The aim of ENGL 481 is for students to learn to read sport literature with an understanding of genre, technique, and form; to apply various critical strategies to literary texts; to develop analytical writing skills appropriate to essays at the 400 level; and to experiment with creative writing about sport. Students will develop the ability to read with increased understanding of the art of literature and therefore with more enjoyment and a better grasp of sport literature’s contribution to their understanding of the moral, social, and political forces that shape modern life.
Outline
ENGL 481 is divided into seven units:
Unit 1 – The First Lap: Introduction to Sport Literature
Unit 2 – Sprints: Reading Short Fiction
Unit 3 – Team Games: Hockey Literature, Canadian Identity, and Aging Athletes
Unit 4 – Subbing In: Sport Literature as an Alternative Approach to Sport History
Unit 5 – Going Multisport: Reading Sport Lit to Write Sport Lit
Unit 6 – Writing Whose Body in Motion? Race and Gender in Sport Literature
Unit 7 – The Last Length
Learning outcomes
After completing ENGL 481, you should be able to
Read sport literature with an understanding of genre, technique, and form.
Apply various critical strategies to sport literature.
Develop analytical writing skills appropriate to essays at the 400 level.
Experiment with creative writing about sport.
Develop the ability to read with increased understanding of the art of literature, grasping sport literature’s contribution to the moral, social, and political forces that shape modern life.
Increase your knowledge and understanding of yourself and others through your experience with sport literature.
Evaluation
To obtain credit for ENGL 481, you must submit all the assignments and achieve a composite course grade of at least 50 percent.
Activity
Weight
Complete by
Writing Assignment 1: Sports Article and Reflection
10%
End of Unit 1
Writing Assignment 2: Article Review
10%
End of Unit 2
Writing Assignment 3: Blog 1
10%
End of Unit 3
Writing Assignment 4: Blog 2
10%
End of Unit 4
Writing Assignment 5: Short Story Featuring Sport
30%
End of Unit 5
Writing Assignment 6: Final Essay
30%
End of Unit 7
Total
100%
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Abdou, Angie and Jamie Dopp, editors. Writing the Body in Motion: A Critical Anthology on Canadian Sport Literature. Athabasca UP, 2018. (Also available in eBook format) (Print)
Carrier, Roch. The Hockey Sweater and Other Stories, translated by Sheila Fischman, introduction by Dave Bidini. House of Anansi P, 2012. (Print)
Gaston, Bill. The Good Body. House of Anansi P, 2010. (Print)
Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse. Douglas & Macintyre, 2012. (Print)
Warwick, Samantha. Sage Island. Brindle and Glass Press, 2008. (Print)
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.