Friday, December 10, 2010

Review for Final Exam

According to Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, how has racism changed in America? Be sure to discuss how racism is defined and what is meant by the terms Jim Crow Racism and Color-blind Racism.  What evidence do we have of the continuing significance of race in sports? Cite one example.  What evidence do we have that race has declined in significance in the world of sports? Cite one example.  In your opinion, do sports serve as a model for positive race relations in the U.S.? Defend your answer. 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Exam 2

In case you missed the in-class review......
Here are some concepts to focus on as you prepare for exam #2.

Deviance
Formal and informal norms
Title IX
Government involvement in sports
Race
Ethnicity
Minority
Social Class
Media and "re-presentations" of sports
Politics
Power
Authority

Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Reminder:  Exam #2 is Monday!  Be prepared to answer one of the following essay questions:

Answer one of the following essays.




1. Recent research in biology and genetics has led to the conclusion that the concept of race has no biological validity. Explain what this means, why it is so difficult for many people to accept, and how race is different from ethnicity.



2. The author outlines a sociological hypothesis for explaining the achievements of black male athletes in certain sports. Identify the main points in his explanation and indicate whether you think the hypothesis is reasonable or naïve.



3. Why are most people surprised when they are told that blacks are seriously underrepresented in most amateur and professional sports? What factors account for this underrepresentation?

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Exam #2

Exam #2 will cover chapters 6, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13.  You should also be familiar with the article by Harry Edwards and Dr. Naison's talk about The Rat that Got Away.  The exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions and one essay.  You will have three essays to choose from.  All of the essays will focus on the issue race and sports. 

Important Announcements

Please read chapter 13 for class tomorrow.

The second exam is NOT tomorrow.  The exam is Monday, November 29, 2010. 

Reminder:  The first draft of the final research paper is due Wednesday, November 24, 2010. 

See you in class!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gender and sports

From Tim McCormack

Those of you writing about gender and sports for your projects should definitely read this article.  An international perspective might be a good thing to add to any project.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/sports/18SAUDISPORTS.html?ref=sports

Of course if you are in need of performance points, you should comment thoroughly below.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Rat that Got Away-Book Review

The Rat That Got Away

Book Review

By Dr. Lori Latrice Martin

Assistant Professor

John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Department of African-American Studies



The Rat That Got Away is much more than a memoir. Sure, within the pages, one can read about a youngster’s transition from boyhood to manhood. One can also read about a sojourn from the hallways of Paterson Houses in the Bronx, to legendary outdoor basketball courts, to the floors of financial institutions in the Europe. Equally significant, are the reflections about a host of issues of interest to scholars and laypersons alike. These issues include: neighborhood change; the influence of various agents of socialization like the family, peers, and religion; the impact of social movements on local communities; variations in the quality of education by race and place; culture shock; the challenges facing student athletes; delinquency; and even identity formation.

As Allen Jones begins his tale, we find the Paterson Houses as a place friendly to families. It began as a multiracial, multiethnic, mixed socioeconomic community with dual-headed households employed in an array of occupations. As time passes, the Paterson Houses becomes a very different place. The change from a stable to a distressed community is attributed to a number of factors, including: white flight, the exodus of middle class blacks, drug use, and drug abuse.

Jones comes of age during some of the most tumultuous times in modern American history, the 1960s and 1970s. Namely, Jones and others lived through the Civil Rights Movement, the black power movement, the antiwar movement, neighborhood blight, drug epidemics, and like many others did not come out unscathed.

As the nation struggled, Allen struggled. His struggles were both internal and external; both personal and communal. Although raised in the Catholic faith, Jones would soon stray from the church’s teachings. He found the sparkle and shine associated with those involved in the underground economy, (i.e. hustlers, drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes, etc.), more attractive. The former church boy would exchange his devotion to the church for “street credibility” which ultimately led to petty theft, a heroin addiction, and a stay in one of New York City’s most notorious penal institutions.

While the nation, the neighborhood and Allen Jones, experienced a lot of changes, one thing that was constant in Allen’s life was his love for basketball. Clearly, Jones was a gifted athlete and like many young people today, he had dreams of becoming a professional athlete. Many young people envision success as a professional athlete as their best chance of escaping a distressed community. Ironically, basketball was not his ticket out of a distressed community; rather, in some ways basketball kept him connected to it.

Among the individuals with the greatest street credibility, a great commodity in the Paterson Houses and other distressed communities, were hustlers, drug dealers, musicians, and athletes. Not only was he treated with the utmost respect by individuals contributing to the decline of the quality of life in the community, but the star treatment he received, left him ill prepared for the “real world,” for the “world” outside of the Paterson Houses.

Because of the special treatment that Allen Jones received as an elite basketball player, he bought into the notion that as long as he excelled in athletics, little else would be expected of him. This clearly conflicted with the expectations that his parents had for him and the expectations he once had for himself. This cost Allen tremendously. Allen was under the mistaken belief, as is the case for far too many student athletes; that they will just get a pass through life. That teachers and/or professors will promote student athletes regardless of their academic performance. Needless to say, Allen Jones did not receive the quality of education that would facilitate admission into the type of college that is part of the professional athletics pipeline. This was partly Allen’s fault as well as a failure on the part of the educational system. Allen, like some other student athletes, forgot that they he was a student first and an athlete second.

Once Jones realizes the importance of excelling on and off the court, his eyes widen, his universe expands. This is evidenced in the culture shock he experiences. Allen Jones does not need to go to Europe before experiencing culture shock, much like students of color on predominately white college campuses today, he experienced culture shock without ever leaving the U.S.

He was surprised by the disparities in wealth he witnessed. The level of wealth that existed among the faculty and the students at the junior college and the people living in and around Paterson Houses was very apparent. Moreover, Allen Jones was shocked at the audacity shown by some white students in their drug use compared to the secrecy, paranoia and covert use in more distressed communities such as the community surrounding the Paterson Houses. Allen was becoming acutely aware of the benefits associated with what some scholars call white privilege.

The life and times of Allen Jones are reflective of the many challenges facing individuals, families, communities, and the nation as whole. Although Allen’s story has a happy ending, it is reflective of a concept that is getting increased attention in the sociological literature, strategic assimilation. Strategic assimilation is generally applied to the black middle class and holds that some members of the black middle class attempt to maintain various social ties in the “black world” while maintaining a foothold in the “white world.” Their ties to the black community often times involves membership in historically black institutions like the black church or organizations like Jack and Jill and their foothold in the “white world” involves taking up residency in predominately white neighborhoods, employment in predominately white professions, and enrollment in predominately white high schools, preparatory schools and colleges.

Allen, like many young people living in distressed communities that are often also racially and ethnically homogeneous, faced the challenge of trying to maintain credibility with those involved in illicit activities, while at the same time reaching for higher heights. The book offers some insight into the struggle that young people face and some explanation as to why some succumb to the pressures while others do not.

For one, it is evident that the amount of pressure placed on young people in distressed communities may vary by gender. Young males may be more likely to succumb to such pressures than young females, which is not to say that young females are immune. Strong family values and the presence of positive adult role models is important too as is the accumulation of not only monetary capital but social capital. Much of Allen’s ultimate success came from the strong foundation laid by his parents and from the social capital and social networks he developed and nurtured due in large part to his status as an elite athlete.

The Rat That Got Away , in many ways, serves as a model for helping a subset of young people that all too often find themselves in the same situation as Allen, torn between the glitter and glamour of illicit activities and legitimate pathways to wealth, status and power. The Rat That Got Away , is a must read for high school and first generation college students who are but one poor decision away from realizing the proverbial American dream.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Class Tomorrow: November 3, 2010

Posted by Dr. Martin

Sorry for the confusion!  Classes which begin at 4:00 PM or later are required to meet as scheduled. Since our class begins at 3:35, we will not meet.  I will be in my office if you wish to discuss the paper or any other matter concerning the course.  Thanks!

See you all Monday!

Monday, November 1, 2010

How to comment

From Tim McCormack

Neither Professor Martin nor I have ever used Blogspot before.  So, we have had a little trouble getting this thing rolling.  Follow the rules below to begin using the blog by reading it and offering comments to various posts.

Only one person can "lead the blog."  So all initial posts will be listed as coming from Professor Martin.  However, when I post something I will write at the top "From Tim McCormack" so you will know it is from me. (As I did above.)

There is some confusion about what followers can do on the blog as far as posting.  Followers cannot make initial posts.  They can only "post comments."  The post comment box appears below the post.  You are able to read others comments as well.

So, I just posted a chance to join the blog conversation.  See my post below and start commenting.  More opportunities to follow.

A chance to Post Comments

From Tim McCormack


I wanted to give those willing yet another chance to begin a dialogue on the blog here about topics that matter to our courses. This is especially important as I review your midterm performance grade and quite frankly, many of you could use the points. 

There have been two stories involving the NFL that have received a lot of attention lately. One of them is the story of how the NFL has a big safety issue and how their players are at risk for injury. However, the NFL also markets violent play as a positive thing. See the discussion of this issue in the NY Times by clicking on the link below or cutting and pasting this url into your browser search box. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/sports/football/22hits.html?scp=4&sq=NFL%20violence%20marketing&st=cse



And then there was this column on NFL cheerleaders. Click on this link or cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/sports/football/17rhoden.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=NFL%20cheerleaders&st=cse

I am especially interested in the ideas of sexism of cheerleading as sport, and the idea that the use of cheerleaders in the NFL and NBA undermines the athletic skill required. Do you think cheerleaders are athletes? 

If the URL links do not work, just go to the NY TIMES and put NFL cheerleaders or NFL violence into the search box. 

Looking forward to seeing you all comment here.  



Rhetorical Vocabulary

From tim McCormack

Below is the rhetorical vocabulary list to write the reflective letter for your portfolio and to talk about your work in our conference.  You may have to research some of these words to be able to use them effectively.  Choose the words that apply to what you have learned so far this semester.  Be able to give examples from your work that relate to the rhetorical terms you use.

Have you figured out yet that the letter and conference are really the same assignment:  one is written and the other is spoken.

No class this week.  See you in conference.

Tim


Redundancy:
Meaningless Words:
Meta discourse:
Trust
Form
Genre                                   
Organization
Structure
Opening
Closing
Theme/Hypothesis/Research Question(s)
Explicit/Implicit/Extended
Argument
Audience
Voice
Flow
Research                       
Evidence
Sources
Pace
Point of View
Direct
Diction
Tension Point
Summary
Paraphrase
Quotes
Insert Quote
Block Quote
Documentation                       
Citation
Transitions
Tone
Subheads
Order
Choppy
Overstatement
Rhythm
Wordplay
Syntax
Format
Sentence Structure
Surrender Moments                       
Writer/Reader/Text
Risk Taking
All the world is a text                                               
Worthy Message                                   
Binary
Writer Choice
Two Research Paradigms                                               
Explicit/Implicit/Extended                       
Narrator Presence
Topic à ThesisàFocus                                                                                                           
Entertainment
Storytelling                                                                                                                                   
Analysis vs Opinion
Evidence
Corroboration
Naming (Creating Terms)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Research Proposal

For the final research paper, students must ask and try to answer a sociological question related to race, ethnicity, gender, class and sport. The paper must be 5-7 pages. The paper must include 8 to 10 references. Five of the references must be from sociological journal articles. Each student is to submit a research proposal by Wednesday, October 20. The research proposal should be about one page and include the following:


1. A research question

2. A detailed outline

3. Eight academic references, including 5 sociological journal articles in APA format
 
Posted by Dr. Martin

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Allen Jones and Keith Gilyard

Gilyard and Jones have many crossing points in their lives.  Both African American males, both smart in school, both live on the edges of poverty in NYC in the 50s and 60s, and both have parents who are physically abusive.  Early on both set their eyes on their sports careers as an escape hatch from the difficult family, school and neighborhood situations they find themselves in.  I am wondering if that is still true today, 50 years later.  In poor neighborhoods with poor public schools and "tough streets," is sports still perceived by the youth as the best means of escape.  

I have to get the exact statistic, but I think I remember reading that when you do the math of the number of highschool basketball players and the number of NBA players, the chances of making it to the NBA is like 1 in 5,000.  (Don't quote me on that number.)  

The number of American high school players making it to professional leagues is probably shrinking because the NBA, like MLB and NFL, recruits from all over the world now.  I was reading in the NYTIMES on Sunday that most of MLB is pulling out of the Dominican Republic because of problems with phony ages and steroids.  So certainly escape from poverty through sports is still leading to drastic behavior, now the world over.

But back to my main question.  I wonder if in neighborhoods in NYC right now there are young athletes looking to sports as a panacea from poverty.  There is a documentary about two highschool then college basketball players who certainly believe this.  And there is the excellent book LAST SHOT, which chronicles five players from Coney Island who try to make it to the NBA.  All seven players end careers without making it. But both of these sources seem to corroborate that many male high school athletes believe, like Gilyard and Jones, that their athletic prowess can save them and lead them to be millionaires.  

However, these are old sources (1994 and 1996 respectively), and I wonder now whether males growing up in poverty still believe this.  What a great research project this would make.  And come to think of it, I wonder if females growing up in poverty are also now believing in the possibility of sports as a panacea to current poverty given the rise of the WNBA and the offering of more womens scholarships for athletics.  Ah another good project.  So many projects; so little time.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Student Discussion Worksheet-Chapter 9

Hi All,

Here is the Student Discussion Worksheet for Chapter 9.  Don't worry about the worksheet for chapter 4. 

See you all on Monday! Please remember to read Chapter 9. 



Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies

Student Discussion Worksheet



Name: ____________________________________________ Due date: ______________



Reading: Ch. 9, “Race and Ethnicity: Are They Important in Sports?”



1. Your 14-year-old brother comes to you and asks why he sees so many black athletes in certain sports, and so few or none in other sports. What are three of the main points you would talk about in your discussion with him?



Point #1:





Point #2:





Point #3:







2. Your 16-year-old son attends a U.S. high school with the sport team nickname of “Redskins.” The team mascot is a caricature of a Native American in war paint and feather headdress carrying a tomahawk. Your son wants to apply to be the mascot for next year. He wants to know if it’s okay with you (by the way, you live close to a reservation where 1 in 6 teens attempt suicide, the unemployment rate is 30%, and 70% of the households are under the poverty level). You want your son to make an informed decision about what to do. What points do you emphasize in your discussion?















3. As the principal of a new racially and ethnically mixed high school, you want to use the varsity sport program as a site for highlighting positive intergroup relations in your school. What challenges will you face as you try to do this? What challenges will be the most difficult to deal with?



Challenges:





Most difficult challenge:

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Review Sheet for Exam 1

Review Sheet


Exam 1

ETH 125 Race and Ethnicity in Contemporary America

Fall 2010

Dr. Lori L. Martin



Terms: (70%)



Sociology

Sociological imagination

Culture

Social structure

Minority

Race

Ethnicity

Social Class

Migration

Annexation

Colonialism

Segregation

Assimilation

Multiculturalism

Sports

Spectacle

Social research

Socialization





Sample Essay Topics: (30%)

1. Some sociologists think that a precise definition of sports is needed so they can distinguish sports from other phenomena that have different social dynamics and social implications. Using the definition of sport given in the chapter, identify which of the following activities would be classified as sports. Give reasons for your classifications.

- Racing in the Indianapolis 500 - The Super Bowl

- Skiing with friends at a resort - Jogging every morning

- Playing handball at the YMCA - Playing chess in a school tournament

- Bowling in a Friday-night league - Doing aerobics in a P.E. course

2. According to definitions in the text, wrestling may be a form of play, a sport, or dramatic spectacle. Give examples of “wrestling” in each of these three forms and discuss the factors that lead it to be classified in each of these three categories.

3. Sports are contested activities as well as social constructions. This means that people have differing ideas about what sports could and should be in society, and they struggle over whose ideas will prevail as they collectively create various forms of sports. Identify the issues over which people have struggled in recent years as they determine what sports are and how they will be included in their lives.

4. Producing knowledge in the sociology of sport occurs through a seven-stage process. Identify three of those stages and explain why they are crucial to the overall knowledge production process.

Socialization (Part II)

Socialization (Coakley)

Socialization Notes (Part I)

What is Socialization?

Notes-Coakley Chapter 2

Producing Knowledge About Sports in Society

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Student Discussion Worksheet for Chapter 1 (Due Monday, September 13, 2010)

Reading: Ch. 1, “The Sociology of Sport: What Is It and Why Study It?”




1. In Ch. 1 it was explained that sports are “contested activities” and that people sometimes debate and struggle about “Who will participate in sports and under what conditions will their participation occur?” Identify two issues over which people have debated and struggled when it comes to who participates in sports.



Issue/example #1:







Issue/example #2:











2. Street roller hockey is growing in popularity among middle-class boys and girls in many suburban communities around the country. Jump rope is growing in popularity among low income, African American girls in many large cities. Which of these two activities has the best chance of becoming a sport in the United States? Give two reasons for your choice.



CHOICE:



REASON 1:







REASON 2:









3. As you discuss your course schedule for this semester, one of your friends asks you, “Why are you taking a sociology of sport course? I don’t see how sport is related to society. What’s that class about?” How would you respond to your friend?



Response:

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

While you were writing, I was writing too...

The noisy clicking in the front of the room while you were doing your writing sample was me writing this post.  (Sorry.) 

I wanted to say in class but didn't have time...whenever I see a schema like we see in the Brooks article, I always think how it is only partly true.  I mean can Roman, Greek and British notions of sport really be reduced to just the concepts of spectator entertainment, individual achievement and reward, and teamwork respectively.  One could analyze these sports culture through a good sociological lens and show how all of these societies have allof these elements of sports.  Schema (fitting things into categories) help us think and define the way the world works and are therefore helpful.  A mammal is a....  A CUNY student is...  But schema always have exceptions and conditions.  There are mammals who swim and CUNY students who don't live in the five boroughs.  When we think of schema as permanent and natural (not slippery and human creations) we can make errors in evaluation and judgment (all mammals walk on land all White people can't jump).  Schema can be dangerous if taken too literally and exclusively--and especially if violence is done to enforce the schema.  Take race for example.  Categorizing people into racial groups is a form of schema behavior.  But just what exactly makes someone White, Black, Asian etc.  Certainly we can point to some things, but it is very rarely clear cut.  Yet when enforced rigidly, racial schema can cause some very harsh consequences, even death.  So take these Roman, Greek and British sports culture definitions only so far. 

So be careful when you are reading something where the theory involves categories or schema, and be careful when you make that move in your own writing. 

Blog Credit for ENG 101

Professor Martin posted that you can get extra credit in her course for posting to the blog.  For the writing course, you can get extra credit too.  So you could post once and get extra credit twice.  It's two for one. You don't get that too often in life.  At the midterm and again at the end of the semester, I will look over the blog posts and award 1-4 points based on your participation in the blog.

I should also say though that there are times where I will ask you to post to the blog as one of your writing assignments.  In other words, it will not be for extra credit but for actual class points.  blogging is an ever-more-present form of writing that you will certainly encounter (many of you probably already participate in the blogosphere.) So, I will ask you a few times this semester to post your piece of writing for the day on the blog. I will make it clear when this is required.

Tim

(You should all sign your posts, so we know who it is from.)

Additional opportunities to earn extra credit

In addition to the 10 points for the book review, you may earn extra credit by posting to the class blog and/or for volunteering with a youth athletic program.  Here are the details. 


1 point
Receive one point extra credit for each reply to a post at sportsandsocietylc.blogspot.com.  The post must be at least two paragraphs long.  Each paragraph should contain at least five sentences. 
Maximum:  10 points

1 point
Receive one point extra credit for each hour of service to a youth athletic program. 
Maximum:  10 points

*You must provide verification of your service and write a two-page paper connecting your experience with one or more concepts discussed in class.  You must indicate your interest in service to the community by week three by submitting a signed agreement form to Dr. Martin.  You are strongly encouraged to complete a pre- and post-service questionnaire.  You can obtain the questions from Dr. Martin. 

Total allowable extra credit points:  15

* You may mix and match. 

Final Exam Schedule

The final exam is December 15, 2010, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Sporting Mind and the Sociological Imagination

Hi All!

Here are links to the readings for the first week of class!  Enjoy!

The Sporting Mind by David Brooks
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05brooks.html

Excerpt from Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills
http://legacy.lclark.edu/~goldman/socimagination.html


Dr. Martin

Monday, May 17, 2010