'Material Culture of Sports'
Center's fall lecture series to examine 'Material Culture of Sports'
9:03 a.m., Aug. 17, 2012--Following the summer London Olympics and continuing its tradition of public engagement and outreach, the University of Delaware Center for Material Culture Studies will offer a series of talks on “The Material Culture of Sports” this fall.
While the 50-minute talks constitute a one-credit undergraduate class, they are also open to the public free of charge. Participants may come to any or all of interest.
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“The games in London set the stage for our series, which opens with a discussion about international differences in the value of Olympic gold,” says Debby Andrews, director of the center. “This is the fifth in a highly successful series of such talks aimed to help participants better understand their relationship to the things in their lives. Last year it was shopping; this year, it’s sports.”
The talks will be offered throughout the fall semester on Wednesdays, from 1:25-2:15 p.m., in Room 112 of Memorial Hall. Parking is available in the Visitor’s Lot across the street.
Presentations are scheduled as follows:
Aug. 29: Matt Robinson, director of the Institute for Global Studies and professor of sport management in the Department of Business Administration, “The Value Internationally of an Olympic Gold Medal.”
Sept. 5: Tom Pauly, Professor Emeritus of English, “The Early Evolution of American Sports from Leisure Recreation to Strenuous Competition.”
Sept. 12: David Smith, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, “Baseball Scorecards: Advertisements as Social Commentary.”
Sept. 19: Mark Bowden, writer and supplemental faculty in the Department of English, “Inside the National Football League.”
Sept. 26: David Ames, professor and director of the Center for Historic Architecture and Design, “Take Me Out to the Old Ballpark.”
Oct. 3: Hye-Shin Kim, professor, and Sharron Lennon, Irma Ayers Professor, both in the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, “Sportswear: Brand Fit and Counterfeit.”
Oct. 10: John Jebb, assistant professor in the Department of English, “Sports in American Literature: Books and Values.”
Oct. 17: Alison Kreitzer, doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences, “Dirt Track Racing.”
Oct. 24: James Angelini, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, “Sports, Gender, and Television.”
Oct. 31: Rebecca Johnson Melvin, Special Collections, UD Library, and Ray Nichols, Lead Graffiti, “Working with Special Collections: Not Just a Spectator Sport.” For background on the Tour de Lead Graffiti, see the website.
Nov. 7: Kyle Herring, UD student and skater, “Myth, Memory, and Memorabilia: The 1980 Olympic ‘Miracle on Ice’ in Lake Placid.”
Nov. 14: Anne Krulikowski, supplemental faculty in the Department of History, “The American Country Club: Architecture for Suburban Sports.”
Dec. 5: Alex McKee, assistant professor in the Department of English, “From Tea Parties to Tournaments: Tennis, Modernity, and Gender.”