Recent Courses

HIST/LA 197- The World of 1968

The world of 1968 involved parallel—though not always related—protests, violence, and war, as well as economic, environmental, and artistic developments that were both local and universal in context. This course on the year 1968 is therefore intended to highlight and discuss some of the events and developments of this year, while also placing 1968 in the broader context of modern human history. The course encompasses numerous topics—the political and social history leading up to and including 1968; the contemporary developments in media and music; the multiple arenas of war and protest; various environmental and technological engagements; and the very local aspects of life at Penn State. Students will complete Oral Histories as part of this course. For more information check out: 1968.psu.edu

AFAM 114N- Race, Gender and Sports

In 1969, sociologist Harry Edwards declared that a surge of protest among African American athletes marked "the newest phase of the black liberation movement in America." Nearly five decades later, athletes such as Richard Sherman, Serena Williams, and Michael Sam proved that the relationship between race, gender, and sport remains complicated, and that athletes continue to offer meaningful contributions to a variety of struggles for liberation. This course addresses the race, gender and sport relationship from two complementary angles. First, we will examine the ways that sport gives meaning to racial and gender identity. As concepts that shift over time, race and gender derive their influence from prevailing forms of scientific reason, social attitudes, and cultural mythologies. Second, we will examine the ways that sport works as a setting in which political struggles around race and gender are imagined and expressed. From the 1968 stand by black track and field Olympians, to Billie Jean King's 1973 famous "Battle of the Sexes," to tennis player Venus Williams' achievement of gender pay equity in 2007, to sports figures protesting on behalf of the Movement for Black Lives in 2016, athletes have long placed their social identities at the center of political speech. This course will address sport's potential to rethink, resist, or challenge race and gender relations and other social hierarchies.