will make arrangements in a case-by-case manner. KIN383 Course Syllabus 4

5 KIN383 Tentative Course Schedule All required readings are available on Library Course Reserve (available through Canvas) or from the instructor. On Canvas there is a variety of selected additional and optional readings and resources that are simply suggested for students to engage with according to their own research interests and background. Direct link to course reserve: THEME 1: INTRODUCTION Course Introduction: Review scope of course, learning objectives, requirements, and evaluation procedures Lecture: Introduction to the Olympics Pierre de Coubertin and the Birth of the Modern Olympics Required Readings: Nigel Crowther, The State of the Modern Olympics: Citius, Altius, Fortius, European Review 12 no. 3 (2004): John Hoberman, The Olympics, Foreign Policy 167 (2008): THEME 2: THE ANTHROPOLOGY GAMES & SCIENTIFIC RACISM Lecture: The Anthropology Games & Scientific Racism Patricia Vertinsky, Review of Susan Brownell, The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games, in Sport in History (2012): Application: Reinforcing Racism: The Controversy of Native Imagery Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony & the Debate of Indian Mascots in Sport. Introduction to group Think Tank assignments. Mark Dyreson, Region and Race: The Legacies of the St Louis Olympics, International Journal of the History of Sport 32, 14 (2015): THEME 3: THE OLYMPICS, POLITICS AND IDEOLOGY Lecture: The Nazi Olympics, Anti-Semitism, and the Invention of Traditions Application: Risk, Security & Global Conflicts and the Olympics. Think Tank: Do global conflicts follow the Games? Discussion of risk, security and athlete participation in the Games past, present and future. KIN383 Course Syllabus 5

6 Bruce Kidd, Canadian Opposition to the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Sport in Society,16, 4 (2015): Mattias von Hein, 1972 Munich Olympics massacre - an avoidable catastrophe?, Deutsche Welle, September 7, Retrieved from: munich-olympics-massacre-an-avoidable-catastrophe/a THEME 4: RACE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE OLYMPICS Lecture: Race and the Black Fist: Tommy Smith, Juan Carlos at the Mexico Olympics, 1968 Required Resource: Damien Cave, Race and the Olympic Games, New York Times, August 12, Retrieved from olympic-games.html Application: Sport and racial politics in 2018 leading to athlete activism Think Tank: From the Black Fist to Take the Knee how does athlete activism affect the Olympics and other mega sporting events? Required Resource: John Hoberman, The Price of Black Dominance, Society 37 no.3 (2000): THEME 5: THE WEST VS. THE REST: GLOBALIZATION OF THE OLYMPICS Lecture: Expanding the Olympics Beyond the West China & Korea Shiming Luo and Fuhus Huarng, China s Olympic Dream and the Legacies of the Beijing Olympics, International Journal of History of Sport, 30, 4 (2013): Application: Rio, Sochi and Beyond. Highlighting work by journalist Jordan Wade: Introduction to final project on selected countries and the Olympics. THEME 6: THE WINTER OLYMPICS: WHITE, WESTERN, WEALTHY Lecture: Controversies at the Winter Olympics Exploring specifically issues of gender and class at the Winter Olympics. Ann Travers, Women s Ski Jumping, the 2010 Winter Games, and the Deafening Silence of Sex Segregation, Whiteness and Wealth, Journal of Sport and Social Issues 35 (2011): KIN383 Course Syllabus 6

7 Application: South Korea and the Winter Olympics Controversies over damage to the environment. Pyeongchang and Pyongyang - North- South Korea Olympic relations and political possibilities? Guest Speaker: Liv Yoon Required Readings: Eunah Hong, Elite Sort and Nation-Building in South Korea: South Korea as the Dark Horse in Global Elite Sport, The International Journal of the History of Sport, 28, 7 (2011): Liv Yoon, To See the World through a Mountain: Mount Gariwang and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games, The Society Pages, June 7, Retrieved from: Workshop: Details on Take-home Midterm. Opportunity to work on group project READING WEEK February 19 th 23 rd Tuesday Application: Challenges and Triumphs at the Pyeongchang games - Lessons learned? Class and group discussions of events and situations viewed and reported during the South Korean Winter Olympics. THEME 7: GENDER & SEX TESTING Lecture: Who is a Woman? Gender issues and Sex testing at the Olympics Required Resource: Ruth Padawer, The Humiliating Practice of Sex-Testing Female Athletes, New York Times, June 28, Retrieved from: Application: Too Fast to be a Woman? Jaime Schultz, Caster Semanya and the Question of Too: Sex Testing in Elite Women s Sport and the Issue of Advantage, Quest 63 (2011): THEME 8: DISABILITY & THE PARALYMPICS Lecture: Disability and the Paralympics Guest Speaker: Dr Andrea Bundon KIN383 Course Syllabus 7

8 Required Resource: The Conversation, A Brief History of the Paralympic Games, uploaded September 13, Retrieved from: Application: The Future of the Paralympic Movement Think tank: Is there a future for the Paralympic Games? Discussion of cyborg athletes, inclusion criteria, and sporting technology. Carlo Bellieni, Paralympics should be integrated into main Olympic Games, Sport, Ethics and Philosophy 9,1 (2015): THEME 9: PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT Lecture: Performance Enhancement & the Quest for Athletic Excellence at the Olympics Application: Leveling the Playing Field: The Anti-Doping Crusade Discussion on WADA, Russia, & the future of doping control. Ian Ritchie, Cops and Robbers? The Roots of Anti-Doping Policies in Olympic Sport, Origins 2016, Julian Savulescu, Doping scandals, Rio and the future of human enhancement, Bioethics 30, 5 (2016): THEME 10: LEGACIES & THE FUTURE OF THE GAMES Lecture: The Legacies of the Games Mark Dyreson, Athletic Clashes of Civilizations, or Bridges over Cultural Divisions: The Olympic Games as Legacies and the Legacies of the Olympic Games, International Journal of the History of Sport 25, 14 (2008): WEEK 13: GROUP PRESENTATIONS WEEK 14: PRESENTATIONS Class wrap up KIN383 Course Syllabus 8