Sport Studies Courses (American Studies) (SPST)

SPST Courses

This is a list of courses with the subject code SPST. For more information, see American Studies (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the catalog.

SPST:1000 First-Year Seminar 1-2 s.h.

Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities). Requirements: first- or second-semester standing.

SPST:1074 Inequality in American Sport 3 s.h.

Cultural meanings of sport in contemporary U.S. culture; sport experiences, inclusion, and exclusion as affected by social class, gender and sexuality, age and ability, race and ethnicity, and religion. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as AMST:1074, GWSS:1074.

SPST:2077 Sport and Religion in America 3 s.h.

Sport as a religion; religiosity in sports; examination of religion and sport as connected in important ways in American society. Same as RELS:2877.

SPST:2078 Women, Sport, and Culture 3 s.h.

Feminist analysis of girls' and women's sports experiences, including reproduction of gender through sport, recent changes in women's intercollegiate athletics, media representations of women's sport, feminist critiques, alternatives to sport. Same as GWSS:2078.

SPST:2079 Race and Ethnicity in Sport 3 s.h.

Structural and ideological barriers to racial and ethnic equality in sport, with focus on African American sport experiences; historical and contemporary issues, media representations. Same as AFAM:2079.

SPST:2081 Theory and Ethics of Coaching 3 s.h.

Philosophical bases, ethical issues; theoretical, practical applications.

SPST:2084 Sport and Film 3 s.h.

Sport films as means of exploring contemporary ideas about sport in the U.S.; focus on narrative structure, characterization, historical, and political contexts; formal aspects of film analysis (e.g., editing, lighting, cinematography). Same as AMST:2084, JMC:2084, SMC:2084.

SPST:2101 Digital Media and the Future of Sport 3 s.h.

Emergence and significance of internet blogs, social media, convergence journalism, video games, and fantasy sports; economic, regulatory, and cultural forces that shape new media sport journalism and entertainment. Same as AMST:2101, JMC:2101, SMC:2101.

SPST:2170 Sport and Globalization 3 s.h.

Sport as both a global and local phenomenon; influence of global economic, political, and cultural forces on local sporting expressions, experiences, and identities; global sporting cultures from cricket to capoeira; global sporting spectacles from the Olympics and Paralympics to the FIFA World Cup; global sporting celebrities and athlete migrants from Maria Sharapova and Christiano Rinaldo to Yao Ming and Dominican Republic baseball; global sporting production, consumption, and development from global labor and environmental concerns to sport for development and peace. GE: Sustainability. GE: International and Global Issues.

SPST:2500 Sport and Technology 3 s.h.

Connections between sport and technology; performance enhancement to Paralympians, sex testing to scientific racism, Fitbits to e-sports, data analytics and journalism; cultural approaches to understanding how science, medicine, and technology impact active bodies, sporting industries, and infrastructure; debates regarding risks and responsibilities; exploration of various roles (e.g., athletes, administrators, architects, engineers, programmers, trainers) in creating and sustaining past, present, and future of sports. Same as SMC:2500.

SPST:2847 Hawkeye Nation: On Iowa and Sport 3 s.h.

Identity, community, and place explored within local frameworks: the University of Iowa, Iowa City, State of Iowa; how sport, literature, film, other cultural institutions forge connections to community and shape Iowa's image in the public imagination; identity and community as complex and contested issues; local rituals, sites of memorialization, acts of erasure, management and use of public and private space such as UI athletic complex, Field of Dreams, Iowa Writers' Workshop, Iowa Avenue Literary Walk, Blackhawk Park; interdisciplinary approaches grounded in American studies, sport studies, Native American and Indigenous studies, literature, history. Same as AMST:2847.

SPST:3078 Archiving Women's History 3 s.h.

Exploration of girls' and women's history in Iowa through collections at the Iowa Women's Archives; introduction to archival research, digital humanities, and Omeka (a digital collection and exhibit platform) with focus on sport-related collections; guided individualized research and exhibit development. Same as AMST:3078, GWSS:3078, MUSM:3078.

SPST:3171 Baseball in America 3 s.h.

Forces that influenced political, economic, and social development of professional baseball in the United States; rise of major league baseball, its relationship to the minor leagues, and development of organized baseball industry. Same as AMST:3171.

SPST:3172 Football in America 3 s.h.

Forces that influenced political, economic, and cultural development of college and professional football in the United States; rise of the National Football League and its relationship to college football and commercial media interests.

SPST:3173 Cultures of Basketball 3 s.h.

Exploration of different ways basketball has been played, marketed, and celebrated in the United States and globally. Recommendations: background in U.S. history and/or African-American history.

SPST:3175 Sport and the Media 3 s.h.

Examination of sport and media's intimate relationship; aesthetic, cultural, political, economic, and industrial factors that shape it. Same as JMC:3183.

SPST:3176 Sport and Nationalism 3 s.h.

Role of sport in the phenomenon of nationalism; selected theories; case studies on Ireland, Australia, British West Indies, Cold War United States, and fascist Europe.

SPST:3177 Sport in the Western World 3 s.h.

Development of Western sport; relation to social, political, economic, intellectual factors.

SPST:3178 History of Sport in the United States 3 s.h.

Historic development of sport in the United States between 1700 and 2000; economic forces, professionalization, growth of media, increasing opportunities, and ongoing challenges for various sporting populations. Same as AMST:3178.

SPST:3179 Twentieth-Century American Sport 3 s.h.

Historic development of sport in the United States between 1900 and 2000; economic forces, professionalization, growth of media, and increasing opportunities and ongoing challenges for various sporting populations. Same as AMST:3179.

SPST:3181 The Business of Sport Communication 3 s.h.

Critical and practical approach to understanding contemporary sports media and business practices that mark it; focus on sports media industries and institutions; branding, marketing, demographic, public relations, and promotional factors that shape content. Same as JMC:3540, SMC:3540.

SPST:3182 Sport, Scandal, and Strategic Communication in Media Culture 3 s.h.

Use of sport scandal to consider relationship between sport and media in American and global popular culture; broad range of case studies used to consider what constitutes a sport scandal, how this definition shifts in different circumstances; crucial roles media play in creating, communicating, and diffusing these crises; how phenomenon of sports scandal has intensified along with emergence of cable television, internet, and social media. Same as JMC:3182, SMC:3182.

SPST:3184 Narrative Sports Journalism 3 s.h.

Historical review of long-form sports journalism to understand development of subjects, form, and technique of sports coverage and long-form nonfiction writing; students read several long-form articles and books that incorporate reporting about sports, and propose an original long-form work about sports. Same as JMC:3184, SMC:3184.

SPST:3193 Independent Study 1-3 s.h.

Problem in a specific area.

SPST:3500 The Olympics 3 s.h.

Real-time analysis and evaluation of current Winter or Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games; cultural history of modern Olympic Games (1896 to present); economics and politics of mega-events (e.g., cancellations, boycotts, protests); amateurism, professionalism, and athlete migrants; commercialization, broadcasting rights, and branding; nationalism, internationalism, and (post)colonialism; social and cultural impacts and controversies (e.g., social and environmental sustainability); Olympic bids, committees, and hosts; sex, gender, and racial discrimination; doping; technology, television, and social media.

SPST:4999 Honors Project 1-3 s.h.

SPST:5002 Critical Theories and Cultural Studies 3 s.h.

Exploration and application of critical theories to contemporary sport; feminism, Marxism, critical race theory, whiteness studies, queer theory, postcolonial theory, postmodernism, and poststructuralism. Same as AMST:5002.

SPST:6010 Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness I 3 s.h.

Operational and financing aspects of nonprofit management; mission and governance of organization; strategic planning for effective management, including finance, budget, income generation, fund-raising. Same as HMP:6360, MGMT:9150, PBAF:6278, RELS:6070, SSW:6247, URP:6278.

SPST:6020 Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness II 3 s.h.

Qualities for leadership of nonprofit organizations, including relationships with staff and volunteers; relationship of nonprofit and outside world; marketing, public relations, advocacy strategies for nonprofits. Same as HMP:6365, MGMT:9160, PBAF:6279, RELS:6075, SSW:6248, URP:6279.

SPST:6072 Seminar in Cultural Studies of Sport 3 s.h.

Current theoretical debates in sport studies; applications of critical cultural studies theories to critical analysis of sport.

SPST:6074 Seminar in Sport History 3 s.h.

Topics in sport history; theoretical and methodological issues. Same as AMST:6074.

SPST:7070 Sport Studies Workshop 1 s.h.

Development of individual research projects for group discussion. Requirements: graduate standing in American studies or sport studies. Same as AMST:7077.

SPST:7090 Thesis: PhD arr.

SPST:7940 Independent Study arr.