AMST 101: Introduction to American Myth: Baseball and American Culture

This 5-credit American Studies course immerses students in what is still sometimes called Our National Pastime. Studies include a ton and a half of reading; a massive amount of video watching, including Hollywood films and the 20+ hour documentary Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns; and a hand-cramping amount of writing.

Students will learn to:

• Detail the surprising origins of Our National Pastime, as well as its growth.

• Evaluate myths that baseball has evoked, such as its pastoral nature and fulfillment of the Jeffersonian ideal.

• Place the game in historical, economical, and sociological contexts in eras ranging from before the Civil War.

• Analyze issues affecting baseball and society, including race, gender and class; gambling; labor and management; globalization; and drug use.

• Recognize the names and roles of the sport’s most historically influential people.

• Pick and justify and all-time All-Star team.

Students’ reading and writing levels should meet or exceed those of English 101. Success will depend partly on being able to commit a minimum of 12 hours per week, probably way more.

Caution: books and materials can add up, thanks largely to the need to access Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns.

New, this series costs roughly $200. Options for saving money include the following: reselling the set at the end of the course, either to the BCC bookstore or on Ebay; renting it at major video stores; borrowing from a local library; viewing the reserve copies in the BCC library. But please understand: viewing the series is required to earn a passing grade.