Humanities and Fine Arts 191HFA41 - FYS- Rhetoric/UMass Athletics

Banners hang from lamp posts displaying our student athletes in motion. TV screens across campus show March Madness commentary. Patriots games lead to riots in the Southwest Residential area. Our Minuteman Mascot runs, a rifle at the ready, across our hats, t-shirts, and backpacks. There is no question that UMass Amherst is infused by sports, both local and national. In this course, we will consider how sports influence our own identities and how we are (and are not) invited to identify with others. The texts we read will guide us in thinking about how sports rhetoric shapes intersectional identities (race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, ability, nationality, religion, age, etc.). Our own UMass Athletics Program will serve as our case study. We will rhetorically analyze our mascot, what happens at games/events, what happens in practice, and what is going on in marketing campaigns, asking how the rhetoric engaged by our Athletics Program influences how we see ourselves, peers, and University. We will also think of writing as a sport. Using writing exercises, we'll work through the writing process for two short essay assignments, building the stamina you'll need for writing at the university level.

Open to first-year Humanities and Fine Arts Exploratory Track students and first-year HFA Majors.