Download My Fall 2021 Syllabus

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to explore gender differences in sport and politics that emerge from physiology, culture, history, politics, and policy. The engagement of women in sport has unique physiological considerations and ethical dilemmas as well as a rich history of defining moments and important ties to feminism and politics. In this course, students will learn how physiological differences affect female athletic performance and the effects of exercise on the female body, as well as how cultural, historical, and political forces shaped women’s  participation in sport. Students will also see how similar historical, cultural, and political forces affect women’s involvement in politics. Combined, students will understand how similar forces shape gender norms and participation in two different, yet related, aspects of society. Additionally, students will learn about the push for evidence-based policymaking and apply that knowledge to topics including doping, pregnancy, and gender verification. Students will integrate physiology and policy in a final assignment advocating for evidence-based sport policy.

Schedule

Week 1: Introduction and History

• August 23: Introduction to the class and each other (Slides)
  • Switzer, Katherine. 2007. “The Girl Who Started It All.” Runner’s World.
• August 25: History of Women in Sport (Slides)
  
  • Bell, Richard C. 2007. “A History of Women in Sport Prior to Title IX.” The Sport Journal 10(2).
• August 27: History of Women in Sport (Slides)
  
  • Ruggeri, Amanda. 2014. “Why It Took 90 Years for Women’s Ski Jumping to Make the Olympics.” Deadspin. February 11.

Week 2: History and Policymaking

• August 30: History of Women in Sport
  • Class Activity
• September 1: Title IX and the Policymaking Process (Slides)
  • Lopiano, Donna A. 2000. “Modern History of Women in Sports: Twenty-five Years of Title IX.” Clinics in Sports Medicine 19: 163-173.
  • Cairney, Paul. 2013. “The Policy Cycle and Its Stages.” Politics & Policy Blog. November 11.
• September 3: Title IX Activity
  • U.S. Department of Education. Equity in Athletics Data Analysis.

Week 3: Women’s Representation in Sport and Politics

• September 6: Labor Day
  • No Class
• September 8: Women in Sport (Slides)
  
  • Lang, Adam. 2021. “Fear of Finding Nothing: Young Women Athletes Need Female Role Models in Sports.” Columbia Spectator. March 24.
• September 10: Women in Politics (Slides)
  
  • Lawless, Jennifer. 2015. “Women Running for Office.” Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Robert Scott and Stephen Kosslyn (eds.). John Wiley & Sons.

Week 4: Basic Human Physiology and Exercise Physiology

• September 13: Introduction to Human Physiology (Slides)
  • Scanlon and Sanders 2010, 6th ed. “Chapter 1: Organization and General Plan of the Body.” In Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology. F.A. Davis Company. (Ebook available in PSU Library).
• September 15: Introduction to Exercise Physiology
  • Shirreffs, Susan M. 2011. “Exercise Physiology.” In The Nutrition Society Textbook: Exercise and Sport Nutrition. Wiley Blackwell.
• September 17: Introduction to Exercise Physiology Continued
  • No new reading
• Quiz 1

Week 5: Unique Female Exercise Physiology

• September 20: Women in Research (Slides)
  • Reynolds, G. 2010. “Phys Ed: What Exercise Science Doesn’t Know About Women.” The New York Times. June 30.
• September 22: Female Reproductive Physiology and Skeletal Physiology (Slides)
  • Rinaldi, Nicola J. 2016. Chapter 5 “Hypothala-WHAT?” in No Period. Now What? Antica Press. (pgs. 45-48).
  • Golsby, Marci A and Nichole Boniquit. 2017. “Bone Health in Athletes: The Role of Exercise, Nutrition, and Hormones.” Sports Health 9(2): 108-117.
• September 24: Activity
  • A class activity will be posted on Canvas, no in-person meeting

Week 6: Unique Female Exercise Physiology

• September 27: Skeletal Physiology Continued
  • No new reading
• September 29: Quiz Day
  • No in-person meeting, use your class time to complete Quiz 2
• October 1: Introduction to the Female Athlete Triad  (Slides)
  • Female Athlete Triad

Week 7: Female Athlete Triad

• October 4: Reproductive Consequences of Inadequate Nutrition (Slides)
  • Matzkin, Elizabeth, Emily J. Curry, and Kaitlyn Whitlock. 2015. “Female Athlete Triad: Past, Present, and Future.” Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 23(7): 424-432.
• October 6: Skeletal Consequences of the Athlete Triad
  • Nattiv, Aurelia, Anne B. Loucks, Melinda M. Manore, Charlotee F. Sanborn, Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen, Michelle P. Warren. 2007. “American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: The Female Athlete Triad.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 39(10): 1867-82.
• October 8: Treatment of the Athlete Triad (Slides)
  • No reading
• Quiz 3

Week 8: Regulation of the Male and Female Body (Contraception)

• October 11: Contraception Physiology (Slides)
  • Bergstrom, Ingrid, Milita Crisby, Anne-May Engstrom, Mats Holcke, Monika Fored, Pia Jakobsson Kruse, and Ann-Marie of Sandberg. 2013. “Women with Anorexia Nervosa Should Not Be Treated with Estrogen or Birth Control Pills in a Bone-Sparing Effect.” Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 92(8): 988-80.
• October 13: Contraception Ethics (Slides)
  • Espy, Eve. 2015. “Feminism and the Moral Imperative for Contraception.” Obstetrics and Gynecology 126(2): 396-400.
• October 15: Contraception Politics (Slides)
  • Abrams, Abigail. 2019. “Can Over-the-Counter Birth Control Become a Bipartisan Issue?” Time. June 21.
    
  • Recommended reading:
    • Kreitzer, Rebecca J., Candis Watts Smith, Kellen A. Kane, and Tracee M. Saunders. 2021. “Affordable but Inaccessible? Contraception Deserts in the US States.” Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 46(2): 277-304.

Week 9: Pregnancy: Exercise, Discrimination, and Ethics

• October 18: Exercise During Pregnancy (Slides)
  • American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2020. “ACOG Committee Opinion: Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period.” Obstetrics and Gynecology 135(4): e178-188.
• October 20: Pregnancy Anecdotes from Female Athletes
  • Montano, Alysia. 2019. “Nike Told Me to Dream Crazy, Until I Wanted a Baby.” The New York Times. May 12.
  • Felix, Allyson. 2019. “Allyson Felix: My Own Nike Pregnancy Story.” The New York Times. May 22.
• October 22: Maternity Benefits and Professional Female Athletes (Slides)
  • Jackson, Victoria. 2019. “Stop Penalizing Female Athletes for Getting Pregnant.” Global Sports Matters. May 23.
• Quiz 4

Week 10: Doping

• October 25: Doping (Slides)
  • McMahon, Ian. 2016. “Female Athletes Dope, Too.” Outside Online. January 29.
• October 27: Cannabis (Slides)
  • Al-Khateeb, Zac. 2021. “What Happened to Sha’Carri Richardson? Explaining the Runner’s Olympic Weed Ban Controversy.” Sporting News. July 30.
    
  • Jaeger, Kyle. 2021. “World Anti-Doping Agency Reviews Marijuana Ban for Athletes Following Pushback on Richardson Suspension.” Marijuana Moment. September 14.
  • Recommended Readings:
    • Ware, Mark A., Dennis Jensen, Amy Barrette, Alan Vernec, and Wayne Derman. 2018. “Cannabis and the Health and Performance of the Elite Athlete.” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 28(5): 480-484.
    • Nguyen, Tien. 2019. “Working Out with Weed.” Nature 572: S14-S15.
• October 29: Class Debate
  • Procon.org. 2018. “Should Performance-Enhancing Drugs Be Accepted in Sports?”

Week 11: Transgender and Gender Verification

• November 1: Gender Verification (Slides)
  • No reading
• November 3: Transgender Athletes (Slides)
  • Schultz, Jaime. 2016. “So What If Some Female Olympians Have High Testosterone?” The Conversation. August 15.
• November 5: Quiz Day
  
  • No in-class meeting, complete Quiz 5

Week 12: Evidence-Based Policymaking and Policy Writing

• November 8: Turning Science into Policy
• November 10: Turning Science into Policy and Telling Good Stories (Slides)
  • Cairney, Paul. 2016. “What Does It Take to Turn Scientific Evidence Into Policy?” June 10.
  • Jones, Michael D. and Deserai Crow. 2018. “Mastering the Art of the Narrative: Using Stories to Shape Public Policy.” LSE Impact Blog. July 18.
• November 12: Policy Writing (Slides)
  • United Nations. “Preparing Policy Briefs.”

Week 13: Portrayal in the Media

• November 15: Athletes in the Media (Slides)
  
  • Ottaway, Amanda. 2016. “Why Don’t People Watch Women’s Sports?” The Nation. July 20.
• November 17: Politicians in the Media (Slides)
  
  • Beaudoux, Virginia Garcia. 2017. “Five Ways the Media Hurts Female Politicians – and How Journalists Everywhere Can Do Better.” The Conversation. January 18.
  • Recommended reading:
    • Van der Pas, Daphne Joanna and Loes Aaldering. 2020. “Gender Differences in Political Media Coverage: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Communication 70: 114-143.
• November 19: Work Day
  
  • No class meeting
    

Week 14: Thanksgiving Break

• No Class

Week 15: The Politics of the Olympics

• November 29: Geopolitics (Slides)
  
  • Aspinall, Evie. 2021. “The Olympics: A Stage for the World’s Biggest Geopolitical Debates.” British Foreign Policy Group. August 13.
  • “Politics and the Olympics.” The Guardian.
• December 1: Class Cancelled
  • Policy Brief Topic Due
• December 3: Medal Counts (Slides)
  
  • Kuek Ser, Kuang Keng. 2016. “Want to Win More Medals in Olympic Games? Close Your Gender Gap.” GlobalPost. August 16.
    
  • McGill, Jenny. 2016. “Who’s #1? The Politics of Olympic Gold.” Inequality.org. August 21.
  • Pegoraro, Ann and Felix Arndt. 2021. “The Tokyo Olympics are Billed as the First Gender Equal Games, but Women Still Lack Opportunities in Sport.” The Conversation. August 2.

Week 16: Pulling It All Together

• December 6: Activism, Engagement, and Protest (Slides)
  • Whiting, Kate. 2021. “From Raised Fists at the 1968 Olympics to Taking the Knee: A History of Racial Justice Protests in Sport.” World Economic Forum. July 23.
  • Asmelash, Leah. 2021. “Olympic Protests are Nearly as Old as the Games Themselves. So Why are Officials So Hesitant to Allow Them?” CNN. July 24.
• December 8: Wrap Up and Questions (Slides)
  • No reading
• December 10: Work Day
  • No class meeting

Week 17: Finals Week

• Final Brief Due December 15