Soccer is a near-universal sport that separates itself from other sports because of its accessibility and inclusivity. Because of this global reach and popularity, soccer also acts as a platform for different people around the world, on an individual and national level, to play out and construct their identities. This course is an opportunity to look at the many ways that soccer is not just a game but a stage where different ideas of politics, identity, race, nationalism, gender, labor, beauty, style, and grand human narratives are formed, explored, and contradicted. This is for lovers of the sport as much as it is for those who don't see themselves as such but are interested in exploring those different areas as manifested in soccer. Through the creation of and contribution to a World Cup-specific soccer magazine for the semester, each student will be able to interrogate the game of soccer and what it reveals about the greater human society off the field. |