I found this class to be very interesting and enjoyable. I
learned a lot from my classmates and I think that we engaged in some very good
discussion. I always find talking sports fun because everyone always has
varying opinions, and I think this class added to current sport discussion at a
much deeper level. I always find that talking with people and engaging in
topics when different opinions are involved is useful. Learning different sides
and understanding where other people come from is important in our society. Not
everyone has the same opinions and I think this is what each of us can take
away from the semester. We are able to understand another person’s perspective or
reality and accept it while not agreeing with it completely. This is not only
useful, but also practical because we are all going to face people and
situations in the future where we do not agree and we need to be able to understand
the other side of an argument.
I think the topics that interest me the most are the topics
that cover socially constructed ideas of masculinity and femininity. I think
the dialect that can occur and the analysis of popular culture that we have
done is enjoyable. It also is something that is so relevant and constantly
adapting in sport. Even looking at the wide range of topics that this covers
from Caster Semenya to the Body Issue, the construction of gender in our
society is vast. I think there is so much more to learn and discuss on this
topic as well.
This was the first time that I kept a blog. I was a little
apprehensive at first writing for everyone to see, but obviously I quickly moved
beyond my fears. I think it is nice to see what other people write. I think it
changed how I interpreted the readings. I had my own opinion and view of the
articles, but then I would read how Yannick understood the article and I would
gain more awareness. I just enjoyed creating the blog. I think the most
important thing I will take away from this class is my understanding of how
sport works in society. It is much deeper than just organized games. There is
an importance and a precedent that sports provides in our society and I think
this class really helped me to understand that better.
Cam,
ReplyDeleteI also discussed in my “conclusion” entry the idea that sport is not just an organized game. Sport is its own institution, and in my opinion can potentially have just as much influence/impact on an individual as their teachers, parents, friends, and the media. Sport can even be used as a platform to bring awareness and attention to social/political issues that occur in today’s society, which can be viewed both positively and negatively depending on what the issue is.
Sport has proven to be either more advanced, or less advanced, than society in terms of acceptance of social factors such as: race, gender, sexuality, etc. It does not matter if there is good publicity or bad publicity, because there is still publicity, and publicity means visibility. This visibility brings attention to the issue, which is better than silence. With silence, there is less of a chance for advancement in the acceptance of the social factors previously listed.
Cam -- Thank you for sharing your concluding thoughts on this class. One of my favorite things about this class was that we had people from different academic disciplines in class. It was great for Bri, Andreas, and me to be able to get your viewpoints on the issues discussed in class. I agree with you that this class has definitely helped me to be more aware of other people's perspectives and experiences within sports.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am very interested in the constructions of masculinity in sport. I agree with you that there is so much more to discover in this area, and I am really excited to dedicate more of my future research to this topic. I am very glad you decided to post on the blog frequently, and I was very impressed with all your insightful blog posts. Good luck for the future!
Cam,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you mentioned that we had very good conversation in this class. I think we were very mature and listened to others opinions graciously, especially when the topics turned serious wit things such as racism.
I also agree that the masculinity and femininity of sport was a great main topic that we focused on in this class. Looking at gender lines and barriers perceived in sport can help me with my research surrounding the decline of female coaches.
Thanks for sharing
Maddy