The Athlete in Literature
1 trimester 0.5 credit

Prerequisite:
Junior or Senior standing

Fees and Cost:
None

Course Overview: This course will explore the experience of student athletes from a wide diversity of backgrounds and settings. Students will read about a female basketball player in Montana, follow a football team in Odessa, Texas, and journey to Iowa to redeem Shoeless Joe Jackson. Students will read both fiction and nonfiction and explore and discuss the dilemmas faced by coaches and athletes, and the controversial issues rife in the world of sport. Students will write frequently about both their own experiences in athletics, their observations, and the themes, characters, and events presented in the literature. A persuasive and/or expository essay, and a personal essay will be required writing. The course will also incorporate films as companion pieces to books or articles. Additional films may be used to create a contrasting viewpoint or to present athletic experiences from sports not represented in the literature.

Books to be included in the course: The three titles in bold are required reading. The others are supplementary teacher’s choice selections.

The Way of the Peaceful Warrior Dan Millman Fiction (Gymnastics)
Shoeless Joe Richard Kinsella Fiction (Baseball)
Samurai Shortstop Alan Gratz Fiction (Baseball)
Friday Night Lights H.G. Bissinger Non-fiction (Football)
A River Runs Through It Norman MacLean Fiction (Fly Fishing)
Counting Coup Larry Colton Non-fiction (G Basketball)
The Legend of Bagger Vance Steven Pressfield Fiction (Golf)

Films that may be shown in the course: Many of these are film adaptations of a novel we will be reading.
Peaceful Warrior (gymnastics)
Goal (the story of a Hispanic American soccer player making a professional team in Europe)
Field of Dreams (film adaptation of Shoeless Joe)
The Natural (baseball)
Friday Night Lights
A River Runs Through It
Edge of America (the story of a reservation girls’ basketball team)
Heart of the Game (film documentary of Seattle area girls’ basketball team)
Miracle(American Olympic hockey team)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (golf)

Attendance: Daily attendance will be taken. You will earn 3 points for each day you are here and on time. You will lose points for all absences, even excused absences and SIA’s. These points will be part of your 15 % participation grade.

 Make-Up Work Policy: You have the same number of days you were absent to make up missed assignments.

 Late Work: No daily assignments will be accepted late. All essays, stories, poems must be turned in on time. This includes both rough drafts and final drafts! Your paper must be turned in at the beginning of class or earlier on the day it is due whether you are in attendance or not. Late rough drafts receive no credit. Papers must be typed.

Final drafts of essays will be accepted up to two days late for 50% of grade if acceptable and complete.

 Rough drafts and final drafts of all major writing assignments must be typed!