University of Texas at Arlington (English 2303)
Course Description
The stress of being a “true fan” is familiar to those who find some value in caring deeply about a particular team: Watching our favorite franchise or player in action is often both exhilarating and punishing. Similarly, the tensions inherent within sports are also reflected in our larger community dynamics: Sports can bring together large groups of people in either communal joy or collective sorrow, just as they can highlight existing riffs in our society. What is it, then, about our culture and ourselves that makes us care so much about these players and teams? Why do we place such high value on these events and on these athletes? In this course, we will look at how writers deal with these themes—fandom, sports culture, communal values, hero-worship, and more—and, in doing so, we’ll examine what their fiction, poetry, and essays tell us about ourselves and our society.
Learning Objectives
- To encourage students to see that literary studies matter and to foster enjoyment of literature
- To help students recognize that literature is in dialogue with complex cultural and historical contexts
- To develop students’ ability to read critically
- To develop students’ skills of writing and expression, particularly with respect to analysis of literary texts
Joshua Canipe 