Soccer Politics Class Spring 2020

By | August 29, 2020

I’ve gotten various requests for my syllabi for the Soccer Politics class I teach at Duke University. I’ve posted the “itinerary” from Spring 2020 with the readings and movies we watch below. Note that the class is taught with multiple language sections, with students doing readings and papers variously in English, Spanish and French.

Duke University produced a multi-media piece about the class which includes interviews with students and details about how the multi-lingual sections work.

The majority of the student’s work for the class is posted on this blog. You can explore their work, including “Tournament Guides,” “Soccer Politics Pages,” “Guide to Global Soccer Blogs,” and short pieces called “Capturing the Game,” using the tabs above, Enjoy!

Itinerary

January 9: Introductions and Welcome

Reading:

Jenny Vrentas, “2019 Sportsperson of the Year: Megan Rapinoe,” and Grant Wahl, “The Sportspersonal Touch,” in Sports Illustrated, December 9, 2019

Laurent Dubois, “How to Really Watch the World Cup,” Vox, June 15 2018

Listening: Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History Podcast Season 1, Episode 6: “My Little Hundred Million”

January 14/16: Thinking the Game 

Reading:

Christian Bromberger, “Football as World-View and Ritual,” French Cultural Studies 6 (1995): 293-311

Watching: Zidane A 21st Century Portrait

January 21/23: The Power of the Game

Reading:

All Sections: Edouardo Galeano, Soccer in Sun & Shadow (in section language)

Watching: Pelada

January 28/30: The Culture of the Game

Reading:

Edouardo Galeano, Soccer in Sun & Shadow (in section language)

February 4/6: Cultures of the Game in Latin America

Reading: Roger Kittleson, The Country of Football, Introduction and Chapters 1 & 2

February 11/13: Cultures of the Game in Latin America

Reading:

Roger Kittleson, The Country of Football, Chapters 3, 4 & 5

Grant Farred, Long Distance Love, Chapter 2

Watching: The Two Escobars 

February 18/20

Introduction to Final Projects & In-Class Work Session

February 25/27: Global Cultures of Soccer 

Reading:

English Section: David Winner, Brilliant Orange

French Section: Fatou Diome, Le ventre de l’Atlantique

Spanish Section: Juan Villoro, Balon dividido

March 3/5: Global Cultures of Soccer

Global Cultures of Soccer

Reading:

English Section: David Winner, Brilliant Orange

French Section: Fatou Diome, Le ventre de l’Atlantique

Spanish Section: Juan Villoro, Balon dividido

March 17/19: Cultures of the Game in Africa

Reading:

Peter Alegi, African Soccerscapes 

March 24/26: Autobiographies of the Game

Reading:

English Section: Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch

French Section: Lilian Thuram, Le 8 Juillet 1998

Spanish Section: Edouardo Sacheri, Papeles en el viento

March 30/April 2: Autobiographies of the Game

Autobiographies of the Game

English Section: Nick Hornby, Fever Pitch

French Section: Lilian Thuram, Le 8 Juillet 1998

Spanish Section: Edouardo Sacheri, Papeles en el viento

April 7/9: The Futures of Global Women’s Soccer

Reading:

Gwendolyn Oxenham, Under the Lights and in the Dark

Laurent Dubois, “How Not to Scout for Soccer Talent,” The Atlantic (July/August 2018)

April 14/16: The Futures of U.S. Soccer 

Watching: Once in a Lifetime and Soccertown USA

April 21

Concluding Lecture

 

In the Spring 2019 version of the class, which had a larger focus on women’s soccer, we also read:

Gail Newsham, In A League of Their Own: The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917-1965

 

I have also co-organized two symposia linked to the course:

The Struggle for Equality in Women’s Soccer (2019)

The Futures of Women’s Soccer (2015)

Category: Soccer Politics

About Laurent Dubois

I am Professor of Romance Studies and History and the Director of the Forum for Scholars & Publics at Duke University. I founded the Soccer Politics blog in 2009 as part of a course on "World Cup and World Politics" taught at Duke University. I'm currently teaching the course under the title "Soccer Politics" here at Duke. My books include Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France (University of California Press, 2010) and The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer (Basic Books, 2018)

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