7:15P-8:30P  MW  (30) 3 cr
Topic: Film & TV Images of Sports

In this course, we will read a number of texts about popular culture, particularly works on
genre and ideology in film and television.  We will apply the concepts from these readings to
such films as HOOSIERS, THE NATURAL, FIELD OF DREAMS, RAGING BULL, BULL
DURHAM, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, HOOP DREAMS, and MAJOR LEAGUE, and such
television representations of sports as the TV series "COACH," IU basketball games, Notre
Dame football games, and ESPN's "SPORTSCENTER."

We will constantly inquire why and how the film and television industries portray athletes,
coaches, and games in certain ways, and why and how audiences respond to these portrayals.
Students who participate fully in the course will come to view cinematic and TV representations
of sports in an active, critical manner, and understand them as cultural documents within specific
cultural and historical contexts.

Student responsibility in the course includes a class presentation and a number of short
papers--one of them on any current or past sports movie of the student's choosing--and a final
exam.  However, students will have the option of substituting a major project for the final exam.
The major projects can consist of: a research paper on any topic connected to the course; OR a
creative project, e.g., a film or TV script or a short film or videotape on any topic prompted by
the course.

You do not have to be an English or Film major to take this class.  We will use a textbook that
explains cinematic and TV terms, and no student will be handicapped by a lack of background in
film and television studies.

ONE WARNING: DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPORTS.