Topic for Spring 2023: The Black Athlete's History of Protest
Prerequisites: None
This course represents an opportunity to turn everyday conversations, debates, and discourse about sports into conversations informed by history. Too often, to quote the creators of the Kaepernick Syllabus, "especially within the media and from those whose whiteness--their privilege--insulates, empowers, and protects, people speak without the requisite tools, without the requisite historic foundation, and without the necessary information." If we are going to follow NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s lead to work toward justice, we must do so with a historic foundation, with knowledge about the persistent realities of racial injustice and inequality, with insight into the longstanding struggles of the Black athlete. Through their own research, a variety of writing assignments, and by leading class discussions, students will study the activism of Muhammad Ali, Harry Edwards, members of the WNBA, Serena Williams, and so many others to comprehend the historic significance of #TakeAKnee and #WeSitWithKaep.