Course schedule, links to readings & assignments
Week 1: Introductions
Thursday, Jan. 22
What we will do in class: Introductions, discuss syllabus/schedule.
What is due next session: Nothing.
Week 2: What is this class about?
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Watch Dave Zirin's "Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports"
What is due next session: What is sport without mediation?
Thursday, Jan. 29
What we will do in class: What is sport without mediation and what did you learn? Assign groups/presentation.
What is due next session: Read "Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction" (Chaps 1-3) -- James Fulcher
Week 3: What is CAPITALISM?
Tuesday, Feb. 3
What we will do in class: Presentation I and discussion of Capitalism
What is due next session: Read the following:
Read "Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction" (Chaps 4-6) -- James Fulcher
Thursday, Feb. 5
What we will do in class: Presentation II and more on Capitalism
What is due next session: Read the following:
"The Rich, the Poor, and the Growing Gap between Them -- Inequality in America" -- The Economist
"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" -- Barbara Ehrenreich
"Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in American" -- Diana Kendall
Week 4: Scarcity, haves & have-nots (by design); is there anything other than capitalism?
Tuesday, Feb. 10
What we will do in class: Presentation III, discussion on the media’s role in upholding capitalism, begin to watch Robert Reich's "Saving Capitalism"
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Cultural Studies and the Sports Media Complex" -- Sut Jhally
Thursday, Feb. 12
What we will do in class: Watch the rest of “Inequality for All” and Presentation IV
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Sports Media: A Modern Institution" -- Robert V. Bellamy, Jr.
"Content, not platform: How live sports became the streaming subscription driver" -- TVB Europe
"Super Bowl primes sports to be streaming MVP" -- Geoffrey Golfarb, Reuters (Feb. 6, 2026)
Week 5: The Sports-Media Complex
Tuesday, Feb. 17
What we will do in class: Presentation V; What is the Sports-Media Complex? What is our role in it? What does it have to do with capitalism?
What is due next session: Nothing
Thursday, Feb. 19
What we will do in class: In-class assignment.
What is due next session: Read the following:
"The Capitalist Foundations of Racialization" -- Charisse Burden-Stelly, Black Perspectives
Week 6: The Sports-Media Complex, Part II
Tuesday, Feb. 24
What we will do in class: Presentation VI; Watch first part of “13th"
Thursday, Feb. 26
What we will do in class: Watch the conclusion of “13th"
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Sport, the Media and the Construction of Race" -- Grainger, Newman & Andrews
"Color Coded: Racial Descriptors in Television Coverage of Intercollegiate Sports" -- Rada & Wulfemeyer
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION: Dr. Courtney M. Cox/4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26 in Hope Room
Week 7: Race and Sport as Social Constructs
Tuesday, March 3
What we will do in class: Presentation VII and discuss race in sports media coverage
What is due next session: Read the following:
McCarthyism reading
Thursday, March 5
What we will do in class: Presentation VIII, discuss McCarthyism, media & sport
What is due next session: Read the following
"The Rhetoric of Winning and Losing: The American Dream and America's Team" -- Vande Berg & Trujillo
"It's all about my 'team': What we can learn about politics from sport" - Natalie Brown-Devin, UT-Austin & Mike Devin, Texas State
"Imagining the Citizen-Fan: Sport Metaphor in American Politics and Implications for Democratic Culture" -- Michael Butterworth, UT-Austin
"'My Whole Life is About Winning': The Trump Brand and the Political/Commercial Uses of Sport" -- Thomas P. Oates, Iowa & Kyle Kusz, Rhode Island
Week 8: Winning, Nationalism and Rhetoric in sports media
Tuesday, March 10
What we will do in class: Presentation IX, discuss readings; in-class – “What do you know about?”
What is due next session: Watch "The Tillman Story"; assignment. Start reading Kings & Pawns.
Thursday, March 12
NO CLASS, PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE
Week 9: Spring Break, no classes
Week 10:
Tuesday, March 24
Thursday, March 26
Presentation X – Bryant/Heritage reading
Week 11:
Tuesday, March 31 – Presentation XI – Ali reading
Thursday, April 2
Week 12:
Tuesday, April 7 -- Presentation XII – Lamb reading
Thursday, April 9
Week 13:
Tuesday, April 14
Thursday, April 16
Week 14:
Tuesday, April 21
Thursday, April 23
Week 15:
Tuesday, April 28
FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE
Thursday, Jan. 22
What we will do in class: Introductions, discuss syllabus/schedule.
What is due next session: Nothing.
Week 2: What is this class about?
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Watch Dave Zirin's "Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports"
What is due next session: What is sport without mediation?
Thursday, Jan. 29
What we will do in class: What is sport without mediation and what did you learn? Assign groups/presentation.
What is due next session: Read "Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction" (Chaps 1-3) -- James Fulcher
Week 3: What is CAPITALISM?
Tuesday, Feb. 3
What we will do in class: Presentation I and discussion of Capitalism
What is due next session: Read the following:
Read "Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction" (Chaps 4-6) -- James Fulcher
Thursday, Feb. 5
What we will do in class: Presentation II and more on Capitalism
What is due next session: Read the following:
"The Rich, the Poor, and the Growing Gap between Them -- Inequality in America" -- The Economist
"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" -- Barbara Ehrenreich
"Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in American" -- Diana Kendall
Week 4: Scarcity, haves & have-nots (by design); is there anything other than capitalism?
Tuesday, Feb. 10
What we will do in class: Presentation III, discussion on the media’s role in upholding capitalism, begin to watch Robert Reich's "Saving Capitalism"
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Cultural Studies and the Sports Media Complex" -- Sut Jhally
Thursday, Feb. 12
What we will do in class: Watch the rest of “Inequality for All” and Presentation IV
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Sports Media: A Modern Institution" -- Robert V. Bellamy, Jr.
"Content, not platform: How live sports became the streaming subscription driver" -- TVB Europe
"Super Bowl primes sports to be streaming MVP" -- Geoffrey Golfarb, Reuters (Feb. 6, 2026)
Week 5: The Sports-Media Complex
Tuesday, Feb. 17
What we will do in class: Presentation V; What is the Sports-Media Complex? What is our role in it? What does it have to do with capitalism?
What is due next session: Nothing
Thursday, Feb. 19
What we will do in class: In-class assignment.
What is due next session: Read the following:
"The Capitalist Foundations of Racialization" -- Charisse Burden-Stelly, Black Perspectives
Week 6: The Sports-Media Complex, Part II
Tuesday, Feb. 24
What we will do in class: Presentation VI; Watch first part of “13th"
Thursday, Feb. 26
What we will do in class: Watch the conclusion of “13th"
What is due next session: Read the following:
"Sport, the Media and the Construction of Race" -- Grainger, Newman & Andrews
"Color Coded: Racial Descriptors in Television Coverage of Intercollegiate Sports" -- Rada & Wulfemeyer
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION: Dr. Courtney M. Cox/4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26 in Hope Room
Week 7: Race and Sport as Social Constructs
Tuesday, March 3
What we will do in class: Presentation VII and discuss race in sports media coverage
What is due next session: Read the following:
McCarthyism reading
Thursday, March 5
What we will do in class: Presentation VIII, discuss McCarthyism, media & sport
What is due next session: Read the following
"The Rhetoric of Winning and Losing: The American Dream and America's Team" -- Vande Berg & Trujillo
"It's all about my 'team': What we can learn about politics from sport" - Natalie Brown-Devin, UT-Austin & Mike Devin, Texas State
"Imagining the Citizen-Fan: Sport Metaphor in American Politics and Implications for Democratic Culture" -- Michael Butterworth, UT-Austin
"'My Whole Life is About Winning': The Trump Brand and the Political/Commercial Uses of Sport" -- Thomas P. Oates, Iowa & Kyle Kusz, Rhode Island
Week 8: Winning, Nationalism and Rhetoric in sports media
Tuesday, March 10
What we will do in class: Presentation IX, discuss readings; in-class – “What do you know about?”
What is due next session: Watch "The Tillman Story"; assignment. Start reading Kings & Pawns.
Thursday, March 12
NO CLASS, PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE
Week 9: Spring Break, no classes
Week 10:
Tuesday, March 24
Thursday, March 26
Presentation X – Bryant/Heritage reading
Week 11:
Tuesday, March 31 – Presentation XI – Ali reading
Thursday, April 2
Week 12:
Tuesday, April 7 -- Presentation XII – Lamb reading
Thursday, April 9
Week 13:
Tuesday, April 14
Thursday, April 16
Week 14:
Tuesday, April 21
Thursday, April 23
Week 15:
Tuesday, April 28
FINAL ASSIGNMENT DUE