- American Foreign Policy for the Next Decade
- Beauty and the Body
- International Responses to Human Needs: Social Welfare Policies and Services
- Law & Society: Landmark Cases in Social Justice
- The Political Economy of Everything
- War Games! Greek Athletes, Roman Gladiators, Olympic Games and College Football
WAR GAMES! GREEK ATHLETES, ROMAN GLADIATORS, OLYMPIC GAMES AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Greek athletic games and Roman gladiatorial battles developed out of the realities of warfare in the ancient Mediterranean world. America's favorite sports—from the "one winner" model of the Olympics to the "team" model of football—may be viewed as the descendants of these ancient "war games." This class examines such sports and the societies that enjoyed (and enjoy) them. Let's explore the past—and learn about the present.What the Course Covers
We'll look at the similarities, and the differences. The cool stuff, and the really freaking weird details. For whereas the Greek panhellenic ("all-Greece") games replaced the blood of the battlefield with dramatic displays of the military physicality, the Roman games replicated this blood with real-time, armed combat before crowds of thousands. Similarly, although the Olympics and college football are both massively popular spectator sports, they say different things about the viewers' desires to see acts of strength, bravery, power, and—often—real violence.
Who Should Attend?
Students interested in the origins of modern American sports.
Credit Information
This course can be used toward completion of the the Individuals and Society (I&S) requirement.
Credits: 5
Meets: T W Th F, 9:30 a.m.–noon
Location: TBD
Instructor: Sarah Stroup
Course Number: CLAS 324
Course Status: Open
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