Overview
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
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
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)
Carrier, Roch. The Hockey Sweater and Other Stories, translated by Sheila Fischman, introduction by Dave Bidini. House of Anansi P, 2012.
Gaston, Bill. The Good Body. House of Anansi P, 2010.
Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse. Douglas & Macintyre, 2012.
Warwick, Samantha. Sage Island. Brindle and Glass Press, 2008.
Other Materials
All other course materials can be found online.