PHIL 226 Big Games: The Spiritual Significance of Sports (Same as Religion 279) (Not offered 2006-2007; to be offered 2007-2008)
Sports matter beyond all apparent reason. They are children's games, yet grip
adults. They serve as entertainment, yet are taken most seriously. They demand
physical excellence, yet drive athletes to injury and spectators to become obese.
The significance of contemporary sports is thus unquestionable, but it is also unexplained. Diversion and fitness alone cannot begin to account for the extraordinary amounts of time, money, and emotion invested in the playing, watching,
and analysis of sports.
This course will attempt to comprehend the significance of sports by attending
to their role as a source of three distinctive forms of "spiritual" experience: patriotism, beauty, and divinity. We will consider the extent to which the fundamental
elements of contemporary sports (games, athletes, equipment, arenas, fans, and
media) can be interpreted as together comprising a complex phenomenon that
provides opportunities for all participants to share in these experiences.
Throughout we will investigate actual examples, taken from particular sports,
chosen for their ability to illuminate different aspects of spiritual experience.
Format: lecture and discussion; possible field-trips. Requirements: two short papers, one final project, attendance and participation
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 130 (expected: 130).