FILM 283 - Fandom and Sports Media

1 unit(s)

(Same as MEDS 283) This course examines the historical and cultural development of sports media in the United States. It explores the definitions of sports media as a generic and industrial label and the transformation of audiences into fan communities. Throughout the semester, we examine how producers, leagues, and fans have used media to engage with cultural, political and technological changes in American society. We also consider more recent forms of cultural production and participation that engage the varied social practices associated with fandom. Special attention is paid to the connections between media consumption and performances of identity and community. The course places sports media in a broader industrial context that will include forms such as sponsored, experimental, amateur, and documentary films and television series. Screenings include Moneyball, Senna, Jim Thorpe All-American, Hoop Dreams, Raging Bull, The Jackie Robinson Story, and O.J.: Made in America. Since this course focuses on the relationship between media and fandom, students do not need to have any knowledge of sports to enroll. This course is not open to first-year students. Alexander Kupfer.

Prerequisite(s): FILM 209 or MEDS 160.

Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.

Not offered in 2020/21.

Course Format: CLS

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