German Sports Culture and History

The course highlights specificities and societal contexts of sports in Germany and thus provides a unique point of access for understanding German culture in past and present. Concepts of competition and performance will be examined, as well as the relationships between sports and politics in different periods of modern German history. Special attention will be given to soccer but other spectator sports (cycling, gymnastics (Turnen), etc.) will be studied as well. Materials will include theoretical, literary and journalistic texts in English and German, media representations of athletic contests. To improve writing skills students can write a weekly essay on related themes. Language: German, requirement: one year of college German or equivalent.