Race, Gender, and Culture in Baseball

This course will explore baseball through the lenses of race, gender, and culture. For good and for ill, baseball has been at the forefront of how the United States has dealt with these issues. Does baseball leading the way with desegregation negate that the sport was at the forefront of segregation with its Gentlemen’s Agreements? What is the historical legacy of baseball providing opportunities for women during wartime, in a way that other North American professional sports leagues did not? These are some of the ideas that this course will explore as it shows baseball’s virtues and flaws

• Understand how baseball illuminates the history of race relations
• Analyze challenges faced by women in sports and American society
• Illuminate how baseball reflects American culture

• Basic computer and internet skills
• Ability to read course instructions in English and complete short activities