COURSE STRUCTURE
This topic focuses on the introducing the relationship between physical culture and the socio-culturally constructed, and performative nature, of gender and gender difference. This leads to an examination of the hyper-masculine orientation of contemporary sport culture, with specific attention paid to the various ways that involvement with sport/physical activity contributes to the embodied performance and normalization of traditional understandings of masculinity.
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1. LECTURE
For six slides per page format (for printing) click : HERE
For one slide per page format (for viewing on computer) click: HERE
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2. REQUIRED READINGS
It is expected that you will complete these readings following Wednesday lectures and in preparation for discussion section tasks/assignments.
In addition, within the Module 2 exam, you should expect to be asked questions on the following readings:
Reading I: Messner, M. (2002). Playing Center: The Triad of Violence. In Men’s Sports Taking the field: Women, men, and sports (pp. 27-61). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Reading II: Denison, J. (2002, March 1). Is it safe in the locker room? The Times Higher Education Supplement, p. 17.
Reading III: Branch, J. (2014, February 9). NFL prospect Michael Sam proudly says what his teammates knew: He’s gay. The New York Times.
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3. VIDEO CLIPS
Some of these video clips will be viewed during lecture. However, you are expected to view those not shown in lecture in preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic:
Video Clip 1: Judith Butler (2011) speaking on issues related to gender performance and performativity.
Video Clip 2: Excerpt from Friday Night Tykes (2014), illustrating the early socialization of gendered bodies and identities, and the relationship between masculinity and a fear of weakness.
Video Clip 3: The rousing half-time speech at a minor league Australian Rules football game (WARNING: Bad Language alert!).
Video Clip 4: A clip from The IT Crowd, demonstrating the learned nature of masculine performance, particularly related to sport spectating.
Video Clip 5: “I’m Good” Pepsi Max commercial, illustrating the performative nature of masculinity.
Video Clip 6: MTV feature on the development of the instrumental football body.
Video Clip 7: MTV feature on the development of the professional oriented bodybuilder’s body.
Video Clip 8: The Tough Guy Race, more examples of performative masculinities.
Video Clip 9: Promotion for an UFC computer game, illustrating the commercial media’s representation of violent masculinity.
Video Clip 10: MTV feature on the development of the cosmetically manufactured body (WARNING: Surgical procedure alert!).
Video Clip 11: An excerpt from an episode of Frasier, highlighting the changed relationship between the exercising body and sexuality.
Video Clip 12: An excerpt from the movie Murderball, and the performance of masculinity by those with physically-challenged bodies.
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4. KEY CONCEPTS
The following key concepts represent the core knowledge related to this topic, and you should ensure that you develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of them in preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic:
De-Naturalizing the Gendered/Sexed Body
The Social and Cultural Construction of the Body
Sex and Gender Classifications
Gender Performance and Performativity
Formal, Informal, and Self-Policing of Gender
The Hierarchical Gender Binary
Patriarchy and Patriarchal Institutions
The Corporeal Origins of Patriarchy
Sport as a Performative Gendered and Gendering Institution
The Embodied Bases of Masculinity
The Social and Cultural Construction of the Sporting/Active Body
Gendered Sporting Ideologies, Institutions, Practices, and Texts
The Hyper-Masculine Centre of American Sport Culture
Physicality, Masculinity, and Heteronormativity
The Primary Sources of Masculinity
The Demands of Hyper-Masculine Sport Performance
The Triad of Sport-Related Violence
Sport, Masculinity, and the Fear of Social Rejection
Sport and Hegemonic Masculinity
The Process and Practice of Mosaic Masculinity
Instrumental, Professional, Exercising, and Representative Masculinities
The Homosexual and Able-Bodied Assumptions of Masculine Sport Culture
Emergent Sporting Masculinities
Cosmetic, Homosexual, and Adaptive Masculinities
Confounding the Heternormativity of Mainstream Sport Culture
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5. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Following the lecture, and having read the assigned readings and watch relevant video clips, you are encouraged to answer a series of discussion questions related to this topic which can be accessed HERE.
These questions require that you engage and extend the information covered within each theme, in order to generate a better understanding of core concepts, knowledge, and issues.
These questions are intended as preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic.
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6. ESSAY QUESTION #5 (this is an option for the Module 2 essay)
According to Judith Butler (1995, p. 25, “There is not gender identity behind the expressions of gender;...identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results.”
Discuss the relevance of Butler’s observation for the understanding of the embodiment, experiencing, and effects of masculine performativity within sport and physical culture.
This essay should be a minimum of 1,500 words to answer it comprehensively.
You may find the following academic sources useful in completing this assignment. You do not have to use these sources, they are simply provided for you as an introduction to the literature, and you should use them where appropriate and/or relevant. Also, be warned, these readings do not count towards the THREE additional academic sources you are expected to use within your essays (however, they may direct you toward additional academic sources you could use):
Chimot, C., & Louveau, C. (2010). Becoming a man while playing a female sport: The construction of masculine identity in boys doing rhythmic gymnastics. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 45(4), 436-456.
Coles, T. (2008). Finding the space in the field of masculinity: Lived experiences of men’s masculinities. Journal of Sociology, 44 (3), 233-248.
Gill, R., Henwood, K., & McLean, C. (2005). Body projects and the regulation of normative masculinity. Body and Society, 11(1), 37-62.
Wellard, I. (2002). Men, sport, body performance and the maintenance of 'exclusive
masculinity'. Leisure Studies, 21(3-4), 235-248.
If you choose to complete this essay, and in addition to the sources provided on this page, you need to identify and use (either through paraphrasing or direct quotation) interpretations, insights, or information from a MINIMUM OF THREE appropriate academic sources (in addition to those provided for you on this website).
The deadline for submitting (via the ELMS/Canvas website) your Module 2 Essay is 11.59pm ET on Friday November 27.
Important: The ELMS/Canvas website will not accept essays after the due time and date.
In order to receive feedback from your TA, you can submit a draft version of your essay up to and including 10.00pm ET Friday November 11.
Be sure to review the details on the module essay page. On that page you will find the EVALUATION CRITERIA for module essays (which you are strongly encouraged to read), you will also find links to the appropriate academic sources you should use when researching and writing your module essays, and the style and format guidelines you need to follow when completing module essays. All this information needs to be read, understood, and closely followed for you to succeed in this course.
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