This course is designed to engage students in conversations about particular perspectives on the history of a selected nation, region, people, culture, institution, or historical phenomenon as specified by the respective instructor. By taking this course, students will come to understand, and develop an appreciation for, some combination of: the origins and evolution of the people, cultures, and/or political, economic, and/or social institutions of a particular region(s) of the world. They may also explore how human encounters shaped individual and collective identities and the complex political, economic, and social orders of the region/nation/communities under study. Instructors and subject will vary.

This course welcomes all students to examine the social, cultural and political history of American sports, with a focus on sex roles, the body and public racial identities. From the colonial era through the long history of segregation to the growing empowerment of women, athletes have represented ideals of masculinity, femininity and nationalism. How have state, media, medical and corporate authorities framed winners and losers or placed limits on certain competitors? Readings, films, guest speakers and class discussion will emphasize the history of children's games, homophobia, coaching and fan behaviors, Olympic scandals and wartime teams (such as women's baseball leagues, and Little League ball in Japanese-American internment camps.) We'll consider gender, race and class in the history of strength training, recreation, mascots, sportswear, toys, body size and food. All cultural perspectives are welcome. Instructor bio: Bonnie J. Morris is the author of 19 books and has taught women's sports history for twenty-five years, first at George Washington University and Georgetown, and recently on Semester at Sea, as well as at Cal. She is also a women's history consultant to Disney Animation, the Smithsonian and the State Department. Her new book, What's the Score, includes reflections from many students who enjoyed taking this course at Cal.

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Requirements class fulfills